‘These letters are a treat … as an example of what a woman can do once she has rid herself of, or at least decided to ignore, the expectations of others – family, men, society – Jessica Mitford will always take some beating’ OBSERVER
‘Captures history’s most charming muckraker, from her friendships with Katharine Graham and Maya Angelou to her devotion to civil rights’ VOGUE
‘Jessica Mitford is a sister of mine. If I had to go into a room with a leopard, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for her’ Maya Angelou
Over her 78 years, Decca’s letters reveal a remarkable life – from her childhood as the daughter of a British peer to her scandalous elopement to the Spanish Civil War with her cousin, to her life in the USA, where she married a radical lawyer. The Mitford girls included Diana (who married the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley), Unity (who was close to Adolf Hitler) and Debo (who became the Duchess of Devonshire). Decca shocked them all when she joined the American Communist Party. Her letters are the stories of a century: gossip and politics, war and mores, the wonders of rapid technological change, the poignancy of personal struggles. They are also a record of her never-ending quest for social justice. This is a fascinating collection that reveals to us intimately the most ebullient Mitford of them all.
‘Captures history’s most charming muckraker, from her friendships with Katharine Graham and Maya Angelou to her devotion to civil rights’ VOGUE
‘Jessica Mitford is a sister of mine. If I had to go into a room with a leopard, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for her’ Maya Angelou
Over her 78 years, Decca’s letters reveal a remarkable life – from her childhood as the daughter of a British peer to her scandalous elopement to the Spanish Civil War with her cousin, to her life in the USA, where she married a radical lawyer. The Mitford girls included Diana (who married the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley), Unity (who was close to Adolf Hitler) and Debo (who became the Duchess of Devonshire). Decca shocked them all when she joined the American Communist Party. Her letters are the stories of a century: gossip and politics, war and mores, the wonders of rapid technological change, the poignancy of personal struggles. They are also a record of her never-ending quest for social justice. This is a fascinating collection that reveals to us intimately the most ebullient Mitford of them all.
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Reviews
A fascinating, entertaining, illuminating and sometimes heartbreaking collection
This is a superb collection of letters and editor Peter Y Sussman deserves the greatest possible praise and gratitude ... Being witty as well as scholarly, he is precisely the right guide through this life in letters of the most astonishing of the astonishing Mitford girls
Wonderfully interesting ... Decca possesses all the characteristics of a great letter-writer: she is honest, she is gossipy, she has a good ear, she gets out and about and she keeps bumping into famous people, among them Hilary Clinton, Guy Burgess, Liberace and Martin Luther King
Jessica Mitford is a sister of mine. If I had to go into a room with a leopard, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for her
A labour of love and admiration ... a great treat
One of the funniest, most enthralling and gloriously honest collections of contemporary letters I have yet read . . . Here is a book to be savoured and revisited . . . impure and undiluted pleasure, from start to finish
DECCA: THE LETTERS OF JESSICA MITFORD captures history's most charming muckraker, from her friendships with Katharine Graham and Maya Angelou to her devotion to civil rights, which led to a a subpoena to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee - an experience she later listed under Honours, Awards and Prizes on her resume
This is a superb collection of letters, and editor Peter Y. Sussman deserves the greatest possible praise and gratitude. His introduction, connecting essays and extensive notes supply all the biographical and historical information a reader needs. Being witty as well as scholarly, he is precisely the right guide through this life in letters of the most astonishing of the astonishing Mitford girls
A stunningly complete view of the 20th century and all its major events, from 1923 right up to 1996 - from the perspective of a unique individual ... The Jessica Mitford who shines through this collection is ultimately one we would expect to see - frank, fearless, humorous, caring, but never suffering fools gladly. Her writing is vibrant and compelling to the very last page
The letters are a treasure
These letters are a treat ... as an example of what a woman can do once she has rid herself of, or at least decided to ignore, the expectations of others - family, men, society - Jessica Mitford will always take some beating
She is not only sharp, but gossipy, frank, hilarious and tender... an inspired commentary on the times
One of the funniest, most enthralling and gloriously honest collections of contemporary letters I have yet read.... Here is a book to be savoured and revisited ... impure and undiluted pleasure, from start to finish
she is not only sharp, but gossipy, frank, hilarious and tender... an inspired commentary on the times
A reader of Decca, her newly collected letters, can only marvel