Summary of The Pursuit of Love
Narrated by Fanny, who as a child spent her holidays with her eccentric aristocratic relatives – Uncle Matthew, Aunt Sadie, and their children – at the country house Alconleigh, “The Pursuit of Love” follows the unconventional upbringing of her cousin, Linda. Beautiful but naïve, Linda grows up ill-prepared for the realities of adult life. In her pursuit of love, she makes a succession of misguided choices in men and marriage.
Reasons to read The Pursuit of Love
“The Pursuit of Love” is a romantic comedy that paints an unsparing portrait of the English upper classes between the wars, with their snobbery, frivolity, and detachment from the real world. Yet beneath the wit and satire, it explores love, friendship, and family bonds. First published in 1945, the novel was an instant bestseller and has been adapted several times for television. Nancy Mitford was the eldest of the Mitford sisters. She was a celebrated writer, best known for her novels “The Pursuit of Love”, “Love in a Cold Climate”, and “The Blessing”.
Setting: Swinbrook (England, UK) & Perpignan, Paris (France)
Much of the novel is set at the fictional Alconleigh, based on Asthall Manor near Swinbrook in Oxfordshire, the childhood home of the Mitford sisters. Later in the story, Linda moves to France (Perpignan and Paris).
Original title: The Pursuit of Love
Year of publication: 1945
Nr of pages: 240
