The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family

508 Pages·2003·8.41 MB·English

by  Mary S. Lovell

Further Praise for The Sisters

“The Mitfords’ stories have been told over and over again, but . . . Lovell,
utilizing previously unseen documents, explores the relationships between
the sisters . . . and presents the utter ‘fun’ of this privileged but madcap
family.”
—Allen Weakland, Booklist
“A captivating read.”
—Amy Strong, Library Journal
“Lovell deftly weaves together the various strands of her subjects’ lives,
making great use of letters, interviews and unpublished correspondence, as
well as interviews with the two surviving Mitford sisters, Diana and
Deborah.”
—Matthew Price, Newsday
“[An] absorbing and delightful biography of the Mitford family.”
—Ann Hellmuth, Chicago Tribune
“Lovell rises with aplomb to the challenges of a group biography, deftly
weaving together the narrative threads of six at times radically disparate
lives to create a fascinating account of a fascinating family.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This biography presents a fascinating family to a new generation of
readers.”
—Lisa Levy, Entertainment Weekly
Biographies by Mary S. Lovell

Straight on till Morning: The Biography of Beryl Markham

The Sound of Wings: The Biography of Amelia Earhart

Cast No Shadow:
The Spy Who Changed the Course of World War II

A Scandalous Life: The Biography of Jane Digby

The Splendid Outcast: The African Short Stories of Beryl Markham

A Rage to Live: A Biography of Richard and Isabel Burton

www.marylovell.com
THE
SISTERS

The Saga of the
Mitford Family
Mary S. Lovell

W. W. Norton & Company

New York—London
Copyright © 2001 by Mary S. Lovell

First published as a Norton paperback 2003

Originally published in England under the title The Mitford Girls: The Biography of an Extraordinary
Family
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W. W.
Norton & Company, Inc.,
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

Manufacturing by Quebecor Fairfield
Ebook conversion by Erin Campbell, TIPS Technical Publishing, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lovell, Mary S.
[Mitford girls]
The sisters: the saga of the Mitford family / Mary S. Lovell.—1st American ed.
p. cm.
Originally published: The Mitford girls. London : Little, Brown, 2001.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-393-01043-0
1. Mitford family. 2. Mitford, Nancy, 1904–1973. 3. Mitford, Jessica, 1917– 4. Mitford, Unity, 1914–1948.
5. Great Britain—Biography.
I. Title.

CT787.M57 L68 2002
920.72’0941—dc21 2001044942

ISBN 0-393-32414-1 pbk.

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
www.wwnorton.com

W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT

234567890
This book is for
Graeme, Shari, Robyn and Imogen
With all the love in the world
Contents

Family Tree

Introduction

1 Victorian Roots, 1894–1904
2 Edwardian Afternoon, 1904–15
3 Nursery Days, 1915–22
4 Roaring Twenties, 1922–9
5 Bright Young Things, 1929–30
6 The Stage is Set, 1930–32
7 Slings and Arrows, 1932–4
8 Unity and the Führer, 1934–5
9 Secret Marriage, 1935–7
10 Elopement, 1937
11 Family at Odds, 1937–8
12 Slide towards Conflict, 1938
13 No Laughing Matter, 1939
14 Irreconcilable Differences, 1940–41
15 Gains and Losses, 1941–3
16 Women at War, 1943–4
17 The French Lady Writer, 1944–7
18 Truth and Consequences, 1948–55
19 Return to the Old Country, 1955–8
20 A Cold Wind to the Heart, 1958–66
21 Views and Reviews, 1966–80
22 Relatively Calm Waters, 1980–2000

Source Notes

Acknowledgements and Credits

Select Bibliography

Index