“[F]or readers yearning for another take on the glamorous sisters' 'posh past,' Thompson's smart, jaunty, and wittily entertaining book will amply fill their desire. Steeped in Mitford lore and mythmaking, the book offers sharply drawn portraits of each woman, teases out the complexities of their fraught, competitive relationships with one another, and sets their lives within the context of a radically changing world. ... [Thompson's] clear-eyed view of the sisters' strengths and foibles makes this gossipy story a delight.”
—Kirkus, starred review

“Thompson astutely compares wry contemporary assessments and countless often-brutal newspaper articles on the Mitford daughters to self-sufficient Nancy’s more benign fictional version and expat Jessica’s heavily embellished tell-all....she successfully shows how this group of six captured the zeitgeist by being utterly committed and completely ‘shame-free.’”
—Publishers Weekly

“[Laura Thompson] does a remarkable job of isolating the sisters’ individualism, defining in fluid, sensitive, and authoritative language their individual distinctions, while at the same time keeping a sharp but understanding eye on the bigger picture.” —Booklist