Marie Benedict's The Mitford Affair follows the activities of three daughters of England's aristocratic Mitford family: Nancy (1904–1973), Diana (1910–2003) and Unity (1914–1948). Set in England in the 1930s, the novel's plot highlights the impact the trio had on British politics during the lead-up to World War II. Diana, a well-known beauty, divorces her husband Bryan Guinness (heir to the brewery fortune) to become the lover of Sir Oswald Mosley, a charismatic politician and founder of the British Union of Fascists (BUF) (see Beyond the Book). Nancy and Unity join Diana at BUF meetings, and although Nancy quickly rejects fascism, Unity, an odd, socially awkward girl, not only embraces it but finds among its members an acceptance she's never before enjoyed. She finagles a trip to Germany, where she captures the attention of Adolf Hitler, eventually becoming a member of his inner circle. Nancy watches from the sidelines, focusing on her burgeoning writing career but growing increasingly concerned about her sisters' political associations. Diana, meanwhile, eager to promote Mosley's cause, uses Unity's connections to try to win Germany's support for British fascism, with dire consequences for the entire Mitford clan.

Novels about England's political atmosphere just prior to WWII seem less common than books set during the actual conflict, yet they may be more relevant than ever as authoritarianism gains traction in some nations. Benedict demonstrates the time period's complexity remarkably well. We tend to think of Allied countries as uniformly anti-fascist, but the author really brings home the fact that the political landscape was nowhere near that simple. In clear prose that rotates among the three sisters' points of view, she brings this multi-faceted era to life. It's a fascinating slice of history.

Benedict's works tend to focus on women who were highly influential yet whose contributions have been largely forgotten over time — unsung heroines like Rosalind Franklin, the discover of DNA featured in Her Hidden Genius, or Clementine Churchill, whose influence on world events is outlined in Lady Clementine. Although The Mitford Affair follows this general formula by highlighting important yet little-known women, what sets it apart is that its central characters aren't admirable; they are, in fact, traitorous. The author takes a risk here, as some readers may find it challenging to enjoy a book with unlikeable main characters, but Benedict imbues Diana and Unity with enough humanity that most will be able to develop some understanding of their actions, if not empathy for the situations in which they find themselves.

The book moves along at a reasonable clip but does slow a bit in the middle sections. Perhaps its biggest drawback, though, is that its scope is so confined. Benedict largely limits the narrative to the perspectives of the three sisters, and as a result the novel feels like it's missing some potential context. The three young women — in particular their relationships with each other — are the book's primary focus, with the history surrounding them of secondary importance. Consequently the novel is less informative than some of Benedict's other historical fiction. It's a good introduction to the subject, but those well-versed in 1930s British history may find Benedict's treatment here not entirely satisfactory.

That said, The Mitford Affair opens an interesting window into the time period and into the lives of three noteworthy women of the day. Benedict vividly portrays the socialites and sheds much-needed light on their influence. I recommend the book to those interested in pre-war England or in the provocative Mitford sisters. Book groups that enjoy discussing historical fiction will want to take a look at this one.

Reviewed by Kim Kovacs

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Rated of 5 by Larry
The Human Mind and Heart
As the Psalmist wrote,"the human mind and heart are a mystery." Marie Benedict, in her historical novel The Mitford Affair illustrates this by giving us the possible, and likely in my opinion, thoughts and words of the Mitford family. The author focuses on Diana, and Unity, the two sisters most involved in the fascist movement in Britain before and after WW II. The focus is also on Nancy who is involved in their actions as a concerned sister. Diana becomes infatuated with Oswald Mosley, leader of the movement in Britain. Unity becomes equally mesmerized by Hitler. Nancy reflects on the events in their lives and the effect upon the family and the country. With hesitance and ambivalence Nancy learns the effect it has on her as well, leading her to make difficult moral choices regarding loyalty. As a student of the history of Germany from 1918 to 1945 I was led to the fascist movement in Britain and Oswald Mosley. It was only after reading the letters of Nancy Mitford that I began to develop an interest in the contentious, dysfunctional, aristocratic Mitford family. The Mitfords were no exception to Tolstoy's comment that all unhappy families are so in their own way. I found the words, thoughts and actions of all the Mitfords believable based on my limited knowledge of them through reading works of history, including Nancy's letters. Yet, one never knows for sure because the human mind and heart are a mystery. My readings of the era left me with a limited and factual view of the Mitfords. The author of this novel, however, left me with the understanding that despite their questionable actions and beliefs, the Mitfords were human beings who made choices that led to sad and unfortunate situations for themselves and others. Before reading the novel I saw Nancy as an author of caustic wit, a socialite and just another member of an eccentric family. I finished the novel seeing Nancy in a more positive light. We never know with any certainty why humans make the choices they do or their reasons for them. The question of how one can be drawn into personality cults is a timely one in the 2020s. Politics is highly personal, leading one down roads sometimes and explainable and sometimes not. The novel is a good read, a page-turner and one I highly recommend.

Rated of 5 by Jean
An interesting perspective
I have long been intrigued by the Mitford sisters, who turned out so very differently. This novel is an interesting look at a period of time when things could have gone in many different directions, as illustrated by the very diverse trajectories just within the members of this family.

It's hard to feel any sympathy for Diana and Unity, though the author does a decent job of portraying their insecurities. When we wonder how so many people could support someone like Hitler or Mussolini, I think the current political situations in many countries can show how that came about.

Rated of 5 by Karna
WW2 Historical Fiction
“The Mitford Affair” tells the story of a British aristocratic family in the years leading up to WWII.

I had not heard of the Mitford family. They are an intriguing, while disturbing, group. I was attracted to the book because of the author. Marie Benedict does an excellent job of researching history and capturing the essence of the culture and time surrounding her subjects.

The Mitfords were related to Winston Churchill’s wife. They were an upper crust, Kardashian type, British family. There were six sisters and one brother. Their home life as children seems dysfunctional by today’s standards. The girls were not allowed formal education and were left on their own to educate themselves. The resulting personalities were unique to say the least. Benedict focuses her storytelling primarily on three of the sisters. Diana was the one most noted for her beauty who had married young to the heir to the Guinness fortune, and shortly thereafter became involved with the leader of the British Union of Fascists (BUF), and pursued having influence over Hitler. Unity was the odd duck of the family who become overly infatuated with Hitler. Nancy was the most principled of the three, who wrote novels that thinly veiled the nefarious activity of her sisters, and had to ultimately choose between protecting her family and protecting her country.

I would recommend this work to anyone who loves Historical Fiction, anyone intrigued by WWII history, and to book clubs who enjoy discussing human nature.

Rated of 5 by Susan Roberts
Historical Fiction
The Mitford family was a prominent part of English society in the years between World War I and II. The six sisters were considered the Bright Young Things of their time and they were all outspoken and strong women and were very close. Marie Benedict has written a historical fiction novel about this real family and the scandals that they created as England went to war with Germany.

Even though there were six sisters, the novel predominately focuses on three of them

-Diana was a beautiful woman who was married to the heir of the Guinness fortune She gave up her prominent place in society and divorced her husband to have an affair with the charismatic fascist leader who was still married.
-Unity was the sister who became a Nazi and was rumored to be the mistress of Hitler. She moved to Germany and was enthralled with Hitler and his leadership of Germany. She made no secret of her love of Hitler and his government.
-Nancy was the most normal of the three sisters and despite the fact that they had been close as children, their closeness waned after Diane and Unity became so political. Nancy was a novelist who often poked fun at her sisters and other important people in society in her books. She had some interest in the fascist movement in England but when the war became imminent, she made a choice to support the English government and helped the government when her two sisters were accused of being spies.

The author did extensive research into the sisters and the political climate that existed in England between the two world wars. This is a story about family and the love between sisters but more importantly it's about one sister making a choice between her loyalty to her family and her loyalty for her country.

Rated of 5 by Rebecca
Women who could change the world
Marie Benedict never fails to find women live in the shadows of great men yet have the power to change or affect history. The Mitford sisters certainly fit this category and Ms. Benedict has recreated their stories in a way that is so fascinating. Diana and Unity, especially, who flirted and dined with Hitler putting even their lives on the line to support him. Even while he threatens their own Homeland. They are a study in what can happen to women who become enthralled with powerful men. My sympathies lied with their sister Nancy who tried to make sense of the insanity surrounding her sisters actions and treason and ultimately had to make a decision to protect her beloved country. This book has definitely inspired me to do more research on these fascinating sisters.

Rated of 5 by IBrau
Poorly written
This was a pretty poor read as historical novels go. The amount of information crammed into the first chapters of who was who and what was mind-boggling and ridiculous…like Downtown Abbey on steroids. I was appalled at the bad German and the stereotypical descriptions of just about everyone in the story but especially the Germans…reminded me of the danger of describing everyone of a particular nationality in negative terms. Nancy was too righteous, Diana too flawed, and Unity too idiotic. Finally, the book seemed to be bragging about the Mitford’s relationships with everyone in society at the time more than actually telling a story. So, to sum it up: not even a good summer read.

Rated of 5 by Teddy Ostrow
Meh
Features that sort of bad historical novel writing where people don't talk normally, they announce information like "Don't you know it's 1925 and the Charleston is the rage?" Also it's clear a Brit didn't write this, the slang is wrong and seeing how many times you can mention those goofy Mitford family nicknames like Muv and Farve and Debbo and Prod gets old. With subjects like this the book should have been a lot better.