Let me start out by saying, I love English sarcasm. It's biting. It's irreverent. It's witty. With Downton Fever, Rebecca Mead blends her own wit with that of the Downton Abbey cast. The last line of the first paragraph is classic -- of course Joanne Froggatt liked the Westin Hotel, "unlike at Downton, she did not have to share a room."
Mead captures incredible bits of sarcasm from the players as they poke fun at themselves and the English people in general. When the English think of noble families, they may be surprised that the "Turkish diplomat expire[d] in the bed of the eldest daughter of the house." Or, maybe they wouldn't.
When reading the line "the stewards stand in the corner and make sure we don't carve our name into the dining-room table," I imagined these straight laced men and women standing in uniform, glaring at the actors.
What's surprising is how people will change their habits in order to watch the program. Even the local church changed the time of their "evensong service" so the congregants could make it home in time to watch Downton Abbey. I've watched the program a few times and did like it, but I dont' think I'd be moved to celebrate an ash cloud overhead.
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