I would like to thank Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I had heard of Nancy Mitford and her sisters on and off over the years. They , especially Nancy, had appeared in characters of other historical fiction novels, and I most recently finished The MayFair BookShop, which told Nancy's story in detail. This is a book by Marie Benedict. I have read and enjoyed several of her novels over the past few years. She has a good style, one which is readable and engaging. Her writing flows, and the reader is swept up in the intricacies and often intrigues of her characters. The Mitford Sisters, were in the 20's and 30's in Great Britain, something of the IT Girls. They were educated, attractive, well bred. They also has distinctive personalities and beliefs. This books touches on all of them, but focuses mainly on Nancy, Diana and Unity. In the early 30's Diana and Unity become at first interested, and then enthralled, by the rise of Adolf Hitler. Diana leaves her husband to become involved with, and later marry, Oswald Mosley, who starts a Fascist group in England. Her younger sister, Unity, is completely taken in by the rise of Hitler, and with Hitler himself.The story follows these 3 sisters, and their reactions to the political turmoil about to over take Europe. Nancy loves her sisters, but is appalled by their reactions to Hitler and Fascism.The storyline starts in 1932 and ends in 1941. It is a turbulent time, England is in many ways still recovering from the Great War, as well as the Depression. The Mitford sisters, the "Bright Young Things" as their set was called, are looked up to and followed. Their lives are all about to change, along with their country and the world as they know it. The story moves at a leisurely pace, almost too leisurely, as we get to know the sisters, and their lives. We know ,historically, what is coming, and that adds a layer of suspense to the book. It is well written and well plotted. I enjoyed this book very much.

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict
I found this to be such an intriguing read. This was such an interesting piece of history that I knew nothing about. I didn’t realize initially that the Mitford family is real. And once I did, the story became much more interesting. This novel was rich in detail and a must read for any historical fiction lover.
Many thanks to Marie Benedict, NetGalley, and Sourcebook Landmark for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I knew a little bit of Mitford Sister history having visited Chatsworth House and read The Pursuit of Love but have never delved deeper. Wow, did they have some dark, unsavory lives!
I really enjoyed how Benedict gave a plot line to this history, choosing Nancy for her inner conflict on doing the right thing for her country even at a personal cost to her family. Nancy’s sections also gave us some reprieve from the uncomfortable reading of Unity’s obsession with Nazism and Diana’s devotion to her lover Mosley. It was scary to read about two women who loved so deeply and unhealthily. I knew that Hitler could charm and weave spells around his admirers and Benedict created scenes that were gentile on the surface yet underneath teeming with horror and fear of what this man could do.
I am definitely going to seek out her other historical books especially the one on Clementine Churchill to learn more,
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

The six Mitford sisters are part of the English political and social scenes. Debutante balls and parties are their way of life until fascism starts to gain popularity in England and Germany alike. Diana and Unity, two sisters who make it their life goal to befriend Hilter and Nancy, who very much hates everything Hitler and fascism stands for, are the three sisters and POV who make up this historical fiction novel.

Everything Marie Benedict writes has a grip on me and this book is no different. I immediately had to do more research on the Mitford Family and to get a sense of how the story ended for the sisters as the book ends abruptly still in the midst or start of WWII.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early read. The opinions are my own.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book has three narrators, Nancy, Diana and Unity Mitford. It follows their life in the build up to WWII. It does a nice job of showing how people can be seduced into taking the next little step towards fanaticism and the difficult choices of loyalty - family? country? That being said, I did not particularly enjoy this book and really did not like any of the sisters even Nancy.

An enjoyable, yet frothy piece of British WW2 Historical fiction. It was interesting to see the british aristocrats react to the rise of the third reich.

This was a great read. What an interesting piece of history I knew nothing about. Thank you to NetGalleu and the publisher for this early read.

The six Mitford sisters were among the most famous English debutantes of the interwar years. This novel focuses on three of the oldest, novelist Nancy, beautiful Diana who married the heir to the Guinness fortune, and fascist Unity, close companion to Hitler. Diana scandalized British society in the early 30s when she left her husband for Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists.

The Mitford family had no money and Nancy turned to writing to support herself and her husband while Diana turned to Unity for access to Hitler and the coffers of the German Nazi party to finance her lover's political ambitions.

The central issues are what motivates Diana and Unity to betray their country to further the ambitions of Hitler and the Nazis, and whether Nancy will betray Diana and Unity to stop Hitler. Is love of family stronger than love of country?

This novel focuses on a small portion of the fascinating lives of the Mitford sisters and an important chapter of World War 2 history. Recommended, especially for those unfamiliar with the Mitford family.

This was a bit of a tough read given that two of the characters are so enthusiastically in support of Hitler and the Nazis, but I do think it sheds important light on how they gain support both within and outside Germany. The Mitford sisters come from a fascinating and well-connected family, and the fact that this bit is based on a true story adds to ita significance.

The Mitford Affair is told from the perspective of three Mitford sisters, well known author Nancy, and her younger sisters Diana and Unity. The story alternates between their three perspectives leading up to World War II as Diana and Unity radicalize into fascism, while their sister battles with her self and where her loyalties lie. I haven't read extensively on the siblings, and the one book I have read within the past year was told solely from Nancy's perspective. That book however, felt like it did a better job of addressing all of the struggles that Nancy was going through, which included a broken engagement, a marriage to someone with major infidelity and drinking issues, and limited financial means. By splitting this story up, Benedict shows the reader three different perspectives leading up to the war but it's hard to connect with any of the women. Certainly it is easy for the reader to feel disgust with Diana and Unity with 20/20 hindsight. But this, coupled with what seems to be Nancy's complacency for much of the book, makes it hard to connect or like any of the women. Nancy is smart enough to know her sisters are playing a dangerous game, but Diana is really the smartest of the three sisters. Unfortunately for her, her obsession with Moseley leaves her using her intelligence to blindly support his causes, even when it is ill advised. The reader will struggle to understand Diana's feelings for M. Diana poses it as a fascination for a man that's not actually fascinated with her, but he never comes off as charismatic or compelling to the reader, just self-absorbed. Unity comes off as mentally unstable. While Diana is blindly in love with Moseley it doesn't stop her from being logical in her decision-making and aware of the dangers in the path she chooses. Unity's obsession with Hitler and fascism is all-encompassing and she is blind to anything else around her. Her parents accommodations of her eccentricities is admirable, but her family appears to overlook her inability to function in a world where there's consequences for your actions. The chapters in the story are relatively short, but the book itself feels long. This may be because it slowly plays out just how impactful the consequences are to Unity and Diana's actions. But even having an objective idea of how dangerous they could have been to Great Britain and its allies, the story didn't really convey this danger urgently enough for me to find the story engaging. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Despite my fascination with the Mitford family, this wasn’t my “cup of tea”. To be fair, I had forgotten that I’ve read some of the authors works before and thought they were so-so. If memory serves me correct, the author tends to write in first person omniscient, which is not my favorite. If I remembered that I don’t think I would have requested the book.

Because of that, I don’t think it fair to rate it lower than a 3 stars, plus it did have some nuggets where I was absolutely captivated.

I have enjoyed previous books written by Marie Benedict. I was excited to have the opportunity to read her newest, The Mitford Affair. I was far from disappointed. I thought it was great. Five stars.

I chose not to finish reading THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict. After reading THE OTHER EINSTEIN, I was looking forward to reading another novel written by Marie Benedict.
Unfortunately, I found myself setting aside THE MITFORD AFFAIR each time I tried to read a chapter. I managed to read five chapters before putting the book down for good. I think I may have enjoyed the book more had it been written in past tense instead of present tense.

The book follows the Milford sister who are trying to keep up with the Jones's between the World Wars in England. One of the sisters marries as fascist leader (Diana) and the other is rumored to be Hitlers mistress( Unity) . Each of the sisters must make their own way as the economic crisis of the times occurs. `Nancy is a author who tries her best to be a peacemaker between Unity and Diana. Diana gets divorced in order for a relationship with a leader of the British Union of Fascists. Unity is a Nazi who moves to Munich and takes a liking to Hitler and ends up with a property once owned by Jews. The story is interesting weaving fascists and communism and how easy it is to be lured in by the lures of others in power. The book it really interesting telling how a family can get pulled apart due to politics and views on what is right and wrong. Def worth a read!

Marie Benedict is definitely an automatic read for me, as do a lot of WWII books so definitely a good combo
However, this is one of my lesser favorite books, but not because it’s bad. Makes sense right? I love the authors writing g style as usual but I guess I just like it more when she concentrates in introducing us to 1 amazing female historical figure, not a trio of them.
Definitely worth the read, and I appreciate the opportunity given to me by the publisher and NetGalley to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn't realise initially, that the Mitford family is real. Once I did the story got that much more interesting. Considering the scope of the book, it's hard to do justice to so many characters, but Benedict tries. Their emotional states woven in with the events shaking them are compelling to read. I have a feeling the Mitford girls wouldn't have liked the book though.

The Mitford Affair
by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)
U 50x66
Terry's review Oct 23, 2022
really liked it

I hate to give Marie Benedict less than a five star—her ability to enlighten me to the stories behind women who are little known to me while having a big part in history is masterful. I gave a four star for this, as the story was less focused than her others because there were six sisters in play in the telling. Not as compelling as her earlier titles for me, yet I read it through quickly.
I knew nothing of the Mitford sisters, and felt like this story portrayed the family division of allegiances as I picture those in the USA for brothers in the Civil War. Every member takes a stand, and finds a living place where they feel comfortable. For the sisters, though, the loyalty to family is a big draw for some of them (with the exception of one who moves to America).
A good read, from an author who ranks as a must-read for me. Even though I had no prior knowledge of the Mitford sisters, I was quickly drawn into their lives.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.

"The Mitford Affair" is a historical fiction novel set in England through the eventful years of 1932 to 1941. All six Mitford sisters and one brother are characters in the largely all-star cast (including Winston Churchill, Oswald Mosely, and Adolf Hitler) but the narrative focuses primarily around three of the sisters: Nancy, the well known author; Diana, the wife of first Bryan Guinness (heir to the Guinness fortune) then later of Oswald Mosely (leader of the British Union of Fascists); and Unity, who became an ardent Nazi and personal friend of Adolf Hitler in the years leading up to World War II.

Prior to beginning this book I was aware that there were several Mitford sisters that had been famous at the time, but the only one that I knew any details about was the author Nancy Mitford. I was completely unaware of the ties to Nazism that various members of the family cultivated and I found this connection shocking. I had read that many of the upper crust of English society held sympathetic views toward the Nazi party's goals prior to the Declaration of War by England toward Germany, but this book did a fantastic job of explaining to my modern mind how that could possibly have come about. There are more historical novels about the years leading up to World War II in England than I could attempt to name, but this one stands out both for the quality of the writing and also for the unusual perspective that it illuminates. It not only explores the well trodden path of loyal British subjects who believe in British values first, last, and everywhere in between, but also contrasts this with the viewpoints of those that thought Communism was a forward looking moral path toward creating a modern world, and those that chose to align themselves to fascist organizations for what seemed to be largely self-serving reasons, including power and influence. For that reason I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the events in England that lead to World War II. Furthermore, I would recommend this book to a broad modern audience as a lesson in how to distinguish right and truth within the current world headlines which describe political polarization, contradictory reporting, and the unexpected military invasions that are currently devastating so many of the worlds' civilians.

Good book from quality author. As always well researched. The characters are well developed and authentic.