The Secret Countess
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Narrated by:
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Sian Thomas
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By:
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Eva Ibbotson
About this listen
Anna, a young countess, has lived in the glittering city of St Petersburg all her life in an ice-blue palace overlooking the River Neva. But when revolution tears Russia apart, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England. Armed with an out-of-date book on housekeeping, Anna determines to become a housemaid and she finds work at the Earl of Westerholme's crumbling but magnificent mansion. The staff and the family are sure there is something not quite right about their new maid - but she soon wins them over with her warmth and dedication.
Then the young Earl returns home from the war - and Anna falls hopelessly in love. But they can never be together: Rupert is engaged to the snobbish and awful Muriel - and anyway, Anna is only a servant. Or so everybody thinks . . .
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Countess Ellen Olenska, separated from her European husband, returns to old New York society. She bears with her an independence and an awareness of life which stirs the educated sensitivity of the charming Newland Archer, engaged to be married to her cousin, May Welland. Though he accepts the society's standards and rules he is acutely aware of their limitations. He knows May will assure him a conventional future but Ellen, scandalously separated from her husband, forces Archer to question his values and beliefs.
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Narrated to Perfection
- By Ilana on 09-18-12
By: Edith Wharton
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Cashelmara
- By: Susan Howatch
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong, Carly Robins
- Length: 27 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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When Edward de Salis travels to America after the death of his first wife, he is astonished to find himself falling in love with Marguerite, a young woman many years his junior. Full of hope for the future, he returns to his Irish estate, Cashelmara, but in 19th-century Ireland - a country racked by poverty and famine - his family eventually becomes trapped in a sinister spiral of violence that Edward could never have foreseen.
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Wonderful Story
- By Ann Marie Taylor on 07-04-20
By: Susan Howatch
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Lady Rights a Wrong
- By: Eliza Casey
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Lady Cecilia of Danby Hall feels adrift. She couldn’t be less interested in helping to plan the church’s upcoming bazaar. Instead, what excites her most is the Woman’s Suffrage Union meeting she has just attended. Inspired by the famous and charismatic leader of the group, Mrs. Amelia Price, Cecilia is eager to join the Union - if she can hide it from her parents, that is. But when Mrs. Price is found dead at the foot of the stairs in her home, her Votes for Women sash torn away, Cecilia knows she must attend to a more urgent matter: finding the killer.
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More Eliza Casey!!!!
- By Yvette on 01-28-23
By: Eliza Casey
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My Last Duchess
- A Novel
- By: Eloisa James
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Hugo Wilde, the duke of Lindow, has a drafty castle, eight naughty children - and no wife. Ophelia, Lady Astley, has a fine house, one well-behaved daughter - and no husband. Hugo takes one look at Ophelia and loses his heart, but she doesn’t want more children or a castle. She takes one look at him and heads for her carriage. Desperate to find a duchess, Hugo identifies an appropriate lady to woo. Yet when he meets Ophelia again, the duke realizes that he will marry her, or no one.
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Delightful!
- By Beckymmoe on 11-02-20
By: Eloisa James
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The Little Princesses
- The Story of the Queen's Childhood by Her Nanny, Marion Crawford
- By: Marion Crawford, Jennie Bond - foreword
- Narrated by: Sophie Roberts
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Originally published in 1950, The Little Princesses was the first account of British Royal life inside Buckingham Palace as revealed by Marion Crawford, who served as governess to princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
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The Beginnig of My Interest on the Royal Family
- By A. Bauza Higuera on 12-30-22
By: Marion Crawford, and others
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The Heiress
- The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh
- By: Molly Greeley
- Narrated by: Ell Potter
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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As a fussy baby, Anne de Bourgh was prescribed laudanum to quiet her, and now the young woman must take the opium-heavy tincture every day. Growing up sheltered and confined, removed from sunshine and fresh air, the pale and overly slender Anne grew up with few companions except her cousins, including Fitzwilliam Darcy. Throughout their childhoods, it was understood that Darcy and Anne would marry and combine their vast estates of Pemberley and Rosings. But Darcy does not love Anne or want her.
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A beautiful work of historical fiction
- By Alex M on 02-21-21
By: Molly Greeley
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And Then He Kissed Her
- By: Laura Lee Guhrke
- Narrated by: Zara Hampton-Brown
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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An expert in etiquette, Emma takes her pristine reputation most seriously. But the devilish Lord Marlowe is determined to prove that some rules of proper behavior are made to be broken....
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Love the story, but the narrator misses the mark
- By Lady Wesley on 05-19-20
By: Laura Lee Guhrke
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The Pursuit of Love
- Radlett and Montdore Trilogy Series, Book 1
- By: Nancy Mitford
- Narrated by: Bessie Carter
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Mitford's most enduringly popular novel, The Pursuit of Love, is a classic comedy about growing up and falling in love among the privileged and eccentric. Mitford modeled her characters on her own famously unconventional family. We are introduced to the Radletts through the eyes of their cousin, Fanny, who stays with them at Alconleigh, their Gloucestershire estate. Uncle Matthew is the blustering patriarch; Aunt Sadie is the vague but doting mother; and the seven Radlett children, despite the delights of their unusual childhood, are recklessly eager to grow up.
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Unlistenable
- By Michael on 10-17-21
By: Nancy Mitford
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Devoted to the Duke
- The St. Clairs, Book 1
- By: Alexa Aston, Dragonblade Publishing
- Narrated by: Price Waldman
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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After returning to London from his Grand Tour, serious-minded Jeremy St. Clair, the Marquess of Sather, attends a ball and meets a luminescent beauty who draws him out of his shell. They share a searing kiss - her first - and though he never planned to wed, Jeremy desires to make this young woman his. But his life takes an unexpected turn when he leaves her that night.
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EXCELLANT NARRATION!!
- By Edwina "I Love books" on 11-09-19
By: Alexa Aston, and others
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Magic Flutes
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Kate Lock
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Spring, 1922. Tessa is a beautiful, tiny, dark-eyed princess who’s given up her duties to follow her heart and work backstage at the Viennese opera. She keeps her true identity a well-guarded secret, but when a wealthy, handsome Englishman discovers this bewitching urchin backstage, Tessa’s two lives collide - and in escaping her inheritance, she finds her destiny....
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delightful story spoiled by the reader
- By A Lennox on 01-09-24
By: Eva Ibbotson
What listeners say about The Secret Countess
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Cami
- 08-04-19
So nice
I've loved this story since I was a girl. It is so nice to hear it read with affection.
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- Jessica
- 05-07-22
An Abridged Version
It’s a delightful listen, especially with all the accents invoked, but disappointing to realize it’s only an abridged version of the full story.
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- Jen
- 01-19-24
Wonderful and timeless story and performance
The unabridged version should be made available - I’ve heard it before from CDs. What happened to it?
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- Melissa Keating
- 06-21-16
Heavily edited
This was one of my favorite books when I was little. My hard copy is buried in a relative's attic, so I was thrilled to use a monthly credit to purchase this.
Sadly, the story has been chopped and chiseled, with several characters and plot points completely erased. To be fair, the flow is lovely and I think this version would be more friendly for young children. I could see it being especially valuable on car rides. However, I was sad to see the Ballet Russes cut, and Rupert came across as a bit creepy without some of the humanizing scenes, although it's still a lovely and appropriate story for kids.
The narration was good, and the reader did a lovely job of imparting Ibbotson's fairy-tale feel. However, the Russian accent grew old. Given the short length of the book and its appropriateness for young listeners, I wish they would have simply gone all in and performed it as a radio drama.
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6 people found this helpful
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- KMC219
- 04-02-19
Abridged
I’ve read this before and it’s missing some of my favorite parts, however, The performance was excellent and I enjoyed listening to it.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-10-20
suspenseful
I was taken back. didn't see the storyline coming. it was wonderful. it was a fast listen very entertaining
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- Ashley_Nichol
- 01-16-20
Why are there parts missing?
I have owned this book for years and I am really sad that this isn’t the full story. Yes you can get the gist of it but it would be better complete as the author intended. The narration is perfectly fine and of course the story is good but the color is all gone out of it.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-02-20
The dazzling story of Anna Grazinsky
I absolutely loved this book as a young girl and wanted to have a listen to the cherished story. At first, I thought the ready of only 3 hours odd, I was a quick reader when I was but still 3 hours felt oddly short and found the reason as the story being abridged. I dont know why they sliced the story when it was already perfectly lengthy and simplistic. Perhaps they felt it needed to be shorter because Ms. Ibbotson is more known for her children stories but I digress.
I found that the description had mentions of things they cut, like the outdated compendium which was the very lifeline Ana used to be a servant when she had no other sources. It was a rather large part of the story even if it drove the other staff completely bonkers.
and the jarring reading of what made poor Baskerville actually submit himself below stairs to be comforted by Anna. Or the unpleasantness of the hair salon man, Renee who was greedy for Anna's hair which would have given him great profit, and his malicious treatment to his helper in the salon. And even the tragic cut of the Russian Ballet which would have explained more of Anna's love of ballet and the way she moves. Small details but monumental, I believe.
Overall lovely story, and the reader Sian, did such a pleasant job voicing the character's that I couldn't as a young girl. There are no other selections of the book so this will have to do.
I would suggest that if you are busy, listen and you see a dazzling story unfurl, but if you have time, please pick up a copy of the book and really dive into the sparkling world of Anna Grazinsky.
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- jamie
- 01-14-19
Missing the best parts
This is such a wonderful book, and one I habitually pick up at least once or twice a year. The writing is beautiful and the characters seem to pop out of the story and drag you in.
This audiobook, however, is not its' equal. Most of the characterizing pieces and lines are missing, as are most of our main characters thoughts.
As mentioned in another review the ballet russes are missing, Anna's childhood is sped through at a breakneck pace, her mannerisms around those around her are lost. All in all, you lose much of the dreaminess and sparkle from the story.
The pacing is off, to me. This rendition gives the listener no time to breathe in the wonderful surroundings around Anna or time to mourn the loss of the streets of St. Petersburg. No time to feel the betrayal of Niannka, or the uncomfortable feeling some of the characters give you washing over and dawning slowly.
You don't get the chance to feel Anna as a character and as a result it makes the rest of our characters feel like cardboard.
All of this is not to say that this story is not good or delivered well, however it is most certainly not the same story. I beg anyone thinking about listening to this, please, please read the book first. I'm afraid if you do not, you will lose the magic that is Anna Grazinsky.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-20
Not the same book!
I read this book when it was titled A Countess Below Stairs, and this is NOT the same book. It’s similar, but there are weird things missing.. i’m not sure why it was edited, but I preferred the other version.
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