Love in a Cold Climate and Other Novels

Gathering three of Nancy Mitford's most famous works --The Pursuit of Love and The Blessing are included here alongside Love In A Cold Climate--this collection is the perfect introduction to a writer of great wit and charm, a singular voice in modern English prose whose themes are deeper and more profound than brief acquaintance might suggest. The first two novels, especially Pursuit..., are semi-autobiographical: the Radletts of Alconleigh are portraits of Mitford's own eccentric clan, while she herself appears as Fanny, a family cousin and the novels' narrator. The irrepressible, precocious Radletts provide many of the early instances of Mitford's deliciously wicked humour:

There was much worse drama when Linda, aged twelve, told the daughters of neighbours, who had come to tea, what are supposed to be the facts of life. Linda's presentation of the "facts" had been so gruesome that the children left Alconleigh howling dismally, their nerves permanently impaired, their future chances of a sane and happy sex life much reduced.

Nancy Mitford's considerable literary output--biography, journalism, translation, fiction--has been somewhat eclipsed by the biographical extravagance of her extraordinary family: her sisters Unity and Diana (the wife of Sir Oswald Mosley) were enthusiastic fascists who notoriously cultivated the friendship of Adolf Hitler; another sister, Jessica, ran away to America and became a left-wing journalist, later writing The American Way of Death. Her case has not been helped by her subject-matter, for the milieu of the wealthy upper classes and their deep-rooted snobbishness and casual bigotry is one that might easily repel a reader who misses the irony, satire and the surfacing of darker concerns that characterise the books. A shame, for she is one of the true originals of modern English writing. --Burhan Tufail

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A simply marvellous collection - Rated
I remember Nancy Mitford's novels being read avidly by girls at school but I never got round to reading them until now. I am not sure what my teenage self would have made of them but I'm certainly glad that I've caught up with this extraordinary writer.

Although set in a time and society that is distant to most of us, there is an enchanting freshness and immediacy about these stories. They are simply buzzing with charm and wit. The first of the novels, "In Pursuit of Love", has its strength in the characterisation with two of the most hilarious but utterly believable characters I have ever encountered: the bluff Uncle Matthew and the marvellous "Bolter". Almost every line from these two is priceless. "Love in a Cold Climate" continues with the same narrator and characters and is a far more polished work in terms of structure and plot.

The final novel in this collection, "The Blessing", was perhaps the one I enjoyed most of all, its central theme being the culture clash when an English Rose marries a dashing Frenchman.

My only criticism of this edition of these novels is that, while this collection offers good value for money, the print is a little small to read. In addition, I read the three novels one after another which was rather like having three stiff Gin & Tonics in a row: maybe a little too much of a good thing!

Beguiling, witty, fun - Rated
After many years since first reading Love in a Cold Climate, meeting Nancy Mitford's beguiling, hilarious, characters again, is a laughter fest. Surprises there are midst the intrigue. Who could forget the unexpected transformation of posh, stuffy, Lady Montdore by zany, camp, Cedric Hampton? Or charming, lecherous, womaniser Boyd Douglas, who is much more than he seems to be. This Penguin edition is particularly good value with the inclusion of In Pursuit of Love, and The Blessing, three of Nancy Mitford's memorable novels. For night owls they won't cure insomnia, they will though captivate, make you laugh, and make wish there were more. Which there are, if you search Amazon.

Excellent - Rated
I agree with both the two very different reviewers here, but would like to add that the writing is sublime, and the emotions completely heartfelt, especially the end of Linda's story. Yes, the family is aristocratic, snobbish and enamoured of hunting, but they're also loving, witty and close ranks whenever anyone tries to prise them apart - so they're not all bad! This is one of those books that you can return to again and again (I had to buy the hardback edition because of that!) and it's still magical, moving and funny.

Enter into the cosy world of Mitford - Rated
If, like me, you are no fan of the parasitic landed gentry, don't worry: this trifecta of novels will confirm rather than contradict your views and it will give you greater ammunition for arguments against elitism. The upper-class [...] who inhabit Mitford's stories regularly disgrace themselves and do little to justify their existence. But after the first novel, The Pursuit of Love, you may well forget politics and class issues. Mitford's novels are clever, entertaining and funny. She writes exceedingly well, she keeps the stories moving and she doesn't pretend to be anything that she's not. She lets us live vicariously through her silly, snobbish characters for a while and if we emerge, at the end of the stories, with no greater sympathy for those characters, is that such a bad thing?

I highly recommend this collection.

Abroad is unutterably bloody and all foreigners are fiends - Rated
My favourite book since I was twelve. Follow the fortunes of an eccentric English aristocratic country family whose father - "Fa" buys a new car whenever he thinks they are having a financial crisis. The children are obsessed by sex and discuss it endlessly in the "Hon's cupboard" - the only warm place in the house. This book has littered my whole life with quotes and is so well-thumbed it is positively dog-eared and has been dropped in the bath endlessly. Just get yourself a copy - it will be a friend for life.