January 2023

I am a huge fan of Marie Benedict’s writing. Her books are about women in history whose stories have been overlooked, often because they stood in the shadows of the men in their lives. THE MITFORD AFFAIR is a variation on this theme and focuses on three of the Mitford sisters. One is the writer, Nancy, and the other two --- Diana and Unity --- become known for their political leanings.

The book opens in 1932. Diana, who is billed as the most beautiful of the three, is hosting a party at the home she shares with her husband Bryan, the Guinness heir. Being celebrated is her younger sister, Unity. The scene is stunning as the society of London is on hand. But at this party, Diana’s eyes are not on her husband, but rather on Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists. In the coming months, she leaves Bryan for Mosley, completely taking up the mantle of his agenda. And soon Unity also embraces the concepts of fascism and heightens her involvement to move to Germany. There she takes an unhealthy interest in Hitler and schemes to insert herself in his inner circle. She is successful; her look is Aryan, and her family’s stature in the UK is not lost on him. She is a pawn to him, but she sees herself as the woman he needs to further his cause while he is already known to have one mistress.

The story moves between the two countries as Diana works to try to get a radio station built where Mosley’s Blackshirts will be kept in tune with what Hitler is saying, beyond the watchful eyes and ears of the BBC. Totally swept up in the ideals of fascism, Diana and Unity court Hitler and other top leaders, and think how the message of the “improved Germany” can be spread. Nancy watches this scene, surprised at her sisters and at the same time working on her writing, where many of their ideals are looked at with more jaded eyes. Diana inserts herself to edit the story more favorably, which Nancy allows in the spirit of family harmony, though she resents it.

The family suffers great losses in finances during this time, as well as social status. The novel is told in the voices of the sisters. These women are fervent in their own beliefs when it comes to their political missions and the men they have in their lives. The writing is brisk, and the storytelling is completely absorbing. For all of us who have wondered How could a woman do that?, the stories behind the actions are here.

While I have read a lot about Europe right before and during World War II, I have not read much about this time period when Hitler was starting to build out his empire one country at a time.