The story of the Mitford family is not glamorized or glossed over in Marie Benedict's latest historical fiction. This wasn't a comfortable read, as the members of the Mitford family were difficult to "like". However, Ms. Benedict did an excellent job providing perspective to help the reader understand why members of a close-knit family would embrace such different political ideals. We learn much about Nazism, Fascism and Communism in pre-WWII England. The conversations between the family members were believable and considered the social norms of the times.

Highly recommend this one! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last. The characters will stay with you long after you finish the book and you will find yourself wishing the story would never end.

Ich durfte das Buch als ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) vorab lesen, vielen Dank an dieser Stelle an den Verlag und Netgalley!

Ich gestehe, die Mitford Sisters kannte ich bislang nicht. Den Namen schon mal gehört, aber das war es auch schon. Also dachte ich, ich schließe mit diesem Roman eine Bildungslücke und habe mich sehr über das Rezensionsexemplar gefreut. Für alle, die auch keine Ahnung haben: Die 6 Mitford-Schwestern (plus ihr Bruder) zählten in den „Zwischenkriegsjahren“ in den 20ern und 30ern zu den „bright young things“, der jungen gehypten britischen High Society. Reich, intellektuell, einflussreich. Leider aus ziemlich dysfunktionalem Elternhaus – so richtig scheint sich die Lordschaft Mitford nicht um die Kinderschar gekümmert zu haben. In diesem Roman nun geht es vorrangig um die 3 Schwestern Nancy, Diana und Unity – das waren wohl auch historisch gesehen die 3 interessantesten Schwestern. Diana erregte allein durch ihre Scheidung mit dem Guinness-Erben Aufsehen, und verliebte sich dann in Mosley, den Führer der britischen Faschistenpartei. Diana und Unity haben sich komplett dem Faschismus verschrieben, und Unity wird von Historikern teils sogar als „It-Girl Hitlers“ beschrieben. Ich hab das gegoogelt, und war erstaunt, wieviel Bilder es mit Unity Mitford und „Herrn Hitler“ im Netz zu finden gibt. Spannend. Im Gegensatz dazu vertrat die Schriftstellerin Nancy sehr gemäßigte politische Ansichten, und verfolgt das Treiben ihrer Schwestern mit Sorgen.
Der Roman erzählt hier diese politischen Verstrickungen sehr detailliert, und die zentrale Frage, die die Autorin auch stellt, ist die folgende: Wie privat ist das Politische? Kann ich das trennen? Was bin ich bereit, für meine politischen Überzeugungen zu tun? Vor allem in Zeiten von Krisen und Krieg? Und was mache ich, wenn meine Schwester/n die Dinge so komplett anders sehen? Bei den Mitfords krachen die Einstellungen aufeinander. Eine weitere Schwester, Decca, ist beispielsweise überzeugte Kommunistin und geht nochmals einen anderen Weg.

Die Kapitel sind abwechselnd aus der Sicht Nancys (in der Ich-Perspektive) und dann aus Unitys und Dianas Seite (hier dann aus auktorialer Perspektive) geschrieben, und umspannt die Zeit von den frühen 20ern bis zum Kriegseintritt Britanniens 1941. Das macht es interessant, denn teils wird derselbe Tag aus der Sicht verschiedener Schwestern erzählt – die das Geschehen natürlich komplett anders erleben. Witzig.
Ich muss allerdings sagen, dass ich sehr lange gebraucht habe, um richtig in das Buch einzutauchen. Irgendwie waren mir die Damen lange Zeit fremd; ich fand es schwer, eine Nähe zu den Protagonisten herzustellen. Besonders Unity mit ihrer Hitler-Verehrung war für mich extrem schwer verdaulich. Witzigerweise hat das die Autorin in einem Nachwort genauso auch beschrieben, sie hatte damit auch ihre Probleme.
Ich denke, das Buch ist historisch super korrekt dargestellt. Die ganzen Protagonisten sind ja allesamt historische Persönlichkeiten, ich schätze mal, es ist auch schwierig, hier künstlerische Freiheiten einzubauen – aber wie gesagt, das hatte für mich dann auch gefühlt sehr viel Distanz aufgebaut.
Gepackt hat mich das Ganze erst ab dem 2. Drittel, und als es dann für mich wirklich spannend wurde, hörte die Geschichte auch schon wieder auf. Das Ende kam mir sehr abrupt.
Und eine Kritik habe ich als deutsche Muttersprachlerin: die Passagen, in den Unity auf deutsch parliert, sind schlecht. Super hölzerne Dialoge, teils auch grammatikalisch falsch. Da muss echt noch mal jemand drüber schauen, so redet kein Mensch.

Mein Fazit: Es war insgesamt ein sehr interessanter Roman, allen meinen Kritikpunkten zum Trotz. Wen diese Zeiten interessieren – oder wen die Mitford Family interessiert – der sollte hier zugreifen. Ich verteile 4 von 5 Sternen!

Marie Benedict does it again! As always this book is well researched and at the same time captivating. She always seems to shed a light on some of the most fascinating yet not always well known women of history. Something she should be much applauded for!

I had no idea about The Mitford sisters which is quite surprising based on the amount of historical fiction books I’ve read! It was interesting getting a different take on events leading up to WWII and felt like it was from an insiders perspective. Each sister radiated personality and all had intriguing stories. Having sisters myself, I definitely could relate to the sibling dynamics of this story! I highly recommend reading this fascinating book when it’s out in January!

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy and all the praise to Marie Benedict for another well done book!

This book begins with the point of view of one of the Mitford sisters, and she is the main protagonist. The story shifted from the point of view of the different Mitford sisters as each chapter changed. This historical fiction work was interesting, but seemed to have too many narratives to get a good depth about any of them. I would have preferred a writing style where the focus was on one or two characters. It made the story seem like the author was hurrying to get any details about the characters in instead of further developing a smaller amount. Unfortunately, this book is not one I will recommend to others for that reason.

Having read Nancy Mitford's books and enjoyed them I was particularly interested to find out more about her and her large family and their political involvement.

This is a very well written book which is informative without being boring and one I would recommend to anyone interested in the period leading up to WWII, or the privileged society portrayed.

With hindsight it can sometimes be difficult to understand how people reacted but this goes some way to exposing the society of the period and their views.

Marie Benedict is an excellent historic novelist and her latest, The Mitford Affair, sits with her other books chronicling stories of the past. This book about the Mitford family is often slow and circles around a gradually developing plot of the sisters’ political beliefs. Their love affairs and determination to follow men into dangerous and demeaning situations prevail throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I love Marie Benedict's writing, and The Mitford Affair was no exception. I was enthralled with the characters, and at certain points I was on the edge of my seat. I do wish the book had a more steady pace - some parts really dragged or seemed to repeat themselves, and others went too quickly. But definitely a great read for anyone who is a fan of historical fiction.

Sometimes you pick up book because of the title or the plot or the cover. At others, you enjoy the author's writing so much, you will choose the book just to read his or her latest tale. I've been a big fan of Marie Benedict's historical fiction novels over the last five years, reading all her recent ones. I knew nothing of the Mitford sisters prior to this book, but I requested an ARC from NetGalley and was pleasantly surprised to receive it. As expected, the writing is strong; Benedict beautifully describes the 1930s-1940s in Great Britain, showcasing her amazing talent for capturing the energy and ambiance of a select period in history. For that reason alone, I'd give the book five stars... but since I'm primarily a plot guy, I really struggled with this one, as essentially, there is no plot... so I would've given it three stars. In the end, I averaged it out and settled on four for my review.

In terms of the characters, Benedict did a solid job at conveying the personalities of each of the sisters and their one brother. Nancy and Diana get the most page-time, followed by Unity, but so much of their lives were caught up in their obsessions with Fascism, Nazis, and Communism. The family went out of their way to support monsters who tortured people during WW1 and WW2. How or why would anyone like these people or be fascinated by them? I struggled to focus on the book mostly because they were all so dislikable... and I wonder whether Benedict took a more negative view of them which in turn alienated me as a reader. That said, I saw some spark in the personalities, and maybe during the 1930s before much was known about the true atrocities being performed behind the scenes, these women were highly admired for their lifestyles and drama. Modern day Kardashians, I suppose.

None of that speaks to Benedict's writing which was the best part of the book. I just couldn't accept the topics and the lack of a plot to really relax and enjoy the book. I will still jump on the next novel the author writes but I hope it's a more interesting subject.

The Mitford family is one interesting family! I didn't know much about the sisters going into the book well except for Nancy but it was really interesting to get to know them and learn about their life. There wasn't really a plot until the end but other then that it was a fast and easy read thats Iwell written and entertaining to read!

The Mitford Affair is a spectacular novel of these sisters. Focused on three of the sisters, we take a political ride and see their differences. A great historical fiction novel and interesting take on these fascinating women.

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict is a novel based on the true story of the Mitford sisters. Set in 1930's London, the story centers around Nancy, Diana, and Unity Mitford with the rest of the Mitford family playing large and small parts in the action. Born into privilege, the sisters enjoy lively social lives but there is a lot hidden behind all the fun. Troubled marriages, jealousy, ambition, scandal, and misguided adoration abound in their lives. It was fascinating and disturbing to read about Diana and Unity as they dabble in fascism then quickly become closely involved with Adolf Hitler for very different reasons. Sister and writer Nancy, struggles with the actions of her sisters and how she should handle what she knows about the truth of what Diana and Unity are doing. This would be a great book for book club discussion. I rate it 3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

3.5 stars.
Author, Marie Benedict, brings the stories about real women in history to life. I've read all her books and I love her writing style. I learn so much about history from reading her material. If only history in high school had been this interesting!

This novel takes you into the lives of the Mitford family, from 1932 to 1941 in England and Germany, during the buildup to WWII. The Mitfords were an aristocratic British family with six daughters, who were all debutantes, and one son. Alternating chapters in the book are told through the eyes of each of the three oldest sisters. As the years escalate towards war, the daughters become active in the political movements of fascism and communism and its burgeoning presence in England. Ultimately, they each must make critical choices based on their political beliefs or their loyalties to family and country.

Using hindsight, and the author's notes at the end of the book, it is very interesting to see how young people could be influenced by the lies and doctrines of fascism and communism. This was a lesson about how politics, idealism, and idolatry can grow like a cancer and separate a family as well as a nation.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book. Publication date: January 17, 2023.

.75 stars. The Mitford Affair follows Nancy, Diana, and Unity as they navigate the Bright Young Things/post-Depression era. As Nancy remains neutral in her political beliefs, Diana becomes enamored by Oswald Mosley, English fascist, while Unity eventually falls into Nazism. The rest of actual history!

I found The Mitford Affair to be a bit slow. I was also confused by the switch from first person POV for Nancy to third for Unity’s and Diana’s chapters. I found the story to be fairly accurate, and very well-researched. Even when reading Unity’s adoration of Hitler or Diana’s devotion to M, I wasn’t disgusted — more appalled that these women of means were able to fall under a man’s influence. I’m off to learn more about the Mitfords!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I am a big fan of Marie Benedict and her books are always good. However, I was really torn on the subject matter in this book. Reading about the real life family of 6 Mitford sisters and 1 brother hit me pretty close to home with my 6 sisters. It made my stomach turn to think about the question of putting family or country first. The story centers primarily on 3 of the sisters: Diana, Unity, and Nancy. They are all citizens of Great Britain, but Diana and Unity get swept up into a great love of fascism and Hitler himself. Nancy is horrified and torn about what to do. Her cousin is married to Winston Churchill as well so there are some political connections in Great Britain as well as Germany. It was quite a good read that kept me wondering what Nancy would do. As politics continues to divide families today, it was a good reminder that this is nothing new.

I will forever buy anything Marie Benedict writes. I love her historical fiction take on women in our history. This book was no different. Thank you so much to @netgalley for the advanced read of a highly anticipated book for me.
We take a deep dive into the lives of the Mitford Sisters, three of whom embedded themselves so intricately into our history and most people dont even know they exsist! I sure did some follow up research, as usual, after reading her books

'The Mitford Affair' tells the story of how three sisters became entwined within the politics which triggered WWII. Nancy, Diana, and Unity are the three eldest of seven Mitford children. Born titled but raised as impoverished aristocrats, the Mitfords are eccentric and polarised in their beliefs. Their reduced circumstances, but social entitlement, fostered a certain sense of blinkered naivety, which ultimately propelled Diana and Unity to embrace fascism and friendship with Hitler.

Marie Benedict personalises the historical, foundational facts of the Mitford story through her tri-narrated voice. Each chapter is alternated between the three sisters, delving further into their points of view, motivations, and vulnerabilities. Benedict does, in fact, draw the triangle between them; they are individual in their goals but inextricably bound by family, social and patriotic ties, Ultimately, Benedict highlights that we are, indeed, 'authors of our own histories', and our perception is truly our reality.

'The Mitford Affair' brings to life a turbulent time within our history, using an eccentric, high-profile family to exemplify the political divides which happened on a microscopic scale, mirrored the volatility happening on a world scale. Although the story does start slowly, describing the Mitford's eccentricities and family idioms, the pace increases as the intrigue builds. The outlandish nature of true events is tempered by the inner-voice Benedict bestows upon each character. Together, with the accurate tone and manner of the age and society surrounding 'The Mitford Affair', Benedict creates a fascinating read.

Thank you Net Galley and Source Landmark books for the opportunity to read and give my opinion on this book.

Six Mitford sisters...and Marie Benedict makes spicy, provocative use of all of them--constructing a fascinating novel threaded with themes of loyalty and betrayal. A marvelous read--perhaps Benedict's best.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks and to Netgalley for the opportunity and pleasure of an early read.

This novel focuses on the the Mitford sisters between WWI and WWII. Each sister has her own political beliefs and must ultimately choose between family/love or country. The author does great job alternating chapters between Unity, Diana and Nancy. I am sure it was incredibly difficult to write Unity’s character as I struggled reading it and trying to wrap my head around the character’s naive devotion to Adolf Hitler.

The book was a little slow at times, but overall I enjoyed reading about the Mitford sisters, whom I had not heard of before this novel and Great Britain’s entrance into WWII. I found it very interesting how media influenced young people about fascism and Nazism and how relevant this influence is today in our political climate. I wish the author expanded on this more.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

A totally home run from Benedict - one of the best writers of historical fiction we have now. This is a marvelous story written with all the nuance and detail I've come to expect from this author. This book should be every bookclub's pick this winter. Just wonderful!!