It's strange that this was written in the months after Nancy's sister, Unity, shot her herself in the head, and wrecked her life in Munich, in despair at Germany and Great Britain going to war.
This bright and crazy story, read at a remove now of seventy-five years, reveals how prevalent pro-Nazi sentiment or, at least, appeasement, was among many of the British establishment before the bombing started.
The story is populated with upper-class oddities; the multi-wigged King of Song, cross-dressing Rudolph, Ned and Fred the inept parliamentarians and Lady Sophia herself, once a Bright Young Thing, now the bright young wife of an all-purpose bore.
It can be read well within the limits of a rainy Sunday afternoon. ( )

This may be the most facetious book I have ever read. Written early in WWII, when England was not actively engaged in fighting and rumors of German spies abounded, the book recounts the adventures of Lady Sophia Garfield, who wakes up one day to the realization that there are German spies in her home. The ensuing goofiness, involving her cross-dressing lover, her opera singer godfather, a French bulldog and a hospital museum, is spritely and fun. Not great literature, but full of charm. ( )

Read during Fall 2001

I'll confess to missing some of the more subtle satrirical detail but loved all the bits I did get. Lady Sophia at the outbreak of WWII volunteers in a First Aid post and goes on her merry social life, blissfully unaware of various nefarious ongoings in her own house. All good, all funny.

This is a satire written by Nancy Mitford during the first uneventful months of World War II. It uses the backdrop of the phoney war to mock the expectations and motivations of members of the English upper class, and particularly the pro-Hitler and pro-Left tendencies that some of them harboured. This makes the early chapters of the book fascinating, because her sisters Diana and Unity were pro-Germany, and she must have had a box seat in observing their fervour and their reasoning. Continued ( )

I zipped through this book which I first read years and years ago. A satire about the upper class, spies, and the first months or so of the second world war (when nothing much was yet happening in Britain/to British troops), it isn't up to Nancy Mitford's best, but was still a witty, fun read.