This is a witty, entertaining look at the strange lives of aristocratic families. I think all families are weird in their own ways, but it is interesting to see that people in all economic circumstances have to deal with embarrassing or eccentric family members. My family was not well-to-do at all, yet we had some family members very much like the Radletts.
The Pursuit of Love was published in 1946, so it is the picture of an aristocratic family from an earlier time. The story is roughly based on members of Nancy Mitford's family, and I still haven't read enough about them to know which ones. And I think I preferred reading it that way.
This is the story of Linda Radlett, told by her cousin Fanny. Linda, daughter of Matthew and Sadie Radlett, grows up at Alconleigh with her five siblings. Fanny tells anecdotes from their childhood, and about Linda's love life as they grow older. The story continues into the years before and during World War II. Linda's choices in love and marriage are not very wise.
I enjoyed reading this book. I wasn't sure I would, but it worked well for me. Although the story is told with humor, I cared about the characters and was tearful at the end. I liked the depiction of the years between the early 1900s and into World War II, whether or not it was totally realistic.
Some of the characters are wonderful, or at least fun to read about. Matthew Radlett is a bully and an autocrat, but means well. Uncle Davey is a hypochondriac and very particular about what he eats. Fanny's mother brings a Spanish boyfriend home during the war, and it turns out he is a fantastic cook. The loyalty of the family to all its members is a joy.
One complaint I have, which has nothing to do with the writing, is that the text on the cover of the 1949 paperback edition I read is totally wrong. There is no point in the book, at least not that I remember or could find, where Linda's uncles chide her for being a kept woman (front cover) or living in sin (back cover). That is a total misrepresentation. In fact, they love her very much and want only her happiness. All in all, it is a lovely story and I am glad I read it.
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Publisher: Pocket Books, 1949 (orig. pub. 1946).
Length: 230 pages
Format: Paperback
Series: Radlett and Montdore #1
Setting: UK
Genre: Fiction
Source: I bought my copy in December 2018.
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