Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps 5 stars is a bit much but I adore her work
Review: It is a shame that Nancy Mitford does not currently have the same fame that Dorothy Parker has. Both women, after all, were incredible satirists, who scrutinized their respective societies and wrote about their best and worst qualities with both scorn and affection, as well as with a good dose of humour. I have read a few of Nancy Mitford's correspondence and I have to urge people who like her work to read them. They are hilarious, very cutting, and at the same time, sympathetic -- imagine Fanny at a dinner party, wearing bunchy tweed herself, but casting a critical eye at everyone else's clothing. If Ms. Mitford had only paid a little more attention to the structure of her novels, I personally believe that she would have surpassed P.G. Wodehouse and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Rating:
Summary: A literary masterpiece
Review: It was a stroke of pure brilliance that caused Nancy Mitford to write this literary masterpiece. A simple yet elegant story, taking place in the early 1900's. Witty, tragic, and romantic, you will rejoice with the Alconleighs' success, and sigh at their failures, and laugh all the time in between. Immensely well-written, it was an excellent story and a true classic.
Rating:
Summary: A Literary Giant
Review: Miss Mitford is quite frankly the most fascinating character to have lived in the twentieth century. She is a genius, and nothing short. Her books are perhaps not as stellar as her articles (which I highly recommend), but they are all masterpieces in their own original way.The Pursuit of Love is her greatest literary endeavour, and it is my favorite novel ever. Others may lambast Miss Mitford for her attachment to the comma or her unfamiliarity with grammatical detail (e.g. Evelyn Waugh), but they fail to see the magic in her light, captivating style. She's telling a story, not writing a treatise, and she accomplishes her goal admirably. I am on a quest to purchase every book this unforgettable writer ever wrote, every article she ever published. I was started on that quest by the Pursuit of Love. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Shakespeare. Austen. Mitford. That says it all.
Rating: 
Summary: Wicked Nancy -- long on character, short on plot
Review: Recognized by most devotees of Nancy Mitford as her two best novels, Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate are irreverent and delightful evocations of English upper-class life in the first half of this century. Miss Mitford was never strong on plot -- some of her lesser work are disastrous in this department -- but the characters are unforgettable: the sulphuric Uncle Matthew, the hypochondriacal Davey Warbeck, the effeminate Cedric remain in the reader's memory long after the inadequacies of the plots have been forgotten. The Pursuit of Love is the stronger of the two works, not surprisingly as it is for all practical purposes autobiographical. The Alconleigh family, with its excesses of emotion, its spartan lifestyle and its lack of any apparently useful role in a modern society, is Nancy's own family to the life. And behind the bitter-sweet romance between Linda, the heroine, and her French lover lie Nancy's own, sadder relationship and her highly biased preference for France over England. Love in a Cold Climate is a more uncertain work; there is an unexplored darkness in Polly's emotional waywardness which a better writer would have made more of; the plot seems aimless until the arrival of Cedric, and stops dead in the grand Mitford style at the book's conclusion. Once again, the work is saved by the characters -- the exuberant Alconleigh brood, the deliciously awful "hell-hag" Lady Montdore, and of course the startling and unforgettable Cedric. Not great books, and occasionally something of a trial to readers who are distressed by Miss Mitford's attachment to the comma, they nevertheless remain deservedly popular among lovers of England who do not take life too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Pursuit of Love with The Thin End of the Wedge
Review: The Thin End of the Wedge Two pre-requisites for reading this delightful familial saga, love and marriage. First, the reader must be able to name the current or former hosts of PBS's Masterpiece Theater. Second, the reader must be able to name some other P.G. Wodehouse characters besides Jeeves. Only then, will he (third person pronoun) find the palimpsest on the grounds of Alconleigh rich with texture and colors. This country estate is the mobile upon which all the life's pieces are kept in balance through two world wars.
Rating:
Summary: Two delicious social satires!
Review: These are 2 delightful satires on the social life of the well-to-do English of the '30s and '40s. In PURSUIT Linda Radlett, brightest star in an unconventional upper class British family (based upon the author's own family), is hardly an admirable person. She is capable of saying cattily about her sister's older fiance, "Poor old thing, I suppose she likes him, but, I must say, if he was one's dog, one would have him put down." And she callously remarks about her own unloved baby, who is wailing, "Poor soul, I think it must have caught sight of itself in the glass."And yet she is a fascinating creature who somehow retains the reader's sympathy as she endures marriage to the ambitious scion of a dull banking family, struggles to adapt to life with a zealous communist lover, and at last finds true love with a worldly Frenchman, just as World War 2 is closing in upon them.Nancy Mitford's witty style captures perfectly the ambience of English social life during the '30s and into the early war years. However, the sharp, brittle satire does not disguise the author's affection for her family of fallible characters.In COLD CLIMATE Polly Hampton is a hypnotizingly beautiful woman, but to the dismay of her parents, she shows no interest in love or marriage--until she suddenly overwhelms a very recently widowed older kinsman (who is rumored to have been a lover of her own mother). Her parents, alienated from their only child by this unsuitable match, are now ready to meet their nearest male heir, Cedric Hampton (lately of Nova Scotia, now of Paris), who turns out to be a very handsome, but obviously gay, charmer, who transforms their lives. When a disillusioned Polly returns to England with her unhappy husband, an unusual, but not totally surprising, triangle ensues.Mitford's satiric skills are at their best in this sparkling novel. Especially effective are the characterizations of the blunt, self-centered Lady Montdore (Polly's mother), and the effeminate aesthete, Cedric. Lady Montdore's comforting words at the death of Polly's newborn baby: "I expect it was just as well. Children are such an awful expense nowadays." Such is the lady's habitual behavior, her daughter seems unmoved and hardly surprised at this remark. Narrator Fanny Logan Wincham and the Radlett family, from the earlier novel, also play an important part here.
Rating:
Summary: The Prodigal Daughters
Review: These novels explore the duality of love: romantic and practical. On one extreme is Linda, the reckless heroine of "The Pursuit of Love". Due to her wild upbringing, she's unprepared for marriage and the drudgery of daily living. After two unsuccessful marriages she ponders her failure: "Where now was love that would last to the grave and far beyond?" This crisis sparks the beginning of a relationship so shocking and uninhibited, so dionysian, she cannot even tell her own mother and father what she's done. Linda is...the prodigal daughter. At the other extreme is Lady Montdore, one of the more fascinating characters of "Love in a Cold Climate". She has everything Linda lacks: power, position, and money. But she is cold. When little Polly Montdore arrives in this world, her perfect beauty is used merely to further Lady Montdore's ambition. But Polly will grow up to be a prodigal daughter, breaking ties with her family and throwing away her inheritance to marry "Mr. Wrong". Mitford's superb story-telling abilities offer levity and substance to lucky readers. While presenting a bird's-eye view of upper class European culture before and during WWII, Mitford simultaneously explores the conflict between the practical and romantic life. This conflict is illustrated through the primary character of each of the novels. Two sides of the same coin, Linda and Lady Montdore both consider marriage to be the main event in a woman's life. Linda wants love, a physical and spiritual connection with a man; to her, that is marriage. A marriage license is just governmental red tape, almost useless, totally unromantic. Lady Montdore views marriage as the only decent career for a woman. Her husband controls a great number of people and a vast fortune; and she, for the most part, controls him. Even in the modern world, where women work outside the home, marriage and career are interrelated, and people often choose partners who will be compatible with their career and ambitions. Early on, Lady Montdore warns Fanny, the book's narrator: "don't you go marrying just anybody, for love." Indeed, it's difficult to believe Lady Montdore has ever done anything for love. Yet she is human and capable of being hurt. Mitford portrays both Linda and Lady Montdore with equal sensitivity. They are women and, if one believes in astrology, daughters of Venus. Through these books, one can learn much about the goddess of love and her realm. She is like the diamond, infinitely delicate yet stronger than any other stone; rare and resplendent yet created from common grey graphite; pure like a virgin, yet very ancient. This contradiction is the heart of these volumes. Prodigal daughters gravitate towards love, like moths to a flame - but they rarely help it grow. Icy women fan the flame of love, but too much coldness snuffs it out. Stable, married women do not have it easy, but life is worse for women who think that romance will keep them afloat throughout life. In their pursuit of love they bolt from man to man, staying only so long as the magic lasts, wasting themselves in the process. Punishment is harsh for Linda, "The Bolter", Polly, and other prodigal daughters. Still, Mitford avoids tiresome moralizing, maintaining a light comic tone. The two novels are skillfully connected; both are set during the same timeframe, in two distinct houses not far apart. They complement one other and many of the same characters can be found in both stories, i.e. savage Lord Radlett, hypochondriac Davey, and sexy Sauveterre. But the character which is most helpful in merging the stories is Fanny, the humble narrator. She is neither an ice queen nor a fiery prodigal daughter, but something in between - the ideal woman. In her early years as a debutante she found love and evergreen friendship. She works hard, is not easily bored, expects little, and gains much. Thus avoiding the troubles and uncertain fate of a prodigal daughter.
Rating:
Summary: The Prodigal Daughters
Review: These novels explore the duality of love: romantic and practical. On one extreme is Linda, the reckless heroine of "The Pursuit of Love". Due to her wild upbringing, she's unprepared for marriage and the drudgery of daily living. After two unsuccessful marriages she ponders her failure: "Where now was love that would last to the grave and far beyond?" This crisis sparks the beginning of a relationship so shocking and uninhibited, so dionysian, she cannot even tell her own mother and father what she's done. Linda is...the prodigal daughter. At the other extreme is Lady Montdore, one of the more fascinating characters of "Love in a Cold Climate". She has everything Linda lacks: power, position, and money. But she is cold. When little Polly Montdore arrives in this world, her perfect beauty is used merely to further Lady Montdore's ambition. But Polly will grow up to be a prodigal daughter, breaking ties with her family and throwing away her inheritance to marry "Mr. Wrong". Mitford's superb story-telling abilities offer levity and substance to lucky readers. While presenting a bird's-eye view of upper class European culture before and during WWII, Mitford simultaneously explores the conflict between the practical and romantic life. This conflict is illustrated through the primary character of each of the novels. Two sides of the same coin, Linda and Lady Montdore both consider marriage to be the main event in a woman's life. Linda wants love, a physical and spiritual connection with a man; to her, that is marriage. A marriage license is just governmental red tape, almost useless, totally unromantic. Lady Montdore views marriage as the only decent career for a woman. Her husband controls a great number of people and a vast fortune; and she, for the most part, controls him. Even in the modern world, where women work outside the home, marriage and career are interrelated, and people often choose partners who will be compatible with their career and ambitions. Early on, Lady Montdore warns Fanny, the book's narrator: "don't you go marrying just anybody, for love." Indeed, it's difficult to believe Lady Montdore has ever done anything for love. Yet she is human and capable of being hurt. Mitford portrays both Linda and Lady Montdore with equal sensitivity. They are women and, if one believes in astrology, daughters of Venus. Through these books, one can learn much about the goddess of love and her realm. She is like the diamond, infinitely delicate yet stronger than any other stone; rare and resplendent yet created from common grey graphite; pure like a virgin, yet very ancient. This contradiction is the heart of these volumes. Prodigal daughters gravitate towards love, like moths to a flame - but they rarely help it grow. Icy women fan the flame of love, but too much coldness snuffs it out. Stable, married women do not have it easy, but life is worse for women who think that romance will keep them afloat throughout life. In their pursuit of love they bolt from man to man, staying only so long as the magic lasts, wasting themselves in the process. Punishment is harsh for Linda, "The Bolter", Polly, and other prodigal daughters. Still, Mitford avoids tiresome moralizing, maintaining a light comic tone. The two novels are skillfully connected; both are set during the same timeframe, in two distinct houses not far apart. They complement one other and many of the same characters can be found in both stories, i.e. savage Lord Radlett, hypochondriac Davey, and sexy Sauveterre. But the character which is most helpful in merging the stories is Fanny, the humble narrator. She is neither an ice queen nor a fiery prodigal daughter, but something in between - the ideal woman. In her early years as a debutante she found love and evergreen friendship. She works hard, is not easily bored, expects little, and gains much. Thus avoiding the troubles and uncertain fate of a prodigal daughter.
Rating:
Summary: Old school English humour with heart
Review: These two semi-autobiographical books are well-combined into one volume as they deal with many of the same litterae personae. Nancy Mitford is at her best here; one cannot help but laugh at the witty dialogue and idiosyncratic characters she produces. The often unlikeable heroines, around whom the novels revolve, were born into the gilded world of the British aristocracy, and serve as easy prey for Mitford's biting satire. However, despite their frequent pitfalls, the reader's heart will most certainly go out to them. If you enjoy these two books, you would do well to read The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell. This book, while often somewhat overly sympathetic to the Mitfords, provides interesting insights to fans of Love in a Cold Climate and The Pursuit of Love.
Rating:
Summary: Completely Enchanting
Review: This combined edition of The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate are Nancy Mitford at the top of her form. Mitford was the eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Redesdale, British aristocrats whose ancestry stretched to the Middle Ages and beyond and whose relatives included Winston Churchill. Mitford began writing in the early 1930s, but her early works are, while amusing, trivial and dated. The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate were produced in the late 1940s, after Mitford had made a loveless marriage and begun a long, frustrating love affair with a Frenchman. These adversities sharpened her insights and her pen, so that the two novels are as pleasing today as when they were first published. The Pursuit of Love introduces us to the Radlett family, the children of Lord and Lady Alconleigh (thinly disguised and exaggerated versions of Lord and Lady Redesdale). The heroine is Linda, a romantic and lovely girl who dreams of perfect love. She marries a dull young man, leaves him for a handsome zealot who has no time for her, and finally finds love (and tragedy) with an urbane Frenchman. This is obviously a semi-autobiographical sketch of Nancy Mitford's own early years. The other Radletts are composites and exagerrations of Nancy's own sisters and friends. Love in a Cold Climate focuses on the viccisitudes of Polly Hampton, a neighbor of the Alconleighs who has similar troubles in love. It features a couple of obviously gay characters (which must have been pretty controversial in the 1940s)and continue's Mitford's theme of the search for love. Both novels are narrated by the Radlett's cousin Fanny Logan, whose own placid life and happy marriage make nice contrasts to all the troubles she sees going on around her. The writing is sparkling and bright but not shallow, and while both novels have somewhat sad endings (Pursuit more so than Cold Climate), you will enjoy and want to reread them many times.
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