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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson - review

Eva Ibbotson The Secret Countess

This book tells the story of Anna, a Russian countess who is forced to leave her home country in 1914. She flees to England, where she gets a job as a maid in a large manor house owned by the Earl of Westerholme. This book follows Anna as she tries to keep her identity as a countess secret.

I enjoyed this book mainly because of the characters. They are really believable and you can imagine them existing in real life, although parts of the story are a little far-fetched. It was great the way all of the characters were different, yet you could tell that they all belonged together in the same story.

I have read other books by Eva Ibbotson, and I am starting to see that her books for teens are all pretty similar! The basic plot is almost the same for all of them, with the characters and the setting changing each time. This plot is quite old-fashioned, and quite cliched too. Nevertheless, I think that Eva Ibbotson's books for teens are all really good, and great for people who would rather read a slower paced book.

I really liked this book, it had some surprising moments and great characters. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to fans of books like The Hunger Games and Divergent, but for fans of old-fashioned novels, this book would be great. I would give it 4 stars!

• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.

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