Diana Mosley was one of the most fascinating and controversial figures of recent times. For some, she was a cult; for many, anathema. Born in 1910 Diana was the most beautiful and the cleverest of the six Mitford sisters. She was eighteen when she married Bryan Guinness, of the brewing dynasty, by whom she had two sons. After four years, she left him for the fascist leader, Oswald Mosley, and set herself up as Mosley's mistress - a course of action that horrified her family and scandalised society. In 1933 she took her sister Unity to Germany; soon both had met the new German leader, Adolf Hitler. Diana became so close to him that when she and Mosley married in 1936 the ceremony took place in the Goebbels drawing room and Hitler was guest of honour. She continued to visit Hitler until a month before the outbreak of war; and afterwards, for many, years, refused to believe in the reality of the Holocaust. This gripping book is a portrait of both an extraordinary individual and the strange, terrible world of political extremism in the 1930s. (20031208)
Diana Mosley
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"I defy anyone not to be interested in this book...convincing and compelling. De Courcy's book takes the ruthless moon goddess of 20th-century myth and turns her into a human being, and that is more than many biographies would have done" (Independent on Sunday )
"Moseley undoubtedly led a fascinating - if frequently unsavoury - life. This gripping biography tells her unique story" (Red )
"Anne de Courcy has a riveting tale to tell and she does it with an ergomatic deftness that is enviable. Bold lady; compelling book" (Literary Review )
"Moseley undoubtedly led a fascinating - if frequently unsavoury - life. This gripping biography tells her unique story" (Red )
"Anne de Courcy has a riveting tale to tell and she does it with an ergomatic deftness that is enviable. Bold lady; compelling book" (Literary Review )
Book Description
A fascinating and controversial life of the 'Mitford girl' who ran away with the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley, and was a close friend of Adolf Hitler. (20031208)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
In this book, Anne de Courcy manages two remarkable feats. The first is that she found something new to say about the much-discussed Mitfords. The second is that she has given us a fresh and unbiased view of a controversial subject. The fact that Diana cooperated with her biographer deserves a mention; that in itself is remarkable.
The problem with Diana Mosley is that she was, as a person, highly intelligent, fascinating and attractive - but her political views were, and are, repellant. Anne de Courcy does not try to explain away Diana's views, sweep them under the carpet, or attempt to justify them. She simply presents the facts, with enough background information to put them in context.
This book is a gripping read - I read it at one sitting - and it is remarkable for the balanced view it presents. The appendices are also valuable additions to the main text. The biographer does not force the reader to accept her conclusions about Diana; there is enough information here for the reader to make his or her own judgement on the complex person that was Diana Mosley.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anne de Courcy has penned a fascinating account of the life of Diana Mosley. Her early life with her extraordinary sisters, the Mitford girls and her even more eccentric parents - Lord Redesdale's apocalyptic rages are wonderfully described - display the enormous amount of sheer hard work which Anne de Courcy has invested into the work.
Not that Diana Mosley emerges from the book with any great credit; her political views have put paid to that. And her first husband, Bryan Guinness, is portrayed as a consummate drip, poor fellow. But then, this is not a book about necessarily nice people; it is an honest book and the author has quite ruthlessly delved into every nook and cranny to pluck out every bit of information to ensure that the biography of one of England's most extraordinary women, is utterly first-rate.
Not that Diana Mosley emerges from the book with any great credit; her political views have put paid to that. And her first husband, Bryan Guinness, is portrayed as a consummate drip, poor fellow. But then, this is not a book about necessarily nice people; it is an honest book and the author has quite ruthlessly delved into every nook and cranny to pluck out every bit of information to ensure that the biography of one of England's most extraordinary women, is utterly first-rate.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By S. Smith
Format:Paperback
Absolutely fascinating on many levels; an education to someone who knows little about facism in Britain, informative about the Mitfords, a story about love and devotion and the issues that personality can have on the longevity and health of a person's life. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
The story of Diana Mosley's life is the stuff of a rich novel -- and this is how it reads in the very capable hands of Anne de Courcy. This is one of the most entertaining and evocative biographies I have read.
Her evident deep affection for her subject makes this a very sympathetic, even partial account. Anne de Courcy treats both Diana and Oswald Mosley with respect and tenderness, perhaps more than they deserve -- and this may be the only weakness of the book, because a little moral judgment would help the reader form a better picture of two people who were not only glamorous and brilliant in their way, but also selfish, vain and arrogant, as well as almost incredibly wrong-headed about politics.
It will be hard for many readers to sympathize with the wartime sufferings of the Mosleys in prison during a period in which millions of innocent civilians were robbed, tortured, starved and murdered by the Nazis in hellish concentration camps under a program which both Mosleys would have endorsed.
This apart, highly recommended.
Her evident deep affection for her subject makes this a very sympathetic, even partial account. Anne de Courcy treats both Diana and Oswald Mosley with respect and tenderness, perhaps more than they deserve -- and this may be the only weakness of the book, because a little moral judgment would help the reader form a better picture of two people who were not only glamorous and brilliant in their way, but also selfish, vain and arrogant, as well as almost incredibly wrong-headed about politics.
It will be hard for many readers to sympathize with the wartime sufferings of the Mosleys in prison during a period in which millions of innocent civilians were robbed, tortured, starved and murdered by the Nazis in hellish concentration camps under a program which both Mosleys would have endorsed.
This apart, highly recommended.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By helen
Format:Paperback
Diana Mosley had everything going for her - radiant beauty, wealth, family connections, intelligence, charm... but she didn't use these assets to her own advantage. In fact, I think her life became sad and tragic through her ghastly involvement with Hitler and the Nazi movement. This doesn't make her any less a fascinating woman but one feels she could have had such a different life. Anne de Courcy presents all the spell-binding twists and turns of her life - marriage to one of the wealthiest men in Britain, divorce, life with Mosley, the horrible treason of her own sister Nancy, imprisonment, and her bravery in old age - in a riveting biography.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By John Davison
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
You can find the outlines of Diana Mitford/Guinness/Mosley's life referred to in numerous books and no doubt all over the internet. I am not concerned with repeating them here.
The main thing that keeps me going with a biography is the ability of the author to write well. This is the second time I have read "Diana Mosley" and I found it almost flawless. Anne de Courcy doesn't have that quirky directness which can make you laugh out loud with a biographer like Selina Hastings - I don't think there is a humorous comment in the whole book - but the prose is so elegant that there is no chance of boredom.
I am glad when reviewers are generous to Diana. Anne de Courcy makes the point again and again that with hindsight we see Hitler as an extraordinarily negative - perhaps the most negative - individual in our planet's history, but this was not the case at the time. I am sure that the German bourgeousie who were herded through the concentration camps in 1945 to see what had been done in their name were as deeply shocked as the rest of the world.
We have to get on with our lives, and most people will adjust to life under a regime rather than fight to change it. This doesn't make them bad people, just average human beings. I am sure when the history of Guantanamo Bay comes to be fully written it won't seem quite as cool to be have been one of the highly respected people, including musicians I know and admire, who entertained or were entertained at the White House during that time.
So let us dump this hypocrisy about the Nazi regime being uniquely evil. It was an extraordinarily concentrated few years of extreme right-wing dictatorship, but such evils have always occurred and are continuing today.... Read more ›
The main thing that keeps me going with a biography is the ability of the author to write well. This is the second time I have read "Diana Mosley" and I found it almost flawless. Anne de Courcy doesn't have that quirky directness which can make you laugh out loud with a biographer like Selina Hastings - I don't think there is a humorous comment in the whole book - but the prose is so elegant that there is no chance of boredom.
I am glad when reviewers are generous to Diana. Anne de Courcy makes the point again and again that with hindsight we see Hitler as an extraordinarily negative - perhaps the most negative - individual in our planet's history, but this was not the case at the time. I am sure that the German bourgeousie who were herded through the concentration camps in 1945 to see what had been done in their name were as deeply shocked as the rest of the world.
We have to get on with our lives, and most people will adjust to life under a regime rather than fight to change it. This doesn't make them bad people, just average human beings. I am sure when the history of Guantanamo Bay comes to be fully written it won't seem quite as cool to be have been one of the highly respected people, including musicians I know and admire, who entertained or were entertained at the White House during that time.
So let us dump this hypocrisy about the Nazi regime being uniquely evil. It was an extraordinarily concentrated few years of extreme right-wing dictatorship, but such evils have always occurred and are continuing today.... Read more ›
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Even though she married such a notorious man and remained a fervent supporter of Hitler all her life she does seem to have been a product of her time and class with some redeeming... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Traceytwp
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Diana Mosley
I found this to be a very interesting read about a headstrong lady who is like many other such but happened to be born into a fairly prominent family in interesting times.
Published 6 months ago by mr m white
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