Genealogy Books - The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters

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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: I hated to see this collection end
Comment: Once several years ago, I cancelled plans to attend a New Year's Eve party because I was enthralled
by an early edition of Mitford letters edited by Charlotte Moseley, "With Love From Nancy" which
collected the letters of the eldest Mitford sister.
Now Ms Mosely has given us the letters
written between all 6 sisters: Nancy, the author of a number of witty novels and biographies;
Diana-who married Oswold Mosley, the head of the British Union of Fascists and spent time in prison
during WWII; Unity who was enamored of Hitler and shot herself in the head when Britain went to war
with Germany; Pam, the family farmer; Jessica, Communist and muckraker and Deborah, the Duchess of
Devonshire Prepare to become addicted to reading these letters.
The Mitfords are interesting
all on their own and the tensions and divisions created by their individual political views is worth
a read. In addition they knew everyone and were not afraid to voice opinions.
For a special
chill, read the letters written by Unity and Diana during WWII. "Poor, sweet Hitler" indeed!

Customer Rating:

Summary: Oh those Mitford girls...captured so well in their letters
Comment: I had never heard of the Mitfords until a few years ago an Englishman (now American citizen) hired
me to write his memoirs of WWII. His sister visited from England and told me about how Unity Mitford
went to her boarding school. When asked who Unity Mitford was, she said, "You don't know the Mitford
girls?

Well, I do now! This collection of letters between the six Mitford girls is an
outstanding record of their history spanning 80 years from 1925.

In 1935 Unity met and
became enamored with Hitler. The letters never indicated any romance, but she went to many major
events with him. On September 3, 1939 when Britain and France declare war on Germany, Unity tried to
take her life. She failed, causing brain damage. She died in 1948 at age 33.

Nancy, the
oldest, was born in 1904, Deborah the youngest in 1920. The book has photos, a short bio and family
tree. The other sisters are Pamela, Unity and Jessica. Their brother Tom, who was sent to boarding
school at age 8, died in WWII.

These six English women were from an aristocratic
family-but some became Nazi sympathizers, one an avowed Communist, others a novelist, poultry farmer
and duchess. You follow them through their naïve youth to their adult involvements-as daughters,
wives, widows, mothers (happy and grieving) and aging women.

The letters (edited by
Diane's daughter-in-law Charlotte) were printed using all the pet names and code words they used,
but once you get reading it becomes easy. The many footnotes were invaluable and historical. />
Diana (1910-2003) married Sir Oswald Mosley, with Hitler present at the reception at
Goebbel's home. They had had a long affair, and kept this marriage secret, too. Mosley formed the
British Union of Fascists. In 1941, the British imprisoned Mosley and Diana for their
activities-holding them over three years. By this time, they had four sons (two from Diana's earlier
marriage) who were taken care of by the other the Mitford sisters.

In 1941, Unity wrote
Diana at prison that sums up the Mitfords: "When I first came back, I thought all this was a play,
and I was looking on. Now I know I have a part to play, and I can't bear acting it."
/>Armchair Interviews says: A superb collection of letters that take you as an observer before,
during and beyond WWII. You'll never ask: "Who are the Mitford girls?"

Customer Rating:

Summary: A truly wonderful read - I'd like to give it 6 stars!
Comment: "Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters," is a truly wonderful read. I finished the 800-plus pages
and wished very much that there were 800 more. I'd like to give it 6 stars, but dear old Amazon only
permits one to praise to a point. I willingly go beyond that point and any buyer who is a little
hesitant about getting the book should go ahead right away.

I have read somewhere that
Charlotte Mosley (daughter-in-law of Diana Mitford, aka Lady Mosley) had access to some 12,000
personal letters exchanged by the sisters over nearly eighty years and has only chosen to use 5% of
them for the book. But what a literal hoard of literary treasure!

Mrs Mosley has
selected well and edited superbly, bringing out and explaining with her own notes the deep and
long-lasting relationships of the sisters, the context of their times, their humour and their
eccentricities, their enthusiasm for words in several languages, their loves and their tragedies
and, with the exception of the delightful and redoubtable Deborah, now the Dowager Duchess of
Devonshire, the sadnesses of their passing.
The sisters have been described as "eccentric"
and "maddening." Having read and enjoyed every one of their letters as published in this splendid
work, I would be inclined to suggest that they were no more eccentric or maddening than the members
of many families. But I suppose that their relatively privileged upbringing, their inclination to
express themselves with confidence from an early age, their having the time to write so much - both
letters and books - and the extraordinary array of celebrities with whom they mixed, all must have
been major factors in how and why their lives were so "inter-esting" (or eccentric or maddening).

What were my conclusions? Well, first, I would have loved to have met any one of the
ladies, though I would probably have become tongue-tied had a meeting happened. Second, my
'favourite' Mitfords are definitely Diana and Deborah, the former loyal to her late husband (Sir
Oswald Mosley) to the last, and the latter clearly the most consistently loving and loved. And
third, though it is often said and written that we shall never see such a correspondence again, I
suggest that, even with Emails, provided they are filed, it is possible for our electronic means of
communication to be preserved for future generations. I have done this with a distant relative and a
pleasant (and private) little book is the result.

Finally, I wish to make it clear
that I have no 'axe to grind' in praising "Mitfords": I am not and have not been related to or
friendly with any of them and am merely reporting my opinion to a wider audience that this book is
absolutely magnificent. Buy it now!

Customer Rating:

Summary: Mitfords Book is Great Reading
Comment: Love the book and was a great X-Mas present for the mother!!!
Seller of this book was
fantastic and I highly suggest buying from this seller!

Customer Rating:

Summary: The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters
Comment: A MOST enjoyable book-excellent history of this amazing family-about which I had read much
before-great sadness-the feuds and family quarrels-some of which were never resolved-but mostly-I
hate to highlight my lack of depth-for the humour-I laughed until I cried. I had to pace my reading
as I went through it all too quickly.

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