Hons and Rebels: The Classic Memoir of One of Last Century's Most Extraordinary Families [Paperback]

Jessica Mitford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

First published in 1960, Jessica Mitford's autobiography is an account of the enclosed and eccentric childhood through which Nancy, Diana, Pam, Unity, Decca, and Debo lived. In writing of their upbringing between the wars, she also writes of her own commitment to communism and of her elopement to the Spanish Civil War with Esmond Romilly.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"More than an extremely amusing autobiography... Mitford has evoked an entire generation... Full of the music of time." -- THE SUNDAY TIMES

From the Publisher

Jessica Mitford was the fifth of six Mitford sisters--Nancy, Pam, Diana, Unity, and Debo-- and always the rebel among them. One of the most enigmatic families of the 26th century, the Mitfords were made notorious by Nancy's brilliant novels, Diana's marriage to Sir Oswald Mosley, Unity's infatuation with Hitler, Debo's marriage to a duke, and Jessica's passionate commitment to communism. "Hons and Rebels" is an enchanting and deeply absorbing memoir of an isolated and eccentric upbringing, which conceals much wisdom and depth of feeling beneath its witty, light-hearted surface.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575400048
• ISBN-13: 978-0575400047
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #957,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The wonderful Mitfords writ large, May 1, 2002

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hons and Rebels: The Classic Memoir of One of Last Century's Most Extraordinary Families (Paperback)

Proving that the ability to write humorously was not just limited to the more famous Mitford sister, Nancy, Jessica (or Decca as she was known by the family, writes an intentionally hilarious account of the first 20 or so years of her life.

As I am going through a Mitford phase at the moment I thought I would start following up the various biographies and memoirs of the sisters and their children. There were six sisters in this family of eccentric, talented and individual children and one brother who unfortunately was killed in WWII. Jessica, the second youngest of the family was born in 1917 and was in the second half of the family - Nancy, the eldest was born in 1904, so they were never really contemporaries. Jessica's book Hon's and Rebels describes her memories of her home life and early marriage years until just before the death of her first husband in WWII.

Its a marvellous read, and while other Mitford sisters have said that there are parts of this that are untrue, (memories are not necessarily that reliable) it is an easy, witty and fun read and enough reliability in it to not deceive.

I would recommend reading this in conjunction with some of the other broader works of Mitford biographies, I read it with Mary Lovell's recent biography which was helpful = and definitely read Nancy Mitford's first two novels of her series (The pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate) before delving into any Mitford biographies. They are wonderful and draw from her life. Jessica's Memoirs are icing on a wonderful cake. (so to speak)

A great, easy read.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Furthest and Leftist, June 2, 2002

By 

L. Dann "adhdmom" (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hons and Rebels: The Classic Memoir of One of Last Century's Most Extraordinary Families (Paperback)

Jessica was in many respects the only Mitford to escape. She did it early and with certainty, drama and flair. The leftist in a confused family of largely fascist and certainly later conservative leanings; Jessica was a 'Bolshie' as Nancy would say. The great pain in her life, that had once been a child's game, was that her favorite sister, Unity, was a Nazi sympathizer and onetime friend of Hitler's. As children, these two would draw the hammer and sickle and schwastikas in competitions each against the other, that ultimately took on more serious proportions. Jessica remained a rebel well into old age.

This book is a love story and a story of breaking free, suffering and surviving. It is also slightly imitative of the works of her older sister, Nancy Mitford, who gained much more celebrity in writing about her upperclass "Hon" sisters and eccentric parents. Interestingly, Nancy found the book to be mean-spirited and somewhat dishonest. I read her thoughts recently in a book of her letters. She did not tell 'Decca' this, but said it openly to many members of her family. Nancy never really opposed the forces and characters in her family- she perhaps improved them in her writing. Her sister was not alligned in that manner- and often felt contempt.
That these girls were brilliant, there is no doubt. The book tells of their made up language, their constant games and spirit that was allowed to flourish, despite the bellowing and controlling father who, in hindsight was pre-occupied with his own fantasies and illusions so that his controls were not as complete as he may have imagined. Also, as with all families,
Farve mellowed by the time the younger children came around.
Jessica fell in love before she actually met her second cousin Esmond Romilly, relative of Churchill and a youthful, avowed Communist. Their story extends to the Spanish Civil War, to the British Embassy in Washington D.C. and ultimately to tragedy and Jessica's rebirth to purely American agenda's, not the least of which was the McCarthy era. The book is less funny than Nancy's but is very worth the read and has its own share of humor. When reading Nancy's letters, I was struck with how deeply she lived within her family throughout her life, despite her French residency. Jessica, seemed less entombed in the Lord Redesdale family, although certainly unforgettably a Mitford, she took the greatest risks, and the most sensational, and committed the gravest offense, that being, emigration to America. I recommend this to anyone intrigued, as I am, by this marvellous family. Jessica was certainly the boldest of the girls.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and funny, July 12, 2004

By 

Megan "Megan" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hons and Rebels: The Classic Memoir of One of Last Century's Most Extraordinary Families (Paperback)

The fascist, the writer, the country girl, the Nazi, the communist, and the Duchess... the six Mitford sisters are truly one of the most fascinating group of people of the 20th century. This is Jessica "Decca" Mitford's story: she's the communist. A cousin of Winston Churchill, she rebelled early against her eccentic high-society family and eloped with her cousin (not Winston, obviously: a different cousin, who had been kicked out of several prestigious schools for his political beliefs). She witnessed the Spanish Civil War, lunched with Katharine Graham, lost her first husband in WWII, fled the country just in the nick of time to avoid her very own McCarthy hearing, and dedicated her life to uncovering institutional corruption and scamming of the the American public. Through it all, she retained her excellent sense of humor, her undeniable charm, and an unmistakable grace.

It is a little disapointing that this book ends when it does, as Decca certainly continued to lead a fascinating life. However, it is always a priveledge to see inside the Mitford family, especially from the point of view of someone who felt that she was an outsider in the family (whether that was actually true or not is up for discussion).