Nancy Mitford: The Pursuit of Love

The Radletts of Alconleigh are the pinnacle of fashionable, aristocratic eccentricity, from scary (& barmy) Lord Alconleigh (who, like Mitford’s own papa, likes to hunt his offspring with bloodhounds, much to the amusement of the children themselves), to his wife, absent minded Sadie, their flamboyant daughter Linda, and the other six lively Radlett children. Seen through the eyes of steady cousin Fanny, we follow this family through hasty marriages and Great love affairs, as World War II closes in on their vanishing world.

The four Mitford sisters have had a lot of books dedicated to them. Fun, daring and aristocratic, they were the subject of lots and lots of gossip between the two wars, not in the least because two of them were openly fascist. Nancy Mitford was an accomplished novelist. This is my personal favorite.

Linda is the kind of cousin you either love or hate. Her cousin Fanny adores her, I’m not sure I would have as well, cause she’s charming but also very, very exasperating. Still, I would have loved to spend afternoons in the hon’s cabinet and even being hunted by bloodhounds sounds so much fun!

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