Historical fiction based on England’s eccentric, aristocratic (but nearly penniless) Mitford family, set in the 1930s during the Great Depression and the rise of fascist movements and charismatic autocrats, culminating in World War II. Three of the Mitford sisters – Nancy, Diana, and Unity – become important figures in the torrid World War II political climate, and the story unfolds through their alternating narration. They are also cousins of Winston Churchill. Benedict breathes life into these high-spirited, intelligent, cultured, and self-indulgent members of the Bright Young Things set, and takes readers into the inner sanctum of the Third Reich. The story is one of intrigue and a family ripped apart by their pro- and anti-fascist views, presented in Benedict’s always excellent, nuanced prose. ( )

**spoiler alert** Unfortunately, the first 2/3rds of the book are pretty laborious- filled to the brim with a lot of description about nothing. I echo the sentiment of others in saying the nicknames amongst the many characters was painful to remember and entirely irrelevant. There are also major inconsistencies with the narration style- a chapter will start from the first person perspective and then abruptly change to third person a few paragraphs later with no rhyme or reason.

However, these are small potatoes in comparison to my feelings about the meat. It's an ... interesting... creative choice to tell the story only from the viewpoint of those who admired Hitler. He's essentially described as a polite tea party host with a penchant for eclairs? At one point, even Hitler's hands are described as surprisingly "elegant" which gave me an ick I can't describe. Even Nancy Mitford's character fell short, as the one significant person in the novel who "denounces" fascism; and by denounce, I mean she semi-bitterly tolerates it. It's not until the final chapters of the book that Nancy decides to provide intel on her sisters to the British government. Internally I can speculate about the authors intention in hopes of understanding where they *wanted* this novel to go, but where it actually went is of greater importance.

From my perspective, there are numerous instances of Hitler being romanticized, and that point of view is only reinforced by nearly all of the characters in the book. Not one character appropriately categorizes Hitler for the abhorrent monster that he was and I think this borders on irresponsibility on the authors part. I can understand incorporating numerous conflicting points of view. But there are 386 pages and not a mention of genocide which felt a lot like white washing in order to rebrand events as a more palatable historical drama between sisters in high society. Pretty inauthentic if one is to consider the full scope of the reality it's meant to mirror. Depicting Hitler as a glorified dinner host from the viewpoint of multiple characters without giving voice to another that directly and unapologetically undermines that absurdity is disappointing. ( )

The six Mitford sisters are a force to be reckoned with in England's social scene during the 1930's. The three older sisters, Diana, Unity and Nancy take interesting and different paths as different political factions arise. Diana causes an uproar as she divorces her wealthy husband in order to pursue a relationship with the married leader of the British fascist movement, Oswald Mosley. Diana works relentlessly to pull in money and support for the fascist movement and works closely with her sister, Unity to pull support from Germany. Unity pushes her parents to send her to boarding school in Germany so she can become close to her idol, Hitler. By following his schedule closely, Unity is able to fall into Hitler's inner circle. Nancy realizes that neither Mosley or Hitler are moving in the right direction. Nancy writes fiction novels that show her feelings. She also keeps in touch with Diana and Unity, despite their differences in opinion. As war looms, the sisters have difficult decisions to make.

The Mitford family was a very real family from England whose lives made an impact in different areas during the interwar period. While this deeply emotional historical fiction story focuses on Nancy, Diana and Unity, each sibling lived a unique experience. The writing shows the intricacies of what happens when politics and family dynamics collide in the Mitford family. Written from alternating points of view of the very fully formed and different characters of Diana, Unity and Nancy, I was constantly amazed at how far the sister's love for one another extended even when their beliefs were at odds. I could feel Diana and Unity's passion towards the powerful, charismatic, yet dangerous men that they pursued and how they poured their energy and worth into Mosley and Hitler's campaigns while being aware of the risks. Nancy's bravery shines through as she uses her pen to try to show the world and her sisters the error of their ways while being incredibly tolerable of their actions towards their faces and actively fighting against them in the background. Overall, The Mitford Affair is a suspenseful and heartfelt look at the intersection of family and politics. ( )

A well researched, mostly true to the facts, interesting and uncomfortable story of the Mitford sisters caught in conflict of loyalty to a cause and country or to family. I wasn't aware of this family and their close connections to Hitler and Churchill and wish I'd realised how accurate it was while reading. Benedict tells the story so well while weaving in the family complications, anxiety, callousness and willfull blindness to a couse in some during the war. ( )

I've encountered the Mitford sisters previously, but this novel was far from a fun journey into the privileged lives of the famous six sisters. Marie Benedict focuses on three of the sisters - Nancy, Diana, and Unity - during the 1930s. While Nancy (a novelist) is a very likable character, Diana was deeply engaged with the British fascist movement and Unity was a dedicated follower of Hitler. Reading the chapters from Diana and Unity's perspectives was hard, as I personally find little to emphasize with these views. Still, I could appreciate Nancy's reluctance to betray her sisters, although you do realize quite how well-connected the Mitford family is when Nancy starts spying on her sister for a cousin: Winston Churchill. Overall, a very interesting read, but one that readers should go into with an understanding of the political views held by some of the Mitford family. ( )