Here’s a fun fact about me: I am obsessed with British nobility. I would give anything to be able to be a fly on the wall of the big, old houses on the countryside of the ancient island. Thanks to Julian Fellowes, I got a good look into the modern-day lives of the blue bloods of England.

To make a long story a little shorter, Edith Lavery marries for position and title. Then she gets bored being a housewife of an English Lord and has an affair with a super good-looking actor. After a few months with said actor, Edith realizes that she left based on boredom and selfishness, and returns to the husband that truly loves her.

Throughout Edith’s journey between love and lust, we are introduced into a world of privilege and snobbery. Broughton Hall is the ancestral home of Edith’s husband. In marrying for position, Edith is thrust into learning how to be an Earl’s wife. She learns how to act, speak, and dress for the elite title she now holds. I don’t know the exact reason why I love British high society, but there is just something so… exclusive about it that makes me yearn to be a part of it with every fiber of my being (much like Edith).

I thought Fellowes did a wonderful job bringing the world of the elite to life. His descriptions of the manor houses are so detailed, right down the fabric of the lounge chairs. He made me feel like I was in the cozy sitting rooms watching the oh-so dramatic scenes unfold in front of me.

Actually, now that I think about it, the reason I love the British high-life so much is because I wish I could argue and be petty as hell with all of the grace and dignity of a Countess.

I guess I’ll have to keep practicing.