Mrs Guinness : the rise and fall of Diana Mitford, the thirties socialite

Before Diana Mosley (neé Mitford) became a social pariah, she was a principal member of the Bright Young Things set in London's 1920s and '30s high society. As the young wife of Bryan Guinness, heir to the Guinness family brewing empire, she lived a gilded life until fascist leader Oswald Mosley turned her head. This ground-breaking biography adopts a new approach in exploring the life of Diana Mitford - removing her from her famous family and fascism to look at the woman behind the myths. Combining the traditional rituals of the upper classes - the debutante season, social movements of the 1920s and social upheaval of the 1930s - allows Diana to be presented as a young woman desperately trying to find her place in a rapidly changing world. Benefitting from never-before published letters, diaries and archives has allowed her story to take shape. It is a character study of a beautiful woman whose charm and personality enthralled all who met her, but whose life would... Before Diana Mitford's disgrace as a social pariah, she was a celebrated member of the Bright Young Things, moving at the centre of 1920s and '30s London high society. She was a muse to many: Helleu painted her, James Lees-Milne worshipped her, Evelyn Waugh dedicated a book to her and Winston Churchill nicknamed her 'Dina-mite'. As the young wife of Bryan Guinness, heir to the Guinness brewing empire, she lived a gilded life until fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley turned her head. Unpublished letters, diaries and archives bring an unknown Diana to life, creating a portrait of a beautiful woman whose charm and personality enthralled all who met her, but the discourse of her life would ultimately act as a cautionary tale. This groundbreaking biography reveals the woman behind the myth Cover; Title; Quote; Acknowledgements; Contents; 1 She Can't Live Long; 2 Clever by Association; 3 A Demi Paradise; 4 An Age without a Name; 5 The Unhappy Youth; 6 Coming Out; 7 A Deb's Delight; 8 The Engagement; 9 A Society Wedding; 10 Mrs Bryan Guinness; 11 He-Evelyn; 12 Confinement; 13 A Gilded Life; 14 An Interval in Friendships; 15 The Bloomsbury Set; 16 The Happy Foursome; 17 Life and Death; 18 The Age of Reason; 19 The Man, Mosley; 20 The Demon King; 21 Turmoil; 22 Courting Scandal; 23 A Clean Break; 24 Social Pariah; 25 The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea; 26 Detour