tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post2936947528530916332..comments2024-03-28T05:53:48.696-07:00Comments on Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Six: The Lives of the Mitford SistersTracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-29698227086658837972023-02-09T16:32:40.545-08:002023-02-09T16:32:40.545-08:00Thanks, Judith. When I first heard of Marie Benedi...Thanks, Judith. When I first heard of Marie Benedict's book I was undecided about reading a fictionalized account. But now that I have read Thompson's biography of the sisters and some reviews, I think it will definitely be worthwhile to read. I am also interested in Marie Benedict's novel about Clementine Churchill, and if I knew about that one, I had forgotten. So I guess I will be trying her writing sometime soon.<br /><br />I was also very surprised to learn how much the Mitford parents leaned toward Hitler and Germany. Nancy is very interesting but I would also like to learn more about Jessica.<br />TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-83377626689437698222023-02-09T15:29:32.262-08:002023-02-09T15:29:32.262-08:00Hi Tracy,
I have to say this--Brava for this revie...Hi Tracy,<br />I have to say this--Brava for this review!! Or reviews! I enjoyed, and was educated by this post. I just finished The Mitford Affair, a historical novel by Marie Benedict, mostly about Nancy, Diana, and Unity Mitford. It was not as well done as Marie Benedict's historical novel about Clementine Churchill, which came out in January 2020.<br />I read The Mitford Affair to sort of "get my feet wet" with the family before pursuing the biographies. I'm most interested in Nancy. I could not believe how "fascist-leaning" their parents were. It simply mystifies me.<br /> <br />Judithhttps://readerinthewilderness.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-55718410546341580842023-02-08T21:33:11.830-08:002023-02-08T21:33:11.830-08:00Constance, I certainly agree it is good to know so...Constance, I certainly agree it is good to know something about the Mitfords, they are a varied lot. I not only learned tons about the Mitfords, I learned much about the UK during the war. I was surprised that the overall rating for this book was relatively low on Goodreads. However, whether people liked the book or not, it seems like the book would lead to a lot of good discussion in a book group. What were the complaints?<br /><br />At least Thompson's book is a decent length for a book club, whereas Mary Lovell's biography that I am reading now is 550 pages. I am liking it a lot but not too far in yet.<br />TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-68231761996447516122023-02-08T20:44:59.901-08:002023-02-08T20:44:59.901-08:00I chose this for my book group a few months ago an...I chose this for my book group a few months ago and no one seemed to like it, which irked me. I found it very readable and interesting. To know something about the Mitford sisters seems desirable to me.CLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-28273344543282219122023-02-07T21:20:21.993-08:002023-02-07T21:20:21.993-08:00That is true, Todd, but very interesting. That is true, Todd, but very interesting. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-63977858966160103262023-02-07T13:25:08.180-08:002023-02-07T13:25:08.180-08:00A perplexing history, no matter how approached.A perplexing history, no matter how approached.Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18104399586348314594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-72959325433977698092023-02-07T13:24:04.748-08:002023-02-07T13:24:04.748-08:00Susan D, That is a very good list of Mitford-relat...Susan D, That is a very good list of Mitford-related works. All of which I would be interested in reading. Thanks very much for recommending them. <br /><br />I had already planned to get Letters between Six Sisters, although over 800 pages is daunting. But I know I would enjoy it and it doesn't matter how long I take to read it. I also think the letters of Jessica Mitford would be very interesting.<br /><br />I did notice how many interesting people they knew, even in Laura Thompson's book, and more have come up in Lovell's book. Plus one review of Thompson's book named many people who did not get mentioned in that biography.<br />TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-8960188748955462172023-02-07T08:34:22.392-08:002023-02-07T08:34:22.392-08:00I first heard of them when I read Jessica's me...I first heard of them when I read Jessica's memoir, Hons and Rebels a very long time ago, followed by A Fine Old Conflict. <br /><br />In the 2000s, there were then a spate of Mitford books, including Decca, the Letters of Jessica Mitford (2006) and Letters Between Six Sisters, wonderfully collected and edited by Charlotte Mosley (yes, a Mosley). Plus Debo's Wait for Me (mentioned above). <br /><br />I think these 5 books can tell you so much about them, and their complex relationships. Decca's and Debo's memoirs naturally lean towards their own views of how things were panning out. <br /><br />One thing that stands out is that between them, these six women were linked (directly or with one degree of separation) to an astonishing array of movers and shakers in the western world of the 20th century. Susan Dhttp://susandaly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-56962122472250861452023-02-06T17:07:43.497-08:002023-02-06T17:07:43.497-08:00Thanks for telling me about that book, Kathy, I wi...Thanks for telling me about that book, Kathy, I will check it out. I have heard of Marie Benedict, and it sounds like it would be interesting. There is a mystery series by Jessica Fellowes about all the sisters (I think), and I am going to try the first one in that series too. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-14423315752575183112023-02-06T12:47:50.079-08:002023-02-06T12:47:50.079-08:00Hi Tracy, I do know that there is a historical nov...Hi Tracy, I do know that there is a historical novel that has just been published The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict about the Mitford Sisters. I haven't read Marie Benedict but she is a popular author who wrote The Personal Librarian which was a bestseller and got critical praise as well and Publisher's Weekly gives The Mitford Affair a good review.Kathy's Cornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03967595794483824444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-8656644413862507382023-02-06T11:09:54.362-08:002023-02-06T11:09:54.362-08:00Patti, Jessica Mitford was a Mitford sister, and I...Patti, Jessica Mitford was a Mitford sister, and I was surprised myself to see that she had written The American Way of Death. Although I know I knew that before, it had just slipped my mind. So now she is another one I want to know more about. She kind of escaped the family, although kept in touch via letters.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-25461564149400977062023-02-06T11:03:45.830-08:002023-02-06T11:03:45.830-08:00Margot, that is a good way of describing it, a mix...Margot, that is a good way of describing it, a mixed bag. It has a lot to offer, but it was too confusing, and not a good starting place for me for this topic. If I had known more going in, I probably would have appreciated it more. And yes, style does matter to my enjoyment of a book. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-20579646330997760172023-02-06T10:59:57.626-08:002023-02-06T10:59:57.626-08:00Cath, I think that is a good approach. Try it out ...Cath, I think that is a good approach. Try it out if you can do so, maybe a library book or a used copy. This isn't a bad book at all, and I should have known about her style of writing since I read her Agatha Christie biography, which had the same characteristics. And I should have started with Lovell's book. On the other hand, at least I did start and I am enjoying learning more about the family and the time they lived in.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-27204536316438796792023-02-06T10:55:28.890-08:002023-02-06T10:55:28.890-08:00Lark, I am hoping to learn more about the less wel...Lark, I am hoping to learn more about the less well known Mitford sisters in the Mary S. Lovell biography. And then I will try some other biographies of the individual sisters and / or some of their own writing. I was surprised to learn that so many of them wrote books. I knew Nancy Mitford had written novels, but not that she wrote so many and also nonfiction. I have lots more to learn about them.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-90246646827851673322023-02-06T10:49:54.246-08:002023-02-06T10:49:54.246-08:00Strangely the book that has stayed with me was Jes...Strangely the book that has stayed with me was Jessica Mitford's THE AMERICAN WAY OF DEATH although I am wondering now it that is another Mitford. I will have to look it up. It exposed various failings of the funeral businesspattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-27404913584062292102023-02-06T10:19:07.593-08:002023-02-06T10:19:07.593-08:00Jerry, that is a good point, and very true. To me...Jerry, that is a good point, and very true. To me it seemed like the author adored her subjects in this book and was too admiring (especially of the two sisters she interviewed, Diana and Deborah). I think I should have read Nancy S. Lovell's biography first, which seems (so far) to have a more even tone. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-25931713824934374492023-02-06T09:42:33.441-08:002023-02-06T09:42:33.441-08:00This sounds like a bit of a mixed bag, Tracy, alth...This sounds like a bit of a mixed bag, Tracy, although I'm glad you found things to like. And for me, writing style does matter; it can draw me in or pull me right out. You have a point, too, I think, about how important bias can be. It's hard for an author to stay neutral about historical figures or events (or issues, for that matter), but sometimes it's important.Margot Kinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08599589137890528065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-26181037676866063702023-02-06T08:26:11.478-08:002023-02-06T08:26:11.478-08:00Fascinating! It seems odd to concentrate so much o...Fascinating! It seems odd to concentrate so much on Nancy's books. If memory serves Mary Lovell did not do that, instead she spent a lot of the middle of her book focussing on Unity and her connection to Hitler. That suited me as I was interested in that but it may not have suited others. I'll grab this if I see it anywhere but won't order it especially I think. Another good perspective on their lives came from Deborah Mitford's book, Wait for Me. In fact I think that was the first book I read about the sisters.Cathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06371069000185280668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-34759141486017867742023-02-06T06:44:50.883-08:002023-02-06T06:44:50.883-08:00I've heard of the more famous Mitford sisters,...I've heard of the more famous Mitford sisters, but I never knew there were six daughters in that family. Sounds like this biography was good, but maybe could have been better? Lark https://www.blogger.com/profile/13777891312147377769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-82610359715037130802023-02-06T02:54:12.971-08:002023-02-06T02:54:12.971-08:00In discussing the Mitfords, it's hard to keep ...In discussing the Mitfords, it's hard to keep biases out of the conversation. Jerry Househttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482856733981933159noreply@blogger.com