Between the Wars discussion

I'm posting this a bit early because Deborah, the youngest and only surviving Mitford, still lively at 90, has just published her autobiography.

You can re-read it when we begin the book. :)

http://xrl.in/6fos

And some background on the family:

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Amazing-M...

Thanks, Rochelle!

Wow!

That is interesting, I didn't know one of the family owned Chatsworth. Thank you. It seems this family has a pretty full history.

They were regular Forrest Gumps.

It's important, for anyone who's been living on the moon, because Nancy based both books on her own family. Like Cole Porter and Evelyn Waugh, she lived among the cognoscenti while satirizing them and herself in her work.

I remember when Jessica turned the funeral industry on its ear with The American Way of Death.(1963) And she had Nancy's gift of humor, because the book is also hilarious, despite its muckraking subject. While 4 of the sisters were famous for being famous and for "marrying well," Nancy and Jessica were fine writers.

While I haven't even received my book yet, I'll bet that Nancy has something to say about her mother's diary being empty on the day of Deborah's birth.

I've been getting a kick out of the Mitfords. If a fiction writer had told us that Unity, who later sided with the Nazis, had been born in Swastika, Canada, would you believe it?

Rochelle wrote: "I've been getting a kick out of the Mitfords. If a fiction writer had told us that Unity, who later sided with the Nazis, had been born in Swastika, Canada, would you believe it?"

It is amazing, isn't it? I'm most of the way through The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell, and have several other books about/by them on the shelves. A fascinating family indeed.

We're counting on you for more background info when we begin, Gabriele.

The article that you posted a link to, Rochelle, provides quite a succinct overview of the family.

I just read the article and found it fascinating. They all lived eventful lives, lived to the fullest it would appear. It does shed some light on the book's story, too. I am almost finished with Pursuit of Love.

I've just started it. Anyway, I've set up a couple of threads for discussion.

I just read a comment about Mitford's sharp sense of humor. Nancy, BTW, also wrote for the London Sunday Times and published several biographies. Violet Trefusis was one on Vita Sackville-West's lovers, and at the same time spread her favors around too generously. Mitford commented that Violet's autobiography should be titled "Here Lies Violet Trefusis."

I also just found an official (don't know if "official" has any clout on the web) website:

http://www.nancymitford.com/

and a reprint of her obit:

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/gener...

I would love to see some of her articles for the Times.

Rochelle wrote: "I just read a comment about Mitford's sharp sense of humor. Nancy, BTW, also wrote for the London Sunday Times and published several biographies. Violet Trefusis was one on Vita Sackville-West's lo..."

Interesting links, Rochelle. Thanks!

How was Thanksgiving, even if it was cribbed from us?

Yummy! We had turkey for lunch and dinner today as well.

Although we had Thanksgiving - harvest - celebrations here a couple of centuries ago, it was the United Empire Loyalists who settled "Upper Canada" after the American Revolution - you call it the War of Independence - who apparently brought the turkey idea along. : ) Thanks!

This would be the model for Alconleigh, Asthall Manor:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthall_...

Rochelle wrote: "This would be the model for Alconleigh, Asthall Manor:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthall_..."

Lovely place! Thanks, Rochelle!