Laura Thompson's The Six: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters is well-researched with a lengthy list of sources and gives engrossing details of the collected lives of the "mad, mad Mitfords."
Daughters of the second Baron Redesdale, the sisters had an unusual upbringing and controversial lives. Not rich, but aristocratic, sophisticated, bright, and witty--the sisters have retained their fascination through the years.
There are scandals aplenty, alliances and rivalries, connections with the richest and most aristocratic of England's elite. Thompson seems both fascinated and repulsed by the behavior of some of the sisters...and perhaps that is what keeps them, after all this time, of such obsessive interest to the public. With the exceptions of Pamela and Deborah, the sisters have flaws that override their good qualities. Their behaviors can be dissected and explained, but not forgotten.
I found the prologue discouraging (it will only appeal to someone who already has a good background of the Mitfords), but once the prologue is out of the way, Thompson does a fine job with this collective biography--and it can't be an easy task to try to cover the lives of six individuals, especially with such complex and antithetical beliefs.
A compelling book about the lives of six young women and the turbulent times in which they lived. It is rather like watching the proverbial train wreck, you simply can't look away.
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Biography. Sept. 6, 2016. Print length: 400 pages.
I read a biography of them recently and I was both fascinated and repelled by them, strange family.
ReplyDeleteExactly the way I felt!
DeleteI am afraid I know very little about the Mitford series. They sound like such interesting women and so different from one another.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know much either, although I've seen them mentioned time and time again in both fiction and nonfiction. There are quite a few books about them, both about the six and individually--they still manage to hold the public's attention.
DeleteI thought about reading this book once, but then other books got in the way and I forgot about it. I'm glad you've put it back on my radar. :)
ReplyDeleteIf I read another about them, I think I'll try Mary S. Lovell's book as a comparison. With connections to both Churchill and Hitler--they are a strange lot.
DeleteI have always been curious about them. I heard about them, but have yet to really explore. I will have to keep an eye out for this one.
ReplyDeleteSame with me, Kelly. When NetGalley offered this one, I was happy to have the opportunity to learn more. :)
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting read, with the era and all. I think this is one of those books that requires the mood to read it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mention to you earlier, but I got your letter last week! :)
Definitely interesting. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. I'm glad my letter arrived--it is such a long way to Singapore! Oh, and I got your postcard!
DeleteI feel like I should read more about them but just haven't gotten around to reading anything. It's kind of fascinating how they all seem to have had such different lives isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThey were fascinating women--Downton Abbey gone completely off the rails!
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