The End of an Epoch

by Aline, Countess of Romanones

End of an Epoch is an autobiographical work that offers the reader the opportunity to know a bit more about the life of the Countess of Romanones and the period of time, from when she arrived to Spain until the death of her husband in 1987. We see how important political figures lived during this era (from Franco to Nixon, Reagan, the Dukes of Windsor or Kissinger), movie stars (Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Bacall...), bullfighters (Luis Miguel Dominguín, Antonio Ordoñez...), flamenco (Lola Flores), and what the social and cultural life was like in general.

482 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2010

About the author

Doña María Aline Griffith Dexter, Countess of Romanones, Grandee of Spain (born Pearl River, NY, 1923) is an American married to a Spanish aristocrat, socialite, writer and spy. She married the Count of Quintanilla in 1947 and they later became the Count and Countess of Romanones.

Aline was born in 1923 in New York, was working as a model when she was recruited to become an OSS agent in Spain where she met and married her late husband. She lives at Pascualete, the country estate of her husband's family, which she painstakingly restored.

Reviews

[Bu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Massive volume depicting the adventures and whatnot.. of an american undercover spy in Franco's Spain who, surprise!, ends up married into the spanish aristocracy, mixing with the "grandes" de España and all of Europe's big names (the Windsors, the Rothchilds, etc etc), amazingly managing to retain "ahem" her position as.. er.. a... "spy" (har har! not even she could quite believe her own stories, I bet!) and in the meantime giving us a spicy, juicy bit of backstage gossip from the 20th-century centres of power which, who cares if half of what is told is made up or not, turns out to be quite entertaining.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book having read all of Aline’s other books and now the Princess Spy. It provided glimpses into a culture about which I know little during a pivotal time in history. Aline’s rather impossibly fabulous life is always entertaining.

It is definitely not for those who have not read any of her other books nor those who can’t put up with typos, formatting errors etc. the book is self-published at the end of her life. My guess is that she dictated it for loved ones.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fills in a lot of gaps in Aileen's life. It is a casually written book, without the editing you might expect. I became quite wrapped up in it, and felt as though I was a friend of Aileen's, sitting at Pascualete over tea, listening to her reminisce. I have to tell you, I loved it.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading her life story - and in awe of all she accomplished.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Aline's books on her spy adventures during and after WWII and I was really looking forward to reading this memoir of what occurred in the years between. While the history and charm of Spain was very evident in the book, it was so poorly edited (and possibly translated) with strange sentence structure and abrupt shifts of subject matter that it was a difficult read. This is a shame. If a proper editor took a look at the book and made some adjustments and corrected spelling/punctuation/structure, this would be an excellent read of a time past.