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“Lovell deftly weaves together the various strands of her subjects’ lives, making great use of letters, interviews and unpublished correspondence, as well as interviews with the two surviving Mitford sisters, Diana and Deborah.”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