The historical setting is brilliant and really captures you. Plot wise, it was good. Not spectacular but enjoyable enough. Liked the characters too.

I really enjoyed this book all the way through. It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot. I would highly recommend this book.

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

I don't know why readers were expecting another "Downton Abbey" from BELGRAVIA just because it was written by the same hand - because then there would complaints that this book was just another "Downton Abbey" . Ironic really, when that's what readers seem to be expecting anyway.

However, I guess there is a touch of Downton within the pages, but only a hint, since BELGRAVIA is set in the early to mid 19th century from the Georgia to the Victorian era. But, unlike Downton, there is not much love lost between the upstairs and downstairs. However there is the same feel and subject matter with plenty of twists and an even bigger mystery at the heart of the story...which is, of course, no mystery to the reader but rather to the players within. There is, though, a surprising twist at the end that will come as a surprise to the reader.

The story opens in Brussels on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with the Trenchards gaining a coveted invitation to a ball hosted by the Duchess of Richmond, despite their being of a decidedly lower class. However, the invitation came by way of Lord Bellasis, the Duchess' nephew, as eighteen year old Sophia Trenchard and Edmund, Lord Bellasis, are secretly betrothed aware that the difference in their social classes would not allow such a marriage to take place. The ball is one that will go down in history as "that famous ball" as the menfolk were called into battle that night as the bloodshed at Waterloo had begun.

As Sophia bid Edmund farewell on that fateful evening, she caught sight of something that was to shock and dismay her. The man that had stood as parson to overseer the betrothal of herself and Edmund sat astride his horse, laughing alongside his fellow officers as they rode off to battle. How could she be so stupid? To be tricked in a way to believe they were wed just so Edmund could take her to his bed...for he knew that she would not do so otherwise. And then...the news. The bloodshed at Waterloo has taken her Edmund. She would never see him again.

1841: Twenty five years have passed and James Trenchard has moved up in the world. Once the Duke of Wellington's supplier, upon his return to England he felt at somewhat of a loss and sought a new venture, becoming a developer in partnership with the Cubitt brothers as together they built Belgravia. But, despite his class, James has social ambitions. He sees himself mingling within the echelons of society. His wife, Anne, is the voice of reason. She maintains a level head throughout despite the surprises that come her way and she isn't impressed by the trappings of wealth and high society. Although they now live in Belgravia, Anne knows they will never be in the same league as the high society to which James aspires. Their son Oliver and his wife Susan live in the shadow of Sophia as a bitter man and a resourceful woman. But will that be their undoing?

While the story does centre primarily on the Trenchard family, the Brockenhursts are also at the forefront with Lady Caroline Brockenhurst and Lord Peregrine Brockenhurst, the parents of Sophia's secretly betrothed Edmund, Lord Bellasis. Since Edmund died at Waterloo and was an only child, Peregrine's younger brother the Reverend Stephen Bellasis and his son John, Lord Bellasis, were the heirs to the Brockenhurst Earldom. It seemed Edmund's untimely death worked in their favour, particularly as Stephen was a gambler and Lord Bellasis lived his life on the promise of his inheritance.

But when a young clever entrepreneur and businessman Charles Pope begins to draw the attention of those in society who would never normally notice him, questions begin to arise. Who is Charles Pope? From where did he come? And what is his link to the echelons of high society? For all intents and purposes, Charles was raised in Surrey by a humble vicar and his wife, the Popes, having been orphaned at birth. Intending to follow his father into the clergy, he then showed an aptitude for mathematics and decided to take up business instead. James Trenchard, a long time friend of his father the Reverend Pope, took him under his wing and mentored him upon his arrival in London.

But is that the whole story? Whatever the case, certain people begin to get nervous about his sudden arrival on the scene and therefore question his motives. Especially Oliver Trenchard and Lord Bellasis, both of whom feel their rightful places are being threatened. But why? What reason would he have? Or are these men just bitter and jealous at the place Charles Pope has taken in their families' lives over them?

This, and more, is but a small part of the bigger story that gradually unfolds. There are lovers, there are villains, there are secrets, there are lies, there are airs and graces, there is subterfuge, there is intrigue, there is drama, there is scandal, there is romance and, of course, there are shenanigans. A clandestine affair, a secret marriage, a murder attempt, a hidden heir...all this and more! It is delightfully delicious and I loved every minute of it, staying up till 3am just to finish!

I have to say that my favourite characters are Anne Trenchard, Lady Brockenhurst, Lady Mary Grey and of course, the man at the centre of all the attention, Charles Pope himself. Interestingly, I didn't like Lady Brockenhurst at first. She was snobbish and looked down her nose, particularly at Anne Trenchard, and intended on unravelling the whole sorry tale without a care for the woman who had sought her confidence. In the end, the two women gained a new respect for one another despite the difference in their classes. The Trenchards are what is known as "nouveau riche" or "the new rich" whereas the Brockenhursts are born into society. Ironic, I think, as I would have thought those who work to earn their status of wealth would be far more respected than those who just languish through life inheriting their millions.

My one complaint with BELGRAVIA is not so much in its story-telling, but in the way the story was presented. I don't know if it was just the copy I had, but the story would jump from one scene to a completely different one without a break to separate them. I was, at first, confused when reading about the Trenchards to suddenly find the perspective had moved from them to below the stairs to their servants or across the square to the Brockenhursts or another. It was confusing at first and I felt that there needed to be a flourished placed between these scenes in the editing process to separate them. That, and the chapters were incredibly lengthy at over an hour long in places.

I had recorded BELGRAVIA to watch at a later date as I much preferred to read the book first. After doing so, I am looking forward to watching the story play out on screen. It was highly entertaining and thoroughly compelling from beginning to end.

I have not read Julian Fellowes' work before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I did not open this book and expect another "Downton Abbey" , as many other readers seem to have done, but rather another tale in maybe a similar vein. Which BELGRAVIA most certainly is. Despite its period setting, it is not written with an Austen-esque approach (thank goodness because I find her style difficult to read), but rather an easy-to-read lighthearted manner. It is pure escapism at its best.

A delightful read, BELGRAVIA would suit fans of "Downton Abbey" as long as readers are not expecting it to be entirely the same. There is a wonderful combination of history as well as fiction, making up a wonderfully engaging tale that is BELGRAVIA.

I would like to thank #JulianFellowes, #NetGalley and #OrionPublishing for an ARC of #Belgravia in exchange for an honest review.

Intrigue In Higher Echelons....
An historic ball in Belgravia shapes the future for the Trenchards. Secrets abound in this historical high society drama from Julian Fellowes. A wealth of characters although this reader found them rather flat and the storyline rather dull and quite incomparable to other works from this author (‘Snobs’ ,for instance, with its rich character based comedy of manners which really hits the nail on the head). It’s a gentle read, taken leisurely, still quite enjoyable escapism.

Belgravia, Julian Fellowes,
Now a major TV series, from the creator of DOWNTON ABBEY

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult)

Well, I must be one of the few people who've not seen Downton. I haven't had a TV for years – but my daughter and daughter in law love the series, and I recall reading another of Julian's books many years ago. Throw in that I like historical reads and I wanted to try this.
To be honest I was underwhelmed. Its a reasonable story, intrigue, passion ( what passes for passion in the 19th century of course), some excellent characters and a real feeling of being there with them.
The historical setting was brilliant, I could visualise it and feel myself there with the characters watching scenes play out. What I didn't like was the actual story, its very true to time in that circumstances and appearances are all, the innate snobbery of those at the top for any one a rung below, the desire to join their ilk by those who've made money but have no historical Name.
I just felt no excitement, no real mystery, everything was explained very fully as the story went on, so that by the end the only people who didn't know the whole story were a very small group of those whom it concerned. I guess I like to try to work things out myself rather than be told them, told how the characters are feeling, reacting and whats going to happen next.
For lots of readers clearly that isn't a problem, I can see the book has many stanch followers. That just proves what I'm always saying – reading tastes vary so much and a low-mid star doesn't mean a poor story, just one which that particular reader didn't enjoy.

Stars: Three, good historical setting but a story that didn't really resonate with me. .

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

As usual, amazing writing, storytelling and characters to follow. I fall in love with Fellowes' books every time!
Thanka a lot to NG nd he publisher for this copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing for this e-copy. I'm a massive fan of both Downton Abbey and Belgravia on TV so I was hugely excited to read this book. It definitely didn't disappoint. There's lots of characters to wrap your head around but the dynamic between them is well written. Simply beautiful!

I wanted to read this to find out what happens in the TV series. IS that bad? I feel the book translates well to the TV and it really does come to live but the detail in the book will always be easier to get on board with.

I would described this as a comedy of manners. Strong women and weak men. A society of contrasts between the have everythings and the have nothings. The wall between them is so high, you can’t even see the top. All of the trauma and goings on is strictly between the upper classes. The servants do play a role in the story but there is little interaction as there usually is in historical books of this period. I think that’s a shame as the mix is what makes a good story strong for me. Then I read this which shows you what the upper class think of their inferiors:

“The servants were worse than the rats, the way they went from house to house, passing on God knows what to whomever they pleased.”

The central story about Sophia Trenchard and her illegitimate son is set to ruin two families. It’s through these two families that the whole sorry state of affairs of class divide, class hopes and fears and the role of women in society will be examined under scrutiny.

An enjoyable enough read but complicated by a lot of description and detail. I think that the TV version will take out the unnecessary and bring the main story to the fore.

Loved this book as it was my replacement for Downton Abbey. The book is definetely better than the TV show.

3-4 stars rounded up.

It’s 1815, location Brussels and the Duchess of Richmond is hosting a ball to which ‘The Magician ‘ James Trenchard, supplier of goods to the army is surprisingly invited, accompanied by his wife Anne and daughter Sophia. During the evening news arrives of the imminent arrival of Napoleon and the officers rush out to engage his army at the village of Waterloo outside Brussels. Shortly afterwards Sophia is devastated to learn that Edmund, Lord Bellasis who she is in love with, is amongst the dead. Fast forward twenty five years to London where James Trenchard has spent the intervening years helping to build Belgravia in partnership with William Cubitt. James has very lowly beginnings but high social ambitions and he though he has accumulated great wealth this does not necessarily give you a fee pass into high society. Much of the story centres around the Trenchard family and a young, clever entrepreneur Charles Pope who seems to be attracting attention from surprising patrons. Who is Charles Pope? The unfolding storyline reveals all!

I like how the book conveys society in the early part of Queen Victoria’s reign, both the high and the low. We have snobbery in evidence and the maintenance of appearance, arrogance and some humility and the overriding greed and ambition of some of the characters in order to secure an inheritance or suitable marriage leads to all sorts of deviousness. There’s plenty going on as we have gamblers and seducers, deceivers and betrayal, the need to avoid scandal, greed and jealousy as well as kindness and a developing love story. Some of the characters are very likeable in particular Anne Trenchard, Charles Pope and Maria Grey and some are not although those do add interest to the story. We have some who are so bitter they would curdle milk, some who are so cold they’d freeze it, some are acquisitive, dissatisfied, some are inept and some are ‘bounders’!

I like how fact is woven with fiction setting the story in its historical context with the capital being vividly captured with its expansion and contrasting grandeur alongside poverty. It shows the changing times with developing industries and the increase in commerce. There are some revelations in the story that cause some ripples to say the least and a few twists along the way.

However, there are a lot of characters to get your head around and it takes a while to understand who they are. It meanders backwards and forwards especially at the beginning where the author is filling gaps and that leads to repetition. It’s a bit overblown and overdetailed in places too which I find a distraction. I guess it’s a predictable story from the author of Downton Abbey but this is his genre and you do know what you are going to get which is no bad thing.

Overall, an enjoyable, colourful read conveying a period of time well

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Books.