The Viceroy's Daughters: The Lives of the Curzon Sisters

A whole plethora of books have become popular in the wake of the TV classic, 'Downton Abbey"; and of all of them, this book reaches to the highest realms of the British upper class. It describes the one half percenters of the 1920s and 30's, and if you have any doubt of the scope of the wealth of the people who populate the book, it is helpful to do an image search of the gargantuan mansions they inhabited during the time period of the book.Lord Curzon was Viceroy of India when it had a population of 33 million, as opposed to over a billion today, but almost all of the action takes place after he returned to home base in England. His three daughters had an American mother and each had a trust fund that kept them swimming in inherited money their entire lives. Its been awhile sense I read the book, and the eldest daughter, Irene, was a perpetual single who carried on affairs with married men, was addicted to fox hunting in her early years and had an alcohol problem which caused her to be a high bottom drunk at times. She is, however, by far the most sympathetic of three daughters and virtually single handedly was the primary parent for her two younger daughter's children. She had strong Christian beliefs that did not appear to be based on hate as so much of Christianity is today, was a primary sponsor of "Save the Children" and seen at times preaching to large crowds on street corners as well as speaking to large groups,The middle daughter, Cimmie, was also admirable to the extent that she championed the plight of England's enormous working class as a Labour MP, and would argue their cause, sincerely, in furs. Unfortunately, she had the misfortune of falling in love with Lord Mosely, a politician who eventually ran the British Union of Fascists styled on Hitler's NAZI party, The authore portrays him irresistible to women, but in pictures from the times, he appears ridiculous, After Cimmie dies prematurely, he interfered in numerous affairs including with his youngest sister, He eventually fell in love with one of the Mitford sisters and they lived happily every after in their fascist dream worldlThe youngest daughter, Baba, appeared to be completely immoral. She held her money over the head of his husband and relentlessly cheated on him. One of her most consuming affairs was with Lord Mosely, and both were imprisoned during WWII because of their pro-Nazi sypathies.All in all, this book is an indictment of the British upper classes in the 20s and 30s and shows them as selfish, with very little to occupy their time between killing wildlife for sport and having affairs with other people's spouses;.

This is an engaging and well-written exploration into the lives of a high-profile English family from the early 1900’s to the 1970's. I much enjoy the author Ms de Courcy’s exhaustive research of personal diaries, correspondence, reminiscences and accounts which is then coherently brought together and related with such flow and succinctness so as to form a very readable account. I will be buying more of her work.I love family history and there is something to be learned from delving into the lives and interactions of any family, rich or poor.In the case of Lord Curzon we can see that he expected standards of morality from others that he did not himself follow. He was also too controlling with his daughters precisely at the age when they needed to spread their wings. Ultimately his rigid and self-centred approach led to the complete breakdown of his relationships with his daughters. Of his daughters we can say that “Baba” was spoiled by her good looks and so used to male attention that she went crazy when she did not get it. Cimmie tolerated far too much bad behavior from her bullying husband and it probably killed her in the end. Irene was desperate for male attention and took whatever she could get. Tom Mosley was just the sort of cruel and abusive, worthless man that women often run after. All things taken together it’s a fairly predictable tale of human nature, only in this case it is on steroids because the people concerned have endless money and time to follow their libidos. It is a picture of the social decay and decadence that marked the decline of the British empire, and the interpersonal cruelty, maltreatment and immorality of the upper classes.The only criticism I have with it is that it is not really clear who is who, at least for the first quarter of the book. A character index with the names, nicknames, titles and relation to each other would have been useful. Also the long deviation into the events surrounding Edward VIII's abdication and details of Fruity's loyal service was not that interesting to me.

This is the truly amazing story the enormously wealth three daughters of Lord Curzon. One married a frivolous favorite of the Duke and duchess of Windsor. The second married Tom Mosely who founded the Fascist party in Britain for which he and his second wife spent the war in prison. The oldest daughter never married While they were privileged they also were extraordinarily selfish. The selfishness was apparent in their need to demand all around them bow to their iron whims including husbands and lovers. When the war came it had no affect on them. Despite they selfishness they poured effort in charitable work.One part I enjoyed was the portrait of the Windsors. Their selfishness eclipsed the Curzons. Wallis may not have been queen but she behaved like one organizing her life with duke as though he were still on the throne. Visitors were expect to bow and curtsy to them. For a one day trip to Washington during the war they had more than seventy pieces of luggage. They never paid for a meal.

An interesting insight into the lives of the privileged of this period of English history, but definitely written for an English audience. Privilege does not necessarily bring happiness. Very gossipy, and I really didn't care much for the details of dress, and many names casually dropped as if familiar to the reader may have suited an English readership far more than an American audience.

An absolutely enthralling book. Very detailed and giving a behind-the-scenes look at upper class British society during the first half of the Twentieth century. I read it with feelings of horror (the way that children, servants and even so-called friends were routinely treated was appalling), disgust (at the sheer amount of money spent on 'having fun' while people starved around them), fascination (at some of the revelations about Edward VIII & Wallis Simpson) and relief (that he didn't stay on as King).The turbulent home lives of the Curzon daughters are wonderfully detailed (in a way that will be impossible for future historians now that so much communication is electronic) and the casual manner in which Baba in particular treats everyone would have her diagnosed as a narcissistic personality today..!I finished the book feeling that I knew much more about topics such as the 'other side' of the Blitz - where the rich stayed at the Dorchester, with its soundproofed rooms and sleeping pods in the reinforced cellar, ensuring that they never worried about lack of sleep or personal safety - and the way in which being upper class really could ensure that you lived in a bubble, with the only worry whether your new gown would look good.I found myself respecting and liking Irene - and despising Baba for her dreadful treatment of - well, pretty well everyone..! I also felt that I knew much more about how Moseley and his British Fascists grew in power - and what an utterly despicable human being he was. The parallels with the present are chilling.

I strongly recommend this compelling and engaging narrative of the Curzon sisters’ lives which also provides an accessible overview of social and political events of the 1920’s, ‘30’s and ‘40’s, thanks to their close relations with Nancy Astor, Edward VIII, Sir Oswald Mosley and others.Nowhere else is there such a thorough treatment of Irene, Cynthia and Baba, nor of the inimitable Fruity Metcalfe. The use of first-hand sources, diaries and letters, combined with fast-paced analysis, makes for a dramatic narrative whose protagonists speak for themselves with the incomparable voice of the era. It’s a tale that awakens immense sympathy for some and no little frustration and even repugnance at others.This was a book I couldn’t put down though overall it can be dispiriting – there’s plenty to affirm that wealth and glamour don’t bring happiness. I think in part this is due to the consistent focus on the social and emotional episodes which bound the sisters together. Whilst there were also long years of dedicated service through committee and charity work, these are mostly summarised whilst the intense emotional interactions and rivalries are given in detail. The book also sheds a light inevitably on a social set whose wealth, opulence and extravagant self-indulgence can be distasteful.Nevertheless I found it a fascinating read that whetted my appetite to delve more deeply into several other characters of the period, especially Mosley, Churchill, Halifax and Harold Nicholson.I bought this book after finishing David Gilmour’s detailed and enthralling biography of Lord Curzon and I’m grateful to Anne de Courcy for providing such a unique and comprehensive account of what became of his daughters, without which Curzon’s own story seems incomplete.

This book is so well researched ad put together, giving in-depth insights into society at this time and intimate profiles of the subjects, including telling insights into the duke of Windsor. The political insights and fly-on-wall observations into the political leaders in the passage to war are also very revealing. On top of the huge volume of research needed it is also very well written and captivating. I went on to also buy the actual book and audio book. Truly oustanding.

This was a very interesting read, describing the British establishment attitudes and prejudices of the era from within. I was able to feel some empathy for these Society women, caught up as they were in the marriage market without expectation of personal achievement.

A very good book about an important family. The book describes the consraints upper middle class daughters faced and what the aristocracy did in the 1920's.