A must-read for historical fiction fans. The period detail during the World War and the Mitford family intrigue is blended in a stunning work.

Marie Benedict brings us another historical fiction novel, The Mitford Affair. It tells the story of the Mitfords, an English aristocratic family, in the years leading up to and including the early years of World War II, 1932 to 1941. There were seven siblings, six girls and one boy, all born within the first two decades of the 20th century. The novel focuses on three of the sisters (Nancy, Diana, and Unity) and chapters alternate between their different points of view. Diana and Unity, fully embrace fascism and Nazism. Diana does everything in her power to advance the cause of the British Union of Fascists and its leader, Sir Oswald Moseley, who later becomes her husband. Unity idolizes Hitler and stalks him in Germany until he takes notice of her. Unity and Diana become close friends with Hitler. Nancy, the eldest, does not share her sisters’ political views. As the outbreak of war becomes imminent and Nancy realizes the dangerous path her sisters traverse, she fears for her family and for her country.

I did not know anything about the Mitfords before reading this novel. Also, I did not know anything about the British Union of Fascists nor the fact that there were British people who actually supported Hitler. Having read many historical fiction novels that take place during World War II, this was completely new to me and I was fascinated and horrified with the story of the Mitford family.

This is a well-written and well-researched historical fiction novel. In the beginning, I had trouble keeping all the characters straight. There were many and several had nicknames. This was through no fault of the author since the Mitfords’ use of nicknames was historically accurate. As the novel progressed, it became easier to sort out who was who. This novel kept my interest from beginning to end and I could not put it down. When I reached its conclusion, I wanted to know what happened to the sisters. I wish Benedict would have included a brief note at the end of the book telling the reader how their lives turned out.

I thoroughly recommend The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict. It is a fascinating read and a great candidate for book discussions.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.

David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and his wife Sydney had seven children, one son & six daughters. Part of the British aristocracy, and related to Winston Churchill’s wife Clementine, the family had lost a significant amount of money during the post-WW1 years so the children knew that their lives would be somewhat different to that of a traditional debutante/aristocrat and that they would have to find their own place in a fast-changing world. With distinctive personalities, each of the Mitford children became “famous” in their own way and this book reimagines the life of the Mitford siblings, giving us a glimpse into the complicated, fascinating, and intense world that they were growing up in, and the choices they made.
The story primarily centres round Nancy, Diana and Unity, with their younger sister Jessica coming in towards the end. The chapters alternate their stories/points of view which helps the reader to keep track of what was happening to each member of the family, but also to see how actions and activities linked together. Diana, Unity & Jessica had very strong, and opposing, political views.
• Diana was the “pretty” sister, who attracted interest wherever she went. She has fascist ideas, and became obsessed with the leader of the British Fascist party, Oswald Moseley. She caused scandal when she divorced her “suitable” husband to be with Moseley. She was keen to learn more about the politics of Nazi Germany in order to advance her husband’s career & believed that England could benefit from adopting some of Hitler’s ideas – she was not averse to the idea of Germany invasion.
• Jessica was the second youngest sister, and a communist. She was passionate about supporting those who were oppressed and eloped with her 2nd cousin Esmond Romilly to serve in the press corps in the Spanish Civil War.
• From an early age, Unity had been the odd-one-out in the family. Tall, angular & not conventionally pretty, she was an ardent Nazi, obsessed with Hitler and his policies. She moved to Munich to study German and became close to some of the leading Nazi party members and eventually Hitler. Her acceptance into the highest echelons of the Nazi party gave her the status and recognition she craved. There were a number of rumours that she was Hitler’s mistress!
• Nancy was the oldest sister, and the only family member who seemed to question some of her sisters’ ideas. She was a writer and wrote novels with characters that bore startling resemblances to her sisters. She is depicted as taking some significant risks to help end the war as well as to maintain contact/build bridges with her siblings when they were ostracised by the family.
The book is very character driven, with each sister having unique and interesting characteristics and their individual chapters allow them to explain their thoughts & motivations. Threading through the political differences are divided loyalties, sibling rivalries, betrayals, and an increasing dilemma between family or country.
We must remember that in the 1930s, WW1 was still fresh in everyone’s mind and there was a desire for change. Adolf Hitler had pulled his country back from the devastation of WW1, and some of his ideas were attractive, especially to the young.
I liked the way that the author didn’t shy away from making Hitler a significant character with some redeeming qualities. Much evidence, and the reactions from people like Diana & Unity, suggests that he was a good host, an interesting conversationalist and generally had a quiet, reserved, artistic character. Unfortunately, his extreme ideas led to some of the most devastating actions in European history.
The author brings history to life in an accessible way and does a good job in capturing the essence of the era, from the glamorous aristocratic life to the reality of being part of a family who were being torn apart by conflicting political views. Everything is very plausible!

What didn’t work so well for me.
I already knew quite a lot about the Mitford Sisters & was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more “new” content. I felt that the book stayed quite safe. I was also a little disappointed that there was very little in the book about some of the other siblings & would have liked to hear Deborah’s thoughts as a teenager growing up in the shadow of her infamous sisters, and also Tom who also seemed to support British fascism. He served in WW2 and was posted to Burma after he refused to serve in Europe (or perhaps was seen as too much of a threat with his sister’s closeness to Hitler).

Recommendation
The book does make you think about how young people in the 1930s were influenced by the desire for change and the ideals they saw in the growing fascist & communist movements. Young people today are still experiencing desire for change and similar influences, albeit from different sources.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or has an interest in the UK interwar period. I think it would make a great bookclub read as there is a lot to discuss.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict.
I am a huge fan of Marie Benedict and although I was unfamiliar with the Mitford sisters, I was excited to read her newest novel. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. It was interesting to learn about the Mitford family's involvement in political events of the 1930s, but for me the book lacked substance and moved too slowly. The three sisters that the book focused on came off spoiled and condescending, which may be true to character but hard to rally behind. I will still recommend this book to Benedict fans; maybe it just wasn't right for me.

What an interesting read! I have heard vaguely about the Mitford sisters but it was so interesting to read a story focused on them and the part of history that they were in.

“…opening my sisters’ eyes to the fascist horror unfolding before them—-has had the opposite effect. It has driven them deeper and deeper into fascism and the men that embody it.”

The story of the Mitford sisters is a bizarre bit of history with which I was only peripherally aware. This book primarily focuses on three of the sisters: Nancy, the novelist, Diana the center of the London social scene, and Unity, the awkward sister, never quite fitting in with society, searching for her destiny. Their lives are hard to comprehend. Especially the lives of Diana and Unity with their obsession over men who are leaders of fascism. Their obsessions actually lead them to meet and form close ties with Hitler himself!

Even after reading this book, I find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that Diana and Unity built personal connections to Hitler. Unity’s blind obsession was particularly overwhelming to understand. And it was hard to read a book where Hitler is described in such a positive regard through their eyes. But the story was intriguing and kept me reading, sort of like a train wreck, where it’s hard to look away. The loyalties of each sister are questionable and Nancy is the only one with any measure of reality.

I didn’t love the writing style. I felt like I was being told what to think about all the time (tell versus show). And I would have liked an authors note explaining what happened to the sisters and their relationships afterwards. It did however make me want to learn more about this history, which is the value in a good historical fiction read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Loved this historical fiction about the complicated Mitford sisters who had dramatic roles among the political elites - including Hitler - during WWII!

Marie Benedict writes beautiful books! Def a sweeping story about the Mitford sisters and would be a wonderful beach read. I love everything about this book. If you like period stories about women relationships then you'd enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is my first Marie Benedict novel and I enjoyed it. I never knew about the Mitford sisters. What pieces of work and wow. Why would these two girls be so fascinated with fascist is beyond me - then again why are some folks fascinated with TFG here in the US is beyond me as well. So much for politics. Yes, I will purchase this for our library. It’s in the next order.

I requested this book as reading for a Book Club discussion we hosted on BookBrowse (https://www.bookbrowse.com/booktalk

The discussion was a great success with many fans of the book, so in addition we ran a featured review, link below

I really love this story. It was very well written. It was probably of my favorite historical fictions. I will definitely be recommending this book

The Mitford Affair tells the story of author Nancy Mitford and her sisters Diana and Unity. We learn about their lives during the crucial period between the World Wars as Hitler is coming to power.

Reading about Unity's devotion to Hitler as well as Diana's actions and the attitudes of so many at that time was difficult, knowing what we know today, but I thought the author did a magnificent job of portraying that time. Seeing how politics divided the Mitford family only further serves to illustrate how so many must have felt at that time.

I always appreciate how Marie Benedict is able to bring historical figures to vivid life and provide us a glimpse into what their lives were like.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Disappointing. I have enjoyed many of Marie Benedict’s books.I did not fine this one engaging. The chapters were very choppy. None of the characters were very likable. Family relationships seemed very predictable. I was expecting a better story.

The Milford Affair is a gorgeously written historical novel. It follows the Mitford sisters, namely Nancy, Unity, and Diana, who were beautiful aristocrats who had a surprising connection with Hitler during the years leading up to World War II. Diana's story begins with an affair with Mosely, the head of the British Union of Fascists, leading her to divorce her husband in order to fully devote herself to Mosely and his cause. Unity has always been interested in Nazism, and when she gets a chance to connect with Hitler in person, she drops everything and leaps to his side. Nancy seems to be the more levelheaded sister. She is a novelist. Throughout the story, she discovers the depths of her sisters' devotion to fascism and has to decide whether loyalty to family can overcome what she believes to be right for her country.
I loved the family relationships that were described in this novel. It's quite hard to feel for someone (Unity) who is dedicated to something that we now know was so intrinsically evil, but this is so well written and characterized that it was easy to read anyway. I had not heard of the Mitford sisters, but am now eager to search out more info about their lives.

I enjoyed this book so much! It’s a complicated tale of a group of sisters so enmeshed in the European conflict during the Second World War that at times I had to look up how accurate the information was. It felt too unbelievable, but it was true! Amazing what a significant role these sisters played and what a wild ride to read about. I highly recommend!

I had such high expectations for this book - a great author, a beautiful cover, a fascinating piece of history - and found it to fall short. I prefer plot-driven stories and this is far from that, instead being character-driven. Which would be fine if any of the characters were particularly likable. I found this to make the book incredibly slow and repetitive read. I also just did not enjoy the writing style and felt there was a lot more “telling, not showing”. That being said, the focus characters and time period in history was fascinating and I am glad to have learned about the Mitfords and their role in WWII. The best reading and learning should make you a little uncomfortable when seeing a new point of view and this did achieve that. It was also very timely in it portrayal of politics dividing families and communities, especially showing how each point of view truly can’t see the perspective of the other. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was excited to read this book as i had really enjoyed a different book about the MItford sisters. It was very interesting, lots of different characters to get your head around and definitely added some new insight into he lives of the sisters - who you grow both fond of and hate at the same time.

This was a fascinating look at the Mitford sisters in the years leading up to WWII. It was interesting to see into the minds of those who espoused Nazism in the beginning and to understand their loved ones who could sense the disasters that lay ahead. Benedict’s novels are always well researched and well written and focus on unheralded women in history.

I really enjoyed this book. The author brought the Mitford family to life. The plot was engaging and I didn't want the story to end.

This was a DNF for me, and my fault for jumping the gun on the request. I had heard rave reviews from fellow readers on her historical fiction novels and requested this at the same time I checked out "Her Hidden Genius" from the library. I got about halfway through HHG before giving up, but still gave this one a go. Unfortunately, this book further confirmed this author's style is just not for me. She clearly is a prolific researcher and goes all in on the women she features in her novels, credit where credit is due for that.