Black diamonds
Ratings3
Average rating4
15
Ratings3
Average rating4
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Rooms, the extraordinary true story of the downfall of one of England's wealthiest families. Fans of Downton Abbey now have a go-to resource for fascinating, real-life stories of the spectacular lives led by England's aristocrats. With the novelistic flair and knack for historical detail Catherine Bailey displayed in her New York Times bestseller The Secret Rooms, Black Diamonds provides a page-turning chronicle of the Fitzwilliam coal-mining dynasty and their breathtaking Wentworth estate, the largest private home in England. When the sixth Earl Fitzwilliam died in 1902, he left behind the second largest estate in twentieth-century England, valued at more than £3 billion of today's money--a lifeline to the tens of thousands of people who worked either in the family's coal mines or on their expansive estate. The earl also left behind four sons, and the family line seemed assured. But was it? As Bailey retraces the Fitzwilliam family history, she uncovers a legacy riddled with bitter feuds, scandals (including Peter Fitzwilliam's ill-fated affair with American heiress Kick Kennedy), and civil unrest as the conflict between the coal industry and its miners came to a head. Once again, Bailey has written an irresistible and brilliant narrative history"--
Reviews with the most likes.
More like 3.5 but I'll be nice. ;)
I really enjoyed the stories about the family and Kick Kennedy. I less enjoyed the mining stuff, but definitely understand its place in the story.
I love weird British families.
Really interesting and well-told history of the Fitzwilliam family and the village of Wentworth. Not just illuminating about the house and the family, the book also goes into detail in particular about the lives of the miners who supported the family's wealth and status.
