Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters

I so enjoy Laura Thompson's writing that I have now ordered all of her books on the Mitfords as well as books written by Jessica and, especially, Nancy Mitford. One cannot put down "Take Six Girls" - it is almost like fiction, reading how unique each of the 6 sisters was. Of course, Diana seemed to me to be almost insane with her unswerving Nazi support of Hitler and his henchmen. She, to me, was beauteous on the outside and hideous in her rancid, dangerous beliefs and actions. Nancy is my favorite (nd the real talent of the Mitford family) and I am now awaiting Life in a Cold Climate by Laura Thompson. All in all, the 6 Mitford girls are the antithesis of the 5 Misses Bennet as written by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice. Laura Thompson is a spellbinding, clear-eyed author whose books are well researched - such diverse examinations of mysterious personages such as Lord Lucan and the disappearance for a while, of the much beloved Agatha Christie.

A delightful group biography of Diana, Nancy, Jessica, Unity, Pamela and Deborah, in short: The Mitford Sisters. I have read most of Nancy’s work in the 70’s and recently re-read the Pursuit of Love. It lost nothing of its charm. Being familiar with Nancy’s novels and Jessica’s ‘fictionalised’ memoir Hons and Rebels, makes the reading of Laura Thompson’s book a much richer experience. But even newcomers to the subject will find it an interesting portrait of an era and the six sisters’ role in it. Thompson places the girls in their impoverished aristocratic background, paints a portrait of the marriage and parents of the brood – there also was a brother Tom -. She goes onto describing each girl’s debutants ball and then devotes the rest of the book to what happened when those girls entered English society, at a time when the world around them slowly, but irreversibly descended into World War II. Thompson tells their story with verve and objectiveness, never trying to exonerate their choices. The background information the reader needs to navigate the lives of these girls, is seamlessly woven into the story. For her research she interviewed the two then living sisters Diana and Deborah and some of the Mitford sister’s children. She makes use of these interviews by incorporating them in the story, together with quotes from the copious correspondence between the sisters. This enlivens the text with gems of Mitford witticisms. The book makes for compelling reading and I would recommend it to anyone even slightly interested in the Mitfords.

A dispassionate review of the strange lives of the 6 Mitford sisters and their rather odd parents. Very interesting and easily readable

An interesting book but hardly attractive to a wide audience.

Highly entertaining and readable book about an amazing group of sisters.

Great read!!

Interesting lives

Started off wondering if I was going to enjoy this book, but after the first introductions I loved it. Well written, deeply researched and taking all aspects of the siblings and there outlook on events in context of each other made me rethink a lot of what I have read from the sisters themselves. I loved hearing more about the early years and the lesser known Pamela,and Jessica. The relationship with their mother was fascinating too. Highly recommended to any Mitford fan or anyone looking to know the family behind the headlines

This book took a long look at the mysteries of the Mitford Sisters,

Sauber recherchiert, interessant geschrieben!

I thought Mary Lovell's book on the same subject could hardly be outdone for favoritism toward the unrepentant Fascist Diana and injustice toward Decca (whom Thompson compares to an Islamic terrorist). I was wrong. This book is way worse. If doing so wouldn't conjure up uncomfortable images from Diana's favorite period of history (yes, I do mean the Nazi reign), I would burn it in a bonfire. As it is, it'll simply go to wastepaper bin. No donation to charity - I don't want to lend a hand in spreading this nonsense.

Fantastic detailed overview of an incredible family.