Blurb from Amazon;
In one of the wittiest novels of them all, Nancy Mitford casts a finely gauged net to capture perfectly the foibles and fancies of the English upper class. Set in the privileged world of the county house party and the London season, the story of coldly beautiful Polly Hampton and her aristocratic parents is a comedy of English manners between the wars by one of the most individual, beguiling and creative users of the language.
I received this book from Penguin Books to review as a summer read. I thoroughly enjoyed it to my surprise. The story is set in the 1920-30’s and is narrated by young Fanny who commentates for us on the lives and times of the very rich and wealthy.
Central to the story is Polly the daughter of Lord and Lady Montdore who are main characters in themselves. They dote on their daughter and arrange an amazing social life for her in London and their main home of Hampton.
The book revolves mainly around gossip, how you look, how mainy jewels you can show off and how well you can marry. Sonia Montdore has a vicious tongue and dictates who is in socially and who is out. The lives of the women come across as stultifyingly dull however the gossip is really good and keeps you reading.
Later in the story we are introduced to another main character called Cedric Hampton who is quite divinely camp. He reminded me of Graham Norton. He captivates all those that he meets, is very sociable with a sharp wit. He and Sonia Montdore become inseparable as he replaces Polly in her affections. Excellent little book
BCF Book Reviews 