Click here to subscribe today or Login.
This is the first fall in years where a new season of “Downton Abbey” won’t be premiering in Britain. The popular show ended last year and is dearly missed by its legions of fans. Luckily for those fans, Julian Fellowes, who created, produced and wrote for “Downton Abbey” has written a couple of novels that can carry readers back to themes of the beloved TV show.
Reading “Snobs” felt like exploring a modern version of “Downton Abbey.” The narrator is unnamed, but is an actor able to travel between two worlds. He has connections to the wealthy, upper classes of England, but is also friends with the upper middle class people who are desperate to be part of the noble wealthy crowd. The narrator is a rather gentle observer, more tolerant of what he sees than he should be. He can be judgmental, but is also quite wry in that special Fellowes style.
He tells the story of Edith Lavery, an upper middle class social climber who meets the wealthy Charles. He is rather boring, but is going to inherit a wealthy estate when his parents die. His mother is very reminiscent of Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess, who wants to hold onto the traditions and conventions of her class.
Charles and Edith’s marriage seems doomed from the start. Edith is bored by her husband, while she puzzles him. Back at the family estate, Broughton Hall, a period drama is being filmed. The story’s narrator is there, as is a handsome actor named Simon Russell. He catches Edith’s eye, tempting her into an affair, which further damages her marriage with Charles.
The main themes of the book revolve around the snobbery of the upper class in England. It’s about social climbers. I was reminded throughout reading it about how the British press referred to the Middleton sisters as “Wisteria” because they were beautiful but clingy as they pushed their way up in society from a middle class background.
“Snobs” focuses on the dying upper class, who try too hard to hold onto their traditions, but are only able to if they’re one of the lucky ones who can afford to. The middle class is desperate to be elevated to a higher stature, but will never have the heritage to do so.
It’s a very British book. Some of the references were too cultural for me to really understand and appreciate. Fellowes writes with a very literary flourish. The plot can be a bit flighty. Had it been written by Sophie Kinsella or Jane Green, it would have been considered “chick lit,” but Fellowes’ name lends the story gravitas and charm.
Anglophiles, this one’s for you!
