mg_libros's review against another edition
4.0
108/2022 Nobles y rebeldes. Jessica Mitford. Libros del asteroide. 318 páginas. Traducido por Patricia Antón.
Todo lo que ya sabíamos de la infancia de las Mitford vía las novelas de Nancy ahora lo vamos a conocer de primera mano, ya que la primera mitad de este volumen de las memorias de Jessica (parece que hay un segundo pero no está editado en España) se centra en su infancia y en la vida familiar. El gran personaje en las novelas es el padre, pero aquí es la madre, no creía en la medicina y es sorprendente que sobrevivieran siete hijos en una casa en la que no se trataban correctamente ni las fracturas de huesos.
En la segunda parte, Jessica se enamora de su primo lejano Esmond Romilly y se escapa con él a España. Allí comienzan su vida en común, jóvenes y enamorados y viviendo al día. Pues todo aventuras. El libro termina con el inicio de la II Guerra Mundial. Habla mucho de la relación con sus hermanas y cómo fue cambiando según se hicieron mayores. Básicamente porque Unity y Diana apoyaban a los fascistas y Jessica era comunista, siendo adultas prácticamente no tuvieron relación, salvo por Nancy. Y poca.
Me flipan estas hermanas y me da pena pensar que lo más interesante ya lo hemos leído. Nos quedan un par de memorias (Diana y Debo) para terminar todo lo publicado por ellas en España.
Fenomenal, claro. Muy recomendable.
Todo lo que ya sabíamos de la infancia de las Mitford vía las novelas de Nancy ahora lo vamos a conocer de primera mano, ya que la primera mitad de este volumen de las memorias de Jessica (parece que hay un segundo pero no está editado en España) se centra en su infancia y en la vida familiar. El gran personaje en las novelas es el padre, pero aquí es la madre, no creía en la medicina y es sorprendente que sobrevivieran siete hijos en una casa en la que no se trataban correctamente ni las fracturas de huesos.
En la segunda parte, Jessica se enamora de su primo lejano Esmond Romilly y se escapa con él a España. Allí comienzan su vida en común, jóvenes y enamorados y viviendo al día. Pues todo aventuras. El libro termina con el inicio de la II Guerra Mundial. Habla mucho de la relación con sus hermanas y cómo fue cambiando según se hicieron mayores. Básicamente porque Unity y Diana apoyaban a los fascistas y Jessica era comunista, siendo adultas prácticamente no tuvieron relación, salvo por Nancy. Y poca.
Me flipan estas hermanas y me da pena pensar que lo más interesante ya lo hemos leído. Nos quedan un par de memorias (Diana y Debo) para terminar todo lo publicado por ellas en España.
Fenomenal, claro. Muy recomendable.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This was interesting, and I had to try very hard not to compare it to Nancy Mitford's fiction. This is Jessica Mitford's memoir of her coming of age and marriage. Jessica has the detached tone one would expect from an English aristocrat; she is very matter-of-fact about what happens to her. She doesn't seem to be having much fun, ever. I finished it, but not with enthusiasm.
maries_shelf's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, how I love Jessica Mitford’s writing! This book offers a glimpse into a life of an aristocratic family in Britain. The Mitford sisters are best known for their very different political views that influenced their decisions and actions!
leoniepeonie's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely golden. Hilarious and deeply enchanting throughout, I warmed to this book and it never stopped dealing out the good stuff! Mitford writes so swiftly and wittily and beautifully and it was just so much fun to read. A fascinating perspective on being young and full of hope in the thirties, and full of frustrations bubbling beneath the surface in a way that really doesn't feel that distant from where we're at today. I found it consoling and joyous and real, even when its topics were serious and dark.
anniew415's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful memoir… Hilariously funny, inspiring, sad… I loved every moment of it. All the angles of the Mitford family are supremely entertaining, but this one reads so much more colloquially than the other Mitford sisters' work. It's honest, heartfelt, and a great ride to take.
sbbarnes's review against another edition
4.0
This is a delight to read. Jessica Mitford's humorously, lightly told narration of her childhood, adolescence and early adulthood is by no means to be taken lightly. While maintaining a constant level of self-reflection about how naïve and upper-class she really was, Mitford shows both the happinesses and tragedies of growing up, which are ever more eclipsed by the rising threat of fascism in Europe. I haven't read a lot of works that so concisely and clearly show the difficulties of uniformly dismissing everyone who doesn't share your political opinion as I do here in her relationship with her sister Unity, who becomes a big fan of Hitler.
I also really don't agree with her sister Diana's belief that the portrayal of the parents is negative; it is eccentric, but if what is being narrated here is true, then, well, that's fair. I found that there was nonetheless clear affection for her family radiating out of the book, even if it was countered with frustration at the old-worldliness and out-of-touch-ness. Which is impressive given that the parents' refusal to believe in interaction with other children and in vaccinations indirectly lead to the death of Mitford's child.
This book makes me want to read more biographies in general, which is nice. But I shudder to think what Mitford would think of what has become of America since the time she describes. The kind of tough thing to stomach is how Mitford and her husband deal with money - it's very indicative of upper-class upbringing, which she does point out a few times.
I also really don't agree with her sister Diana's belief that the portrayal of the parents is negative; it is eccentric, but if what is being narrated here is true, then, well, that's fair. I found that there was nonetheless clear affection for her family radiating out of the book, even if it was countered with frustration at the old-worldliness and out-of-touch-ness. Which is impressive given that the parents' refusal to believe in interaction with other children and in vaccinations indirectly lead to the death of Mitford's child.
This book makes me want to read more biographies in general, which is nice. But I shudder to think what Mitford would think of what has become of America since the time she describes. The kind of tough thing to stomach is how Mitford and her husband deal with money - it's very indicative of upper-class upbringing, which she does point out a few times.