The Pursuit of Love: With Love in a Cold Climate and The Blessing (Penguin Modern Classics)

A masterpiece ... The Pursuit of Love is one of the funniest books ever written India Knight The TimesNancy Mitfords brilliantly witty irreverent stories of the upper classes in pre-war London and Paris conjure up a world of glamour gossip and decadence. In The Pursuit of Love Love in a Cold Climate and The Blessing her extraordinary heroines deal with armies of eccentric relatives the excitement of love and passion and the thrills of the social Season. But beneath the perfectly timed comic dialogue these novels are also bittersweet reminders of the brevity of life and love.With an Introduction by Philip HensherA kind of perfection Olivia Laing GuardianPeerless ... beneath the surface of Mitfords wit there is something infinitely more melancholy at work Zoe Heller Review Utter utter bliss-Daily MailA dazzling comic delight.-Fiona Wilson The Times Saturday ReviewThe storysgenius lies in its wicked humour which remainsrelentlessly uplifting even as the Blitz begin to smash all the hopes of that pre-war arcadia-Olivia Laing The Guardiantoospiky and intelligent I think to qualify as an altogether cosy read [...] beneath the brittle surface of Mitfords wit there issomething infinitely more melancholy at work - something that is apt to snag you and pull you into its dark undertow when you are least expecting it-Zoë Heller The TelegraphNancy Mitford taught the wonderful truth thatlaughter can see you through the darkest hours of your life-Daily MailThe Millennial faint-hearted will be appalled by Mitfords depiction of class and gender. But Mitfordstriumph is that as the Radletts live and laugh and crywe [cry] with them-Julie Parsons The Irish TimesIn her novels Nancy mastered her life making everyone who was different or difficult into figures of mirth moving only among the aristocracy andinfusing the world with a spirit of lazy delightful romance-Natasha Walter The IndependentUtter utter bliss-Daily MailA dazzling comic delight. -Fiona Wilson The Times Saturday Review About the Author Nancy Mitford (1904-1973) was born in London the eldest child of the second Baron Redesdale. She had written four novels includingWigs on the Green (1935) before the success ofThe Pursuit of Love in 1945 which she followed withLove in a Cold Climate (1949)The Blessing (1951) andDont Tell Alfred (1960). She also wrote four works of biography. Nancy Mitford was awarded the CBE in 1972.