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Review: Hons and Rebels, by Jessica Mitford


Hons and Rebels, a memoir of the life of the “commie” Mitford sister, Jessica, details the authors life from her childhood in rural England up until the time she lived in Miami in the 1940s. The Mitford clan of six sisters (Nancy wrote The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate) and one brother was an unusual one, prone to playing tricks upon one another and outsiders. Jessica grew up to embrace the ideals of the communist party, while her sister Unity became a Fascist, hobnobbing with Hitler. Jessica then ran away with and married her cousin Edwin Romilly, later moving to the United States.

It’s a brilliant memoir, poignant and funny at the same time. Although Jessica’s not always the most sympathetic character, she’s always witty, touching her story every now and then with a hint of irony. Jessica describes everything in painstaking detail, from the Cotswold countryside to certain conversations she had with various people. The memoir is evocative of the time period in which Jessica lived in.

Comments

Anonymous said…
This one sounds like one that I would be interested in. Thanks for the review, I'll be looking into it!
Teddy Rose said…
Great review! I think I would like this one, so on to my TBR it goes.
Katherine said…
Thanks! I advise that the best place to find a copy of it is online.

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