THE NEW COUNTESS
Book ID/图书代码： 02630512B52820
English Summary/英文概要： 1904 – October 1903 to February 1904Book Three tells the story of how Rosina finds her own true love, Anthony Robin the diplomat, the man she once so abhorred, and how Minnie and her mother-in-law Isobel declare war, and how Minnie wins. The action takes place in the months leading up to a Royal Visit to Dilberne Court by Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The Royals have invited themselves for a shooting weekend. Preparations are elaborate and exhaustive. There are problems. Menus and fashions have to be just so, and little James, the new heir reared to Isobel’s taste, not Minnie’s. Mrs O’Brien is over from Chicago and causing trouble. Adela’s marriage to conman William has been annulled, and Adela, nothing but trouble since His Lordship allowed her into the house, is claiming the house is cursed and stirring up hysteria in the servants hall. They are handing in their notice just when they are needed most. The shooting weekend is imperilled: but so are the Dilberne financesonce more as Robert falls foul of impending legislation banning the use of Chinese labour in his South African mines. A driving speed limit of 20 mph has been imposed and put Walter’s workshops out of business. Someone has poisoned Rosina’s parrot. Adela is blamed, and then falsely claims Robin has tried to seduce her; and the Rosina-Robin match is off. Isobel rejects all advice offered by Minnie, and worse, tries to fire Mr Baum and the nanny. When His Lordship dies of stress – a heart attack – and Isobel is reduced to the rank of Dowager. Minnie, the new Countess has the power to put the estate back into order. So she does. The show (the Royal Weekend) must go on regardless, and, as dead birds fall from the sky, so indeed it does. It is consummately successful, and the Royals leave content and happy; though grieved that Robert can’t be present. He was ‘a good gun’.
Chinese Summary/中文概要：
1903年10月-1904年2月
第三部講述了Rosina如何找到自己的真愛——圓滑的Anthony Robin，那個她原本及其痛恨的男人；Minnie和婆婆Isobel之間的戰爭以及Minnie如何贏得戰爭。故事開始於愛德華七世和亞歷山大皇后來德爾波家莊園參觀。德爾波家還邀請皇室共同打獵。複雜、華貴的準備工作正如火如荼地進行著，功能表、時裝都要準備好，問題頻發。
德爾波家的小少爺，最新的繼承人，小詹姆斯以Isobel的方式接受教育，Minnie對她的培訓方式很不滿意。O’Brien夫人從芝加哥趕到德爾波家後又造出了好多岔子。阿黛拉與柯南•威廉姆的婚姻無果而終，阿黛拉來到莊園後，卻不斷叫囂這是做被詛咒的屋子。這一傳言在僕人中引起了軒然大坡，他們只會在最危急的時候表達自己的驚恐。
皇家打獵活動也受到了威脅。當羅伯特因在南非煤礦廠雇傭中國工人而被傳訊，德爾波家的財政狀況又出現危機。國家施行20 mph的駕駛速度管控，華爾特的工作室因此不能運轉。Rosina 的鸚鵡被人毒死，有人懷疑阿黛拉就是兇手。阿黛拉為了報復叫囂羅賓引誘她，此事讓Rosina和Robin的姻緣破裂。Isobel和Minnie的紛爭仍未結束，她拒絕Minnie提出的任何建議，甚至要解雇鮑恩先生和奶媽。當羅伯特老爺由於壓力過重死于心臟病時，Isobel就退為亡爵遺孀。Minnie從此成為新一代公爵夫人，權利在手，致力於要將家裡的所有事務全部歸位元。在她的管理下，家裡的事情的確變得僅僅有條。皇家打獵聚會也如期進行，國王和皇后意滿而歸，唯一的遺憾是羅伯特老爺再也不能參加這樣的活動，要知道，他可是一個優秀的獵手。(Celia)
Awards/获奖情况：如果你是作家，就該來見一下這位英雄；如果你是女人，就該來看看這位將要改變你人生觀的神仙婆婆。
小說家兼記者、編劇和劇作家Fay Weldon是文學界啟發性人物。自從出版了《Upstairs, Downstairs》，她的小說就成為古典小說的經典、成為英國劇院的傳奇，甚至跟隨她的小說將英國的茶和羊毛都送往美國。她的作品被評論成基於平淡背景下反叛又誘人的作品。
她最近的小說《Habits of the House》在英國文學界廣受好評。有人說這本書是《Upstairs Downstairs》的翻版，加入了所有醜聞和情感元素。也有人說她的書在《唐頓莊園》大熱的背景下，大受其益。但又有誰知道，“唐頓莊園”的原型就來源於Fay Weldon 基於愛德華時期的系列：THE LOVE AND INHERITANCE SERIES
——《Huffington Post》
“在《唐頓莊園》播出之前就有《Upstairs, Downstairs》而且寫出了這部熱播劇的先前幾集。現在Weldon就要回到現場，再次挖掘這個等級觀念極重的社會，描寫那些衣食無憂的老爺小姐和專門伺候人的僕人的生活。”——《Booklist》
About the Author/作者介绍： Fay Weldon既是小說家、劇作家，又是編劇和成功的廣告文案。她出生在新西蘭，十歲時回到英國。由於父母在她5歲的時候離婚，Fay一直在祖母、母親和表姨的照顧下長大，她的世界裡沒有男性，這讓她覺得這是個女人支撐起來，男人只會享福的世界。因此，她的小說一般都描寫女性處理自己和丈夫、父母、男人、孩子和其他女人之間糾纏的關係過程中造成的各種悲喜劇。
正式成為作家之前，Fay靠寫廣告文案養家，還獲得了事業上的成功。遭遇中年危機後，Fay通過心理康復，開始寫作，她的第一本小說《The fat woman’s book》1967年出版，後來，她還寫劇本，改編劇本包括為BBC改編《傲慢與偏見》。隨後 她出版了將近30本書，1983年成為布克獎裁判。1990年獲得聖安德魯大學榮譽博士，2001年獲得大英帝國勳章。
Novelist, playwright and screenwriter Fay Weldon was brought up in New Zealand and returned to the United Kingdom when she was ten. Her first novel, The Fat Woman’s Joke, was published in 1967. She has written over thirty books. Fay was Chair of the Judges for the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1983, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of St Andrews in 1990. In 2001 she was awarded a CBE.
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