Nancy Mitford

I was surprised to find that it was more than two years ago that I first read the work of Nancy Mitford. I wrote on the blog about her most celebrated novel, The Pursuit of Love. 

I've now returned to Mitford -- this time by way of Love in a Cold Climate. As with Pursuit, this novel is good fun: it's lively, clear, and knowing. Mitford captures a world of aristocracy -- of manors and manners -- that no longer exists, but which provided considerable fodder for that group of novelists led by Evelyn Waugh. 

Mitford, of course, fit right in: Love in a Cold Climate reads in part as a Waugh novel might. Which is not to say that it's derivative; I mean that instead as high praise: Mitford uses a seemingly simple plot to cast light on the quirks and priorities of her characters. Cedric and Sonia, especially, emerge as more than their riches alone. 

If there's a critique of Love in a Cold Climate it's the extent to which the main character -- Fanny -- appears rather flat: she marries and has children, but neither of these developments seems significant to the plot, or to Mitford's observations. Perhaps there was another novel Mitford imagined for Fanny: but this was certainly not it. She is less a character here than a vehicle for reflection. 

All told, this is a great book; it's as a novel should be, really: crisp, determined, and rhythmic. I highly recommend both Cold Climate and Pursuit to those who are new to Mitford's legacy.