The Mitford Sisters took England by storm in the 1930s. But their escapades take a sinister turn when two sisters become infatuated with fascism. Told from the perspective of the three oldest Mitford Sisters - Nancy, Diana and Unity - this historical fiction will take readers to Germany and England as WWII inches closer.

I liked this book (three stars is a like in my book). I thought the author did a great job bringing three different sisters to life. In particular I’m sure it was hard to write Unity’s infatuation with a monster like Hitler from a first person perspective (not to mention Diana’s admiration for Hitler and Mosley), but she pulls it off. I liked the alternating voices of the three sisters and how their paths diverge and intersect over the years during the lead up to WWII. It’s particularly interesting to read the book knowing what goes on to happen, but remembering that these characters don’t know the outcomes of their decisions and choices.

The big theme of the book is that the political is personal - an interesting and meaningful takeaway for our times. Would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.

Marie Benedict has done it again! I am a fan and The Mitford Affair does not disappoint! My only regret is that my mother-in-law is not alive to discuss . She was a war bride and served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in WWII. I always learn something new and I am entertained when reading a book written by Benedict. I had heard about writer Nancy Mitford, but I have not read any of her books.

Nancy, the oldest, had five sisters and one brother..The book covers the 1930s and WWII. It is told by Nancy, Diana, and Unity. At first it is hard to keep all of the characters straight. I made a family tree and this helped me immensely. Having read an immense amount of WWII books, I was surprised that there was a lot of fascism followers in England. Diana and Unity have quite the stories. This is a book I can see myself rereading in the near future.. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Marie Benedict seems to be gathering some of the strongest women who ever lived to inform readers about their stories. The Mitford Affair is her January offering, a book of historical fiction that tells about the six aristocratic Mitford sisters of England.

In their time, the 1930s onward, the sisters made their mark in England in the literary, social, and political arenas. The Mitfords could trace their origins in Northumberland, a county in Northern England that borders Scotland, back to the Norman Conquest (the 11th century). The Times journalist Ben Macintyre dubbed the sisters as “Diana the Fascist, Jessica the Communist, Unity the Hitler-lover; Nancy the Novelist; Deborah the Duchess, and Pamela the unobtrusive poultry connoisseur.”

The novel is mostly devoted to three of the sisters--Nancy, Diana, and Unity--with the others playing smaller roles. Diana falls out of favor with her family when she divorces her husband Bryan Guinness of the Guinness family brewing fortune to marry a fascist British leader Oswald Mosley. Her sister Unity becomes fascinated by fascism and Adolph Hitler, working her way into his personal and public life, moving to Germany to cheer him on in his endeavor to unite former lands with Germany.

The chapters written with the points of view of Diana and Unity are unique in showing a softer side of Hitler that most readers could hardly imagine: “Sometimes it’s hard for her [Diana] to believe that this kind gentleman with the most impeccable manners is the same person who so boldly and unexpectedly violated the Munich Agreement…”

In her own way, Nancy the Novelist, tries to persuade her sisters in this explosive political climate leading up to World War II to realize that they are being used by Hitler to further his plans for bringing Great Britain into the fold. Nancy feels forced to choose between her family or her country as September 1, 1939, draws near.

Marie Benedict’s subjects do not always interest me, but her writing draws me in each time. Tiring of the glut of world war books, I found a different perspective of the war from those who lived through it. Benedict is a lawyer with more than 10 years of experience as a commercial litigator. She lives with her family in Pittsburgh.

While New York City lawyer, Marie dreamed of unearthing the hidden historical stories about strong women. The women featured in her novels include the physicist wife of Albert Einstein in The Other Einstein, Clara Kelley, the woman who encouraged Andrew Carnegie to become a philanthropist, in Carnegie’s Maid, and Agatha Christie, mystery writer supreme, in The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. Her other books include The Only Woman in the Room about Hedy Lamarr and her invention, Lady Clementine about Winston Churchill’s wife who also happened to be related to the Mitford family, and The Personal Librarian about Belle da Costa Greene, the personal librarian to J.P. Morgan.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 31, 2023.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

This was a really fun premise, and I liked so much of this book. This is a personal preference thing for sure, but I do wish it had been tonally more like Nancy's writing. It probably wouldn't have worked but I still would like it.

DNF @13% - I’m going to start this of by saying I knew absolutely nothing about the Mitfords prior to getting into this novel. However I got interested in it because I thought this book would be about a woman (Nancy) having to navigate her sisters (Diane & Unity) being nazi’s and the divide that created between them as she obviously isn’t one. I thought that was interesting, I still do. However, what no one told me is that this also follows the perspectives of Diane and Unity and truly that’s the reason I can’t continue with this. I just can’t be in the headspace of nazi’s for 2/3 of the book. Their involvement into the plot might lessen as this book goes on but I’m not willing to wait for that. I am interested in learning more about the Mitford family in the future now though, as long as I don’t need to be in the headspace of literal nazi’s to do so. The book is really well written and I liked the chapters from Nancy’s perspective I’ve read so far so I don’t want to keep anyone from reading this book because of my review. It’s just not what I expected going in and I don’t think it’s fair of towards this book to keep reading knowing I won’t like it because of the characters we’re following.

The word scandal is synonymous with the Mitford family. That alone draws you into their web and leaves you wanting more. The beautiful cover and the name Mitford sold me on this book without even reading the description and it definitely lived up to everything I’d hoped it would be.

The Mitford family was a well known family in the lull between the two world wars. But it was the events leading up to WWII that cemented their place in society. From a controversial divorce to close fraternization with the Nazis and two of the sisters close personal friendships with Hitler himself, the question of loyalty is one that causes conflicts for the eldest sister Nancy. She is torn between being loyal to her family or loyal to her country. Sister Diana was seemingly happily married to the heir of the Guinness family when she gave up everything for Oswald Mosley and his fascist belief. Sister Unity went one step further and become obsessed with Hitler and proving to him what a good Nazi she could be.

Set against the backdrop of uncertainty in prewar England…this book will hook you from the very first page. I do recommend knowing a bit about the Mitford family before you dive in…it’s an extremely complicated family and knowing their background will put a few things into perspective as you turn each page!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Marie Benedict and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read this gem in exchange for my review!

I normally love all of Ms. Benedict's books, but I had a hard time finishing it. Many may know about the Mitford sisters, but may not know how some of the sisters had huge Nazi sympathies. I had a hard time finding redeeming qualities on any of the characters in this book. Not her best writing, would definitely recommend any other of her books.

This novel of 3 intelligent British girls who become wrapped up in different
Political views grabs you from the first page! It brings to light how easily it is to be overcome by propaganda and how it affects family. Engrossing and scary you will be caught up in the happenings of how a war comes about and how to prevent it from happening again! Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Marie Benedict’s latest historical fiction novel. In the beginning it felt like there were way too many characters to keep track of along with nicknames for each. The book was somewhat confusing but interesting at the same time, even with a slow build. Prior to reading this book, I was unaware of the Mitford sisters and their role in history. I found it interesting seeing WWII in the eyes of English people who were in support of Hitler, particularly the two sisters Unity and Diana.

I find Marie Benedict to be a vary consistent historical fiction writer. This was a great addition to her catalog.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I was so excited to be awarded this book and could not wait to read it - it did not disappoint!!! A well crafted story of Mitford sisters. I had no knowledge of them before this book. I was so intrigued as the story unfolded and could not put this book down!!! Definitely recommend!!!!

One of my favorite author’s is Marie Benedict. I was so excited to learn of her newest novel, Mitford Affair. I love historical fiction. I also love a part of history I wasn’t aware of.

The Mitford family is an aristocratic family living in Britain. They also happen to be a distant cousin to Winston Churchill. Which will be an important aspect of the novel. You have sisters who are political activists. A few of the sisters neutral. There is a brother in the mix as well.

Warning, if you read my post before picking up the novel. Pick up your pad and pencil. You will need it to know who is who in the family. Not only the family, the husbands, children, secondary characters. Once you got that down pat. You got it made.

Diana, and Unity have strong views about facism and Hitler, and Germany. They believe every word and melt. Both sisters travel back and forth to Germany constantly. Unity holds on to every word Hitler speaks. The word is fanatical, a cult, a g-d… (I feel like I’m talking about our society today.)

Jessica is the opposite she believes in Communism. She moves to Spain. It doesn’t work out for her and her husband. They eventually leave Europe and immigrate to US. Where she continues her spread of communism throughout her life.

Nancy, a novelist. Underlying in the fiction are subtle hints about the family. Which isolates her from one of her sisters.
Nancy goes so far as to rat on her sister to Churchill. Which may have help with the cause. Nancy bugs me throughout Mitford Wives. She stays on the sidelines and is complacent through out most of the novel. I think she thinks her sisters will come around, maybe or maybe not.

While reading Mitford Affair I asked myself how far would I go to protect my family? My country? My beliefs? While reading I realized the questions in my mind how did Nazism, Hitler rise to power. The division of family happen? It is understood what is happening with our politics in the US. Helped me understand it.

Unfortunately Mitford Affair is not my favorite book by Marie Benedict. It was a slow read. I still liked it for the part of history I was not aware of. Also it made me have a different perspective and understanding of the current politics in the US. And also in Europe’s rise of propaganda of nazism. The divide the families have because of their beliefs. It took too long for the suspense to built until almost the end. I loved her previous novels, Carnegie’s Maid, Hidden Genius. I would still recommend reading, Mitford Affair.

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict is a family saga. It tells the story of how six sisters followed different life paths, and while disagreeing with each other, still tried to remember that they are family. Each sister faces a crisis. Nancy can’t conceive, Diane, a fascist, who let love rule her, Jessica (Decca) a communist who together with her husband espouses communists causes, Unity an avowed nazi and intimate of Hitler, Pamala the outdoor sister and Deborah (Debo) who became a duchess. This is a story of a family constantly at odds with each other. The interactions between the sisters, as well as their parents, are grounded in angry, jealously, envy, etc., as well as love and caring. Caught up in each of their own issues and problems, the sisters never see what is really happening in each other’s lives and how they can help each other. The family reflects the battle that waged throughout Europe between communism and fascism for the continent’s soul. As with all Marie Benedict's books, the fictional conversations and thought process of each character keeps the novel moving forward in a very exciting way. Read this book both for enjoyment as well as the historical information.

Historical fiction is one of my absolute favorite genres to read, especially events have happened during WWII. So I was definitely excited about The Mitford Affair. This was a slow burn at times. My biggest complaint is the nicknames of characters in the book. These made it harder to keep track of who is who and really develop a like or dislike for each of them along the way. I think connection to characters, no matter if it is liking or disliking them is important to any story. This is my first Marie Benedict novel I've read, and I am certainly willing to read others.

Marie Benedict is an excellent author and I usually love her historical fiction novels as they're always compelling and well researched.
I'm a huge fan of Nancy/Becca and Deborah Mitford. Nancy wrote some of my favorite novels, Becca was an intriguing and complex woman, Deborah is less known but she wrote some very funny memories where she mixes story of her life as duchess, chickens and her love for Elvis.
I think this book could surely be appreciated by someone who never read any biography of the sisters or their books.
Even if there's a lot of novels featuring these sisters I think they all lose the competition to the real thing.
Marie Benedict did a good job, was able to channel the voice of Unity and Deborah and not making them anti-heroine.
I wasn't a huge fan of this book but it's well written and the author did a good job.
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Marie Benedict is becoming one of my go-to historical fiction authors! I thoroughly enjoyed her take on the Mitford sisters and their complex family dynamic, Her writing never ceases to be immersive. Historical fiction at its best!

THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict (The Personal Librarian, Carnegie's Maid and more) is a historical fiction study of the Mitford sisters, six aristocratic English women who held definite political views and were not afraid to express them, especially in the 1930s and 1940s. Although the sisters find much to debate on the relative merits of fascism, socialism, and communism, there is a sense of entitlement and selfishness that pervades their thoughts and actions. In fact, it is difficult to find empathy for a sister who adores and stalks Hitler and for another who divorces (leaving her children) in order to spend time with her married lover. Booklist described this text as "Downton Abbey with Nazi sympathizers;" and, while perhaps not the widely popular Benedict’s best effort, THE MITFORD AFFAIR is a LibraryReads selection for January. Looking for more? Marie Benedict listed her thoughts on the five best books on sibling rivalry recently in The Wall Street Journal:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/five-best-books-on-sibling-rivalries-11674232510

NOTE: I assume in writing this that many readers are generally familiar with the lives of the Milford family l and of the period covered by this novel in particular. For those who have not heard much about them, this review has some spoilers.

The Milfords of the 20th century, an aristocratic British family with six daughters and a son remain fascinating to us long after the deaths of the original players. In this historical fiction novel, Marie Benedict initially takes us to a time a few years before the start of WWII, as some members of the family increasingly became attracted to the growth of fascism in Germany and Italy. Much of the story is told from Nancy Mitford's point of view. She was the eldest child and some years older than the other two sisters who are the focus of this novel, Diana and Unity. While this period in the lives of the family was generally known to me, through reading about them in articles and a biography, Benedict's wonderfully researched telling of the political turns taken by some of the family provides more detail and context to what seems like political madness, but can easily be viewed as a very contemporary tale. She shows how a family with some propensity toward fascist views could spawn activists who worked hard to promote and seek change in British governance toward fascism even after the war commenced.

In 1932, Diana Mitford was still married to the heir to the Guinness fortune, with two young sons and all the material things she could dream of. But her focus was on the very married Sir Oswald Mosley, a well known British fascist who founded the British Union of Fascists. We learn a lot about this organization and Mosley's work in this novel, including that it was initially funded by Mussolini and later by Hitler. Mosley appeals to Diana's political and social views. They are lovers and Diana is poised to leave her loving husband for Mosley.

Unity Mitford, Diana's younger sister, is tall, gawky, socially awkward and devoted to the Nazi cause. Over the next few years, as the political climate becomes more charged, Unity goes to Germany to study language and to essentially stalk Adolph Hitler until she becomes part of his inner circle. Diana in fact leaves her husband and fiercely supports Mosley in his work. Nancy watches with concern as she also seeks to learn more about what her sisters are up to. Their parents, (Muv and Farve) start to align politically with Diana and Unity and even dine with Hitler. Ultimately, Muv continues with her fascist sympathies. Farve rejects them. It destroys their marriage.

When war is declared between Germany and Great Britain, Diana and her husband (Mosley) are incarcerated for treason, albeit with fairly decent treatment. Unity is seriously brain damaged when she attempts suicide and lives her life in her mother's care.

These bones of the story are well known, but Benedict brings out the feel of the times, taking us to pre-war Germany and the rise of Hitler as well as pre-war England, where many did not see Hitler as their problem or as a threat at all. Benedict gives us a credible sense of how Hitler's inner circle interacted and where Unity and Diana fit in. Winston Churchill's wife was Farve's cousin. The Churchill and Mitford families were close. Benedict brings him into the picture before he becomes prime minister, when his concerns about Hitler's rise are generally considered overwrought. In Benedict's story, Churchill connects with Nancy to discuss his concerns about Unity and Diana, seeking soft information from her. This, too gives Benedict a chance to highlight the views of Chamberlain and his accolades who believed England dodged war through appeasement of Hitler. We even get a sense of Adolph Hitler as a "friend" to these British sisters, Unity in particular since she is in Germany more than Britain during most of the mid-1930s.

Benedict is an engaging writer and tells a story so well that it is fresh and riveting, deftly putting us into the minds of the players and the historic events during the ten years or so she covers. This is an interesting and very worthwhile read whether you are a Mitford fan already or new to the family. It taught me a lot. These are fascinating characters brought to life in a memorable, readable way.

I have enjoyed Marie Benedict's other books and while it had a slow start I really enjoyed it. It was a perfect historical fiction read that was well written and that I could not put down.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. In the beginning it felt like there were way too many characters to keep track of, but after two or three chapters, it became evident that the storyline was going to focus on just 3 of the sisters and the remaining characters would only be mentioned here and there. The story of the Mitford family and their political activities during the lead up to World War II is based on fact. Two of the sisters were quite close with Hitler and several of the family members were quite involved with the fascist movement in Great Britain, and one of the sisters is a communist. This was definitely one of those books that had me brushing up on some of my history! I will definitely recommend this title to patrons who enjoy historical fiction.