Wentworth Hall (review)

A crumbling estate and a modernizing world is making it difficult for the esteemed Darlington family to maintain its indulgent lifestyle in 1912, but Lord Darlington, its patriarch, is determined to see the family name—and its wealth—continue. Fortunately, a year abroad has tamed his daughter Margaret, former wild child, into a mannered young lady, ideally suited to marry her way into money—perhaps to Teddy Fitzhugh, heir to a diamond fortune and newly arrived houseguest at Wentworth Hall. Younger sister Lila, however, refuses to be overlooked in favor of Margaret yet again, and she is willing to do anything to get Teddy's attention, even if it means betraying Margaret's former indiscretions. Meanwhile, the servants are all atwitter with the latest gossip regarding a local newspaper column satirizing the Darlingtons, one that reveals information that only an insider at Wentworth Hall would know. YA fans of Downton Abbey will immediately recognize the upstairs-downstairs setup, but even readers who have never heard of the Dowager Countess will be compelled to fly through the pages of this supremely soapy but utterly readable piece of historical fiction (emphasis on fiction) as scandal abounds, traditions are defied, and true love conquers all. Grahame packs in the drama with not one, but two, illegitimate children; plenty of sniping sibling rivalry; a breathless, forbidden romance; and a hopelessly optimistic ending; unfortunately, that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for character development and most of the players are a bit two-dimensional while the stilted, often corny dialogue exists mainly to drive the plot along. Still, lovers of historical gossip about the well-heeled and glamorously clad will likely find themselves suitably titillated.