The Pursuit of Love/Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford (1945-1949)

It is always difficult for me, when reviewing a book, to separate my opinions about the merits of the book itself from my opinions about the actions of the characters. That separation is particularly hard with these two novels because the characters are all admittedly copied from the real life family and friends of the author and even modeled on the author herself in some cases, so they are not the typical "made-up people" of novels. Thus I could almost write two totally different reviews about these well regarded books -- one favorable and one condemnatory.

The first novel, The Pursuit of Love concerns the youthful upbringing of the aristocratic Radlett children, before concentrating of one of the daughters and her checkered love life. It is narrated by a cousin of the family, Franny, who also narrates the second book, Love in a Cold Climate, which concerns Franny's dear friend, Polly Hampton, who has a scandalous love affair.

In my favorable review I would say that these books are charmingly written, in a chatty and breezy manner, with sophisticated and witty dialogue. They are always comically satiric in tone and are often even chuckle-worthy. For those fascinated by Downton Abbey, they provide an alternate version of aristocratic English country life between the Wars, one that emphasizes the eccentricities and egocentric behaviors of the very privileged. I would characterize the novels as literary chick-lit with a bite.

In my condemnatory review I would say that the writing is also brittle and superficial and sometimes totally incongruous in tone to the situations, as when Mitford flippantly relates the death of a main character, or the still-birth of a child, or the sexual molestation of a young girl. I would say that people such as these are despicable, equivalent to current-day figures like Paris Hilton or the Kardashian clan, and that Mitford does not seem to satirize them to condemn but to display their misbehaving as humorous and even charming.

I will settle for a review which straddles the issue. These are well done books which amusingly accomplish the author's goals. They obviously appeal to a great many people, especially in Britain, where people seem to crave accounts of the doings of the aristocracy. On the other hand, these are also books which trivialize serious situations and promote the validation of the moral corruption of the rich and famous. Nevertheless, many will find them amusing.