I am feeling rather sad this week. It's not just the fact I am mourning finishing the book The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters edited by Charlotte Mosley, but it feels like I have experienced the death of each sister personally.
I feel I've got to know them all through the thousands of letters they wrote to each other often daily.
I was very sad to reach the final letter just before Diana died in 2003 and Deborah, the Duchess of Devonshire, was left without a sister to write to for the first time in her life. There were no more letters to be written.
The sisters were prolific writers and the 800-page book is only five per cent of the letters they exchanged. It is a correspondence, which spans the 20th Century.
They are a fascinating British family, who all achieved fame and, in some instances, notoriety.
They all led extremely different lives with juxtaposed political views Jessica a communist and Unity a Nazi.
The sisters were born to Lord Redesdale, David Freedman-Mitford, and Lady Redesdale, born Sydney Bowles.
Nancy Mitford, the eldest, was born in 1904. She became a popular novelist and I'm currently making my way through her fiction.
She rebelled in the 1920s, cutting her hair short, wearing lipstick and trousers and was famous for her wit and cutting tongue.
Nancy died in 1973 in Paris after a suffering extreme pain for several years. It was only late in her illness that she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.
Her personal life was not as successful as her professional career. She was in love with French politician Col. Gaston Palweski, but he eventually married someone else. He was, however, with her at her death.
Pamela Mitford was the second eldest sister and there are not that many letters from Woman as she was nicknamed by the sisters.
She enjoyed the country life with her hens as well as cooking.
Diana Mitford was known as the most beautiful sister, although personally I think that title should go to Deborah or Nancy.
She caused a huge scandal when she married Bryan Guinness when she was just 18, but then divorced him just a few years later after meeting Oswald Mosley.
Diana became his mistress before they eventually married. Diana's letters about Mosley to her sisters are extremely touching and show how the couple continued to love each other for the rest of their lives. She was distraught when he died.
Hitler was a guest at their wedding in 1936 and due to the couple's political views, they both spent much of the Second World War in prison.
But it was Unity Mitford who was the most controversial sister. Her letters read as though she fell in love with Hitler and became obsessed with him.
She was determined to meet Hitler and eventually met him on more than 100 occasions.
On Sep. 3, 1939, the day England and Germany declared war, she tried to commit suicide but did not succeed. She returned to England where her mother cared for her until she died in 1948.
Jessica Mitford became a communist, which led to huge arguments with her right wing sisters Diana and Unity.
She moved to America and joined the Communist Party and published many magazines and books.
While she maintained contact with her younger sister Deborah, Jessica's letters to her other sisters are few and far between.
Deborah is probably my favorite sister. She marks her 90th birthday this year. She met Andrew Cavendish when she was 18 and the couple became Duke and Duchess of Devonshire in 1950. Together they have turned the family home Chatsworth House into a wonderful place for people to visit.
The Mitford sisters and their lives are fascinating. Their story could not have been made up. I'm off now to read the Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford and then may tackle Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford.
Rebecca Lawrence can be reached at 691-1258.
