Ebook: The sisters: the saga of the Mitford family

Victorian roots, 1894-1904 -- Edwardian afternoon, 1904-1915 -- Nursery days, 1915-1922 -- Roaring Twenties, 1922-1929 -- Bright young things, 1929-1930 -- The stage is set, 1930-1932 -- Slings and arrows, 1932-1934 -- Unity and the Führer, 1934-1935 -- Secret marriage, 1935-1937 -- Elopement, 1937 -- Family at odds, 1937-1938 -- Slide towards conflict, 1938 -- No laughing matter, 1939 -- Irreconcilable differences, 1940-1941 -- Gains and losses, 1941-1943 -- Women at war, 1943-1944 -- The French lady writer, 1944-1947 -- Truth and consequences, 1948-1955 -- Return to the old country, 1955-1958 -- A cold wind to the heart, 1958-1966 -- Views and reviews, 1966-1980 -- Relatively calm waters, 1980-2000.;This is the story of a close, loving family splintered by the violent ideologies of Europe between the world wars. Jessica was a Communist; Debo became the Duchess of Devonshire; Nancy was one of the best-selling novelists of her day; beautiful Diana married the Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley; and Unity, a close friend of Hitler, shot herself in the head when England and Germany declared war. The Mitfords had style and presence and were extremely gifted. Above all, they were funny -- hilariously and mercilessly so. Mary Lovell captures the vitality and drama of a family that took the twentieth century by storm and became, in some respects, its victims.