The letters of nancy mitford and evelyn waugh exploring. Letters between six sisters 2008, superbly edited by dianas. Carefree, revelatory and intimate, this selection of unpublished letters between the six legendary mitford sisters, compiled by diana mitfords daughterinlaw, is alive with wit, passion and heartbreak. And this is the persona in which mitford is remembered. In her letters, she noted that robert kennedy even told her that the. Deborah, duchess of devonshire and jessica, who immortalised the mitford family in her autobiography hons and rebels. For me though, i learned much more about the lives of the six sisters from reading the mitfords. The sister of the novelist nancy mitford, she was by turns a. Wait for me memoirs by deborah mitford, duchess author paperback on 09, 2011 duchess deborah mitford isbn. The letters of one of the contreversal mitford sisters to her friends an family. The mitford sisters came of age during the roaring twenties and wartime in london, and were well known.
Debo was certainly a late developer but would write almost as many books as. Nancy mitfords gift as a comic writer and her humour are evident throughout her novels and also in the many. Letters between six sisters, nancy mitford is portrayed as a rather one dimensional character, who does little else but tease and rile people for a reaction. Nancy mitford 19041973 was born in london, the eldest child of the second baron redesdale. The second home by christina clancy a surefooted ode to the strength of family, the depth of loss, and the power of forgiveness. However, this volume of letters shows the complexities of mitford s personality better than any biography can. Deborah, duchess of devonshire and jessica, who immortalised the mitford family in her autobiography. I just finished this most amazing and epic book titled decca. She had written four novels, including wigs on the green 1935, before the success of the pursuit of love in 1945, which she followed with love in a cold climate 1949, the blessing 1951 and dont tell alfred 1960. Perhaps a 700 page plus book of her letters, and that covers her entire life, was a bit too ambitious. The second home by christina clancy a sure footed ode to the strength of family, the depth of loss, and the power of forgiveness.
Born into high society, the six sisters nancy 19041973, pamela 19071994, diana. An enlightening insight into the early years of the communist party in the us as well as an insight into the family dynamics from deccas point of view. Books wise, so far, i have only read hons and rebels by jessica mitford. Nancy mitfords 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. The great wits and beauties of their age, the mitford sisters were im. Letters between six sisters and over one million other books are. One of her novels, the pursuit of love, had been used by professor alan ross, the actual inventor of the phrase, as an example of upperclass linguistic usage. Nancy mitford was born in london on november 28 1904, daughter of the second baron redesdale, and the eldest of six girls. An estimated five percent of letters between the six sisters were included in the 834. Spanning the years between 1925 and 2002, this volume includes selected letters between the six celebrated mitford sisters nancy, pamela, diana, unity, jessica, and deborah. She is credited as editor of the book but in fact the project was organised by the publishers. I cant imagine any reader undertaking the reading of this 800 page volume unless she has been previously exposed to their rather mad lives in one of the myriad of books by or about them. Leslie brodys biography of the secondtoyoungest sister. As editor charlotte mosley notes, not since the brontes have the members of a single.
The letters of the mitford sisters, edited by dianas daughter in law charlotte mosley. The great wits and beauties of their age, the mitford sisters were immoderate in their passions for ideas and people, counting among their diverse friends adolf hitler and queen elizabeth ii, cecil beaton and president kennedy, evelyn waugh and givenchy. Having read hons and rebels i was interested to find out more about her. 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. His vices made evelyn waugh a king of comedy and of tragedy. The book was edited by diana mitfords daughterinlaw, charlotte mosley.