The eldest of the mitford sisters, she was regarded as one of the bright young people on the london social scene in the years between the world wars. Whenever i see peers daughter in the paper, i just know its going to be about one of you children. The insatiable young woman planted herself in the middle of numerous sexual orgies. Now here is the first book to consider the whole sixpack, as laura thompson. Carefree, revelatory and intimate, this selection of unpublished letters between the six legendary mitford sisters, compiled by diana mitfords daughterinlaw, is alive with wit, passion and heartbreak. She wrote several novels about upperclass life in england and france, and is considered a sharp and often. The flamboyant british aristocrats have kept tabloid journalists and biogr. Deborah vivien cavendish, duchess of devonshire, dcvo born deborah vivien freemanmitford and latterly deborah, dowager duchess of devonshire. The mitford girls in order of birth were nancy, a highly successful novelist and historian. The six captures all the wayward magnetism and levity that have enchanted countless writers without neglecting the tragic darkness of many of the sisters life choices and the savage sociopolitical currents that fueled them. The mitford sisters may be the most writtenabout girl group in history. From the birth of the eldest mitford girl, 110 years ago, this famous family.
Its a good thing i bought this completely clueless of its content at the bookstore because id be headed back out to go buy it right now if not. A nazi, a fascist, a communist, a novelist, a countrywoman, a duchess all mitford sisters the mitford sisters and, second from left, brother in oxfordshire, 1935. Letters between six sisters, 830 pages, edited by charlotte mosley which includes so many letters exchanged during the years leading to and during the second world war. Pamela, who quietly suffered the aftereffects of polio and possibly some learning disabilities, leading a quiet rural life for the most part. The sisters is a group biography of the famous mitford sisters. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Biography next biography on the biography shelf is the sisters. Nancy mitford s 1949 novel, love in a cold climate, which was based on the family, was serialised by thames television in 1980 and by the bbc in 2001. Thompson tells the story of the six mitford sisters with particular insight and intellgence natasha tripney sun 4 oct 2015 09.
The house of mitford kindle edition by guinness, jonathan. In reading the introduction on my kindle, i checked twice to make sure i hadnt somehow jumped to the concluding chapter, because the introduction assumed such a high level of familiarity with the sisters, their spouses, and their milieu. Jessica mitford on how society deals with sexual matters 1991 by the. Nancy freemanmitford cbe 28 november 1904 30 june 1973, known as nancy mitford, was an english novelist, biographer and journalist. At first married to bryan guinness, yes of that famous american name and fortune. The saga of the mitford family reprint by mary s lovell isbn. However, as we embark on a new season of shows in our studio, a smaller theatre space where audiences can find themse. She ended up shooting herself in the head and survived. It is good, interesting and one of the best biographies of the mitford family.
I was particularly interested in more information about the lives of pamela and deborah, the less famous sisters, and although theyre necessarily less in the spotlight than nancy, diana, unity, and jessica, i still felt as though id learned far more about them than id gathered from any other source. Born at asthall manor, oxfordshire, the sixth of seven children, jessica mitford was the daughter of david freeman mitford, 2nd baron redesdale, and his wife sydney daughter of politician and publisher thomas bowles, and grew up in a series of her fathers country houses. The death of deborah mitford, the dowager duchess of devonshire, signals the end of an era. There has been no lack of attention to the notorious mitford sisters, including biographies of unity valkyrie mitford, who, scandalously, adored hitler. The father of the sisters who are the subject of this book, david mitford, 2nd baron redesdale, was related to winston churchill.
The sisters the saga of the mitford family what an eccentric and yet fascinating family the mitford s were. The lives of the mitford sisters by laura thompson online at alibris. I had a copy of this book in paperback on my bookshelf for quite a time and decided to also purchase it as an audio so as i could listen as well as read. The mitford clan was the epitome of old english gentry and minor aristocracy. She was the youngest and last surviving of the six mitford sisters, who were prominent members of english society in the 1930s and 1940s. Sep 26, 2014 the six daughters nancy, pam, diana, unity, decca and debo born to lord redesdale and his wife sydney, were the kardashians of their day in terms of the public interest their antics aroused. The book about their lives bristles with scandal, fun and disaster and is peppered throughout with the names of the rich and famous and infamous whose lives they touched. The book was edited by diana mitford s daughterinlaw, charlotte mosley. The writing talents of the mitford sisters didnt pass down the family line. This isnt a novel,its a biography, but its one of those fact is stranger than fiction stories. John betjeman who at one time was in love with pamela celebrated the sisters in a verse, the first lines of which read. Who were the mitford sisters and what is their place in history. It contains letters exchanged between nancy mitford, pamela mitford, diana mitford, unity mitford, jessica mitford and deborah mitford between 1925 and 2003.
The books are fictional in nature and christian themed, often placing special emphasis upon the little town of mitford within which its stories take place. Letters between six sisters is a 2007 book of selected letters between the mitford sisters. What a diverse family they were, unity, rebellious and keen to shock, a close friend of hitler, jessica a socialist and one time active member of the american communist party, deborah, conservative and married to andrew cavendish, duke of devonshire at chatsworth house. The mitford sisters the duchess of devonshire, who died recently, was the last surviving mitford sister, a group of aristocratic siblings whose lives mirrored the turbulence of the. The mitford sisters were all caught up in the enormous upheavals of the mid20th century, many of them on the wrong side of history. The six sisters were born into minor british aristocracy between 1904 and 1920.
The lives of the mitford sisters by laura thompson. For me though, i learned much more about the lives of the six sisters from reading the mitfords. The flamboyant british aristocrats have kept tabloid journalists and. Sep 06, 2016 a fresh look at six outrageous sisters. Deborah mitford, the last of the mitford girls, died this week in england at the age of 94. Nancy, whose bright social existence masked an obsessional doomed love which soured her success. Nov 11, 2015 it is just over a year since the death of deborah, dowager duchess of devonshire, last of the famous mitford sisters. Nancy mitford and gaston palewski in paris and london by lisa hiltonwhether nancy mitford should be pitied for her relationship to the womanizing palewski or celebrated for choosing to live her life as she saw fit is an open question.
Jessica fellowes has written three mystery novels, the mitford murders 2017, bright young dead 2018, and the mitford scandal 2020, which feature the three oldest sisters, nancy, pamela, and diana as major characters, and the rest of the family in supporting roles. The saga of the mitford family these potted histories of the sisters doesnt even tell you a fraction of the remarkable lives of these six splendid women. A nazi, a fascist, a communist, a novelist, a countrywoman. Over the years i have brought shows to greenwich that are set in the most astonishing places or times futuristic prisons, abandoned desert islands, mythological worlds. Or to be certain that a book youve found on our website is. There are no surviving mitford sisters, the last, the youngest, deborah deborah devonshire having passed away in 2014. Lovell could probe further than she does into the psyches of the sisters. The lives of the mitford sisters by laura thompson isbn. The lives of the mitford sisters hardcover book listings on our website do not always reflect the current availability of books on our store shelves.
The mitford sisters lives were far more scandalous than any. If youve never read this fascinating book about the mitford sisters, then i highly recommend it. Then, as the shadows crept over 1930s europe, the stark. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Popular mitford sisters books meet your next favorite book. Born at asthall manor, oxfordshire, the sixth of seven children, jessica mitford was the daughter of david freemanmitford, 2nd baron redesdale, and his wife sydney daughter of politician and publisher thomas bowles, and grew up in a series of her fathers country houses. Pam, a countrywoman married to one of the best brains in europe. Oct 04, 2015 thompson tells the story of the six mitford sisters with particular insight and intellgence natasha tripney sun 4 oct 2015 09. See more ideas about mitford sisters, sisters and nancy mitford. The sisters the saga of the mitford family what an eccentric and yet fascinating family the mitfords were. Nov 17, 2006 the mitford sisters were all caught up in the enormous upheavals of the mid20th century, many of them on the wrong side of history. See more ideas about mitford sisters, sisters and the duchess of devonshire. Several heads of the family served as high sheriff of northumberland. My mother has always lived in a dream world of her own and no doubt was even dreamier during her many pregnancies when she was young she never opened a book and it is difficult to imagine what her tastes and occupations were.
The books are fictional in nature and christian themed, often placing special emphasis upon the little town of. The daughters were the subject of a 1981 musical, the mitford girls, by caryl brahms and ned sherrin, and of a song, the mitford sisters, by luke haines. That is, if kate had literary talent, and was ever called upon to utter a political opinion. The six daughters nancy, pam, diana, unity, decca and debo born to lord redesdale and his wife sydney, were the kardashians of their day in terms of the public interest their antics aroused. A mitford novel series jan karon its easy to feel at home in mitford, americas favorite small town. In the six, a new biography of the mitford sisters, a. The mitford years is a series of books from american novelist jan karon. The last mitford sister alive is the dowager duchess of devonshire, best known as the chatelaine of chatsworth, one of the most beautiful manor houses in england. Sep 22, 2011 jessica mitford was the only populist among six sisters whom even the most shameless pulp novelist would hardly dare invent.
The eldest was a razorsharp novelist of upperclass manners. The mitford family is an aristocratic english family, whose principal line had its seats at mitford, northumberland. They were ardent fascists and antisemites, hitlerlovers especially unity mitford, who appears to have been truly in love with hitler. Jessica mitford on how society deals with sexual matters 1991. Check a books instore availability beneath the add to cart button. One of the last stories in the book is how she and her husband saved chatsworth as a family estate, when so many big houses were lost to estate and wartime taxes. A junior line, with seats at newton park, northumberland, and exbury house, hampshire, descends via the historian william mitford 17441827 and were twice elevated to the british peerage, in 1802 and 1902. This book is included with kindle unlimited membership. Deborah devonshire, the youngest mitford sister, talks about her extraordinary life duration. She had little formal education, but nevertheless did a great deal of reading. Nancy mitford, the oldest of the daughters of a remarkably bad. Mary lovell s style is to write like a novelist and so the book is very hard to put down.
Diana mitford also followed her heart to social ruin. The mitford sisters lives were far more scandalous than. A cracking read lynn barber, observer the mitford girls tells the true story behind the gaiety and frivolity of the six mitford daughters and the facts are as sensational as any novel. Oct 10, 2011 deborah devonshire, the youngest mitford sister, talks about her extraordinary life duration. But debo, as she was known to friends and family, was an institution in her own. Oct 07, 2016 the mitford sisters may be the most writtenabout girl group in history. The mitford sisters lady diana mosley interview oswald mosley good afternoon by thamestv.
She won the somerset maugham award for her first book,the dogs, and is also the author of the critically acclaimed biography of nancy mitford, life in a cold. Sep 25, 2014 deborah mitford, dowager duchess of devonshire, often referred to as the last mitford sister, has passed away. The lives of the mitford sisters hardcover the six. Deborah mitford, dowager duchess of devonshire, often referred to as the last mitford sister, has passed away.
Diana, who married the outspoken fascist sir oswald mosley. The name probably doesnt ring any bells, however the english debutante made a name for herself among the nazis and even hitler himself. Deborah cavendish, duchess of devonshire wikipedia. I had never heard of these women who were talked about worldwide in the periods before and after the second world war, but immediately upon delving in i couldnt put it down. The letters chronicle the social quirks and political upheavals of the twentieth century but also chart the stormy, enduring relationships between the uniquely gifted and collectively. Laura thompsons engaging group biography of the six mitford sisters nancy, diana, jessica, pamela, unity and deborah pays particular. Born into countryhouse privilege in the early years of the 20th century, they became prominent as bright young things in the high society of interwar london. Jessica mitford was the only populist among six sisters whom even the most shameless pulp novelist would hardly dare invent. It is just over a year since the death of deborah, dowager duchess of devonshire, last of the famous mitford sisters. She and her five sisters, nancy, pamela, diana, unity and jessica called decca, were the middletons of their day.