All’s Well That Ends Well

 Love in a Cold Climate is a lively satire of the British upper crust around 1930. English readers, at the time it was published in 1949, could no doubt recognize the fictional characters as people who actually existed, many from author Nancy Mitford’s own family and circle. I read that Mitford had sent the manuscript to her friend Evelyn Waugh, who returned it saying what a delight it was to read, but telling her she must rewrite it, which she refused. She commented later how many reviewers panned the book in America, but volumes were flying off the shelves. Mitford cared more about what big sales numbers said about her book, than critics.

The novel was funny and witty, moving along at a good pace, and compelling the reader forward to see what would happen next. I read it in two sittings.  Mitford’s own upbringing within the context of the upper crust, (although her childhood was fraught with issues), allowed her to be fluent in every aspect of the lifestyles, social nuances, and history of the period. I enjoyed her sense of humor throughout the plot line. Her book is like a literary cartoon of the period, both amusing and entertaining.  

One thing I found funny, alluded to several times, was the strong disdain for “Colonials” [those of British parentage born and raised in North America] despite the fact it had been around 155 years from the time of American Revolution to the book’s time period setting. 

As I read the last few paragraphs the expression “all’s well that ends well” immediately came to mind.  In some ways this novel echoed that comedy, farce, and subtexts of the play, albeit perhaps not intentionally. The naturalism of “the human comedy” is at play here with a narrator who describes more than judges aspects of human behavior. Anyone interested in 1930s British aristocracy, or having an interest in the Mitford sisters and the milieu of their upbringing will likely enjoy the book as I did.