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The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother And Me
Faringdon House in Oxfordshire was the home of Lord Berners, composer, writer, painter, friend of Stravinsky and Gertrude Stein, a man renowned for his eccentricity – masks, practical jokes, a flock of multi-coloured doves – and his homosexuality. Before the war he made Faringdon an aesthete’s paradise, where exquisite food was served to many of the great minds, beauties and wits of the day.
Since the early thirties his companion there was Robert Heber-Percy, twenty-eight years his junior, wildly physical, unscholarly, a hothead who rode naked through the grounds, loved cocktails and nightclubs, and was known to all as the Mad Boy. If the two men made an unlikely couple, at a time when homosexuality was illegal, the addition to the household in 1942 of a pregnant Jennifer Fry, a high society girl known to be ‘fast’, as Robert’s wife was simply astounding.
After Victoria was born the marriage soon foundered (Jennifer later married Alan Ross). Berners died in 1950, leaving Robert in charge of Faringdon, aided by a ferocious Austrian housekeeper who strove to keep the same culinary standards in a more austere age. This was the world Sofka Zinovieff, Victoria’s daughter, a typical child of the sixties, first encountered at the age of seventeen. Eight years later, to her astonishment, Robert told her he was leaving her Faringdon House.
Her book about Faringdon and its people is marvellously witty and full of insight, bringing to life a vanished world and the almost fantastical people who lived in it.
453 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2014
143 people are currently reading
853 people want to read
About the author
Sofka Zinovieff
8 books103 followersSofka Zinovieff was born in London and was educated at Cambridge. She has worked as a freelance journalist and lived in Moscow and Rome before settling in Athens with her Greek husband and their two daughters in 2001.
Her book, Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life has been translated into ten languages and she is the author of Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens.
Her book, Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life has been translated into ten languages and she is the author of Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 7, 2015
"Mad Boy..." illustrates the fuked-upedness of Brit men until 1967 when same sex was deemed legal (it took another decade for Scotland and N Ireland to agree)...and, today, age of consent is 16, which many deem too high as 1/3rd of teens are doing something or other by 14 and need health advice. Choke on it.
Lord Berners was nearing 50 -- writer, composer, painter, and closeted aristo, by law -- when, in 1932, he mentored and "protected" (lol) Robert Heber-Percy, age 21, an aristo with No Ambition and in search of a sugar daddy. A hunky-cutey with a bad temper, he had no particular interests outside of sex. The author of this memoir (her grandfather was, probably, Robert) wants to believe that the two pecked kissies a few times, but, surely, did nothing more : C'mon, lady! ~ Robert was happy, it's obvious, to sing for his supper on the Berners estate and even hit a few high notes (know what I mean?) to get named - early on - in the Gerald Berners Will.
Gerald was an interesting, though, physically, most unattractive poop. He was also a wit who needed entertainment. Robert obliged. But he was never a "mad boy." After 5 years - when all relationships, het or hs, hit the skids -- changes began, but you must read between the lines of this boringly overwritten 400-pager which sticks to known facts (A for accuracy) and fails on anything that might be called insight or...sexual psychology.
Enter a beaut-dun-it-all aristo dame named Jennifer, whose own dado was queer -- pre 1967, this seems to be the Brit norm. Suddenly queer Robert marries (1942) this preggie miss and then locks his bedroom door. She births a child named Victoria and soon decamps to other areas of London. So, in fact, this is not about a menage-a-trois. (False advertising).
The first 200 pages dump a guest List at the manor of Lord Berners. It is a thumping snooze, despite the presence of names like HG Wells, Fred Ashton, Nancy Mitford, Dali, Evelyn Waugh, Cyril Connelly and, of course, Cece Beaton, who later gets slugged by Robert, the one act you might cheer him for. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho !
The midsection (some 100 pages) is only worth reading : it covers Robert's eh-huhh? marriage-dissolvement and London during W2. Badly conceived, the book has another (dear gott) 100 pages of scrapple while the author tells us all about herself (more ehh?) and erects the question of her paternity. Wazzit Robert or someone else for whom he played stand-in? I sus he may have poked Jennifer once (she knew where to guide his lil thingie) and agreed to play "official father"-- for it may have been Ian or Ned or jessuzooo. If so, it was the one courteous deed he ever did. Yawn...
The author -- Victoria's daughter -- is sincere and scrupulous. Her memmy is so discreet, and humorless, it could be read aloud at high tea or High Church. Most annoying, the author fails to put this "story" in any perspective of our evolving sexio-cultural world. ~~ You wont be surprised to hear the UK critics wet their knickers over it.
Skip this and read Mitford's "The Pursuit of Love" (Gerald is Lord Merlin) or "Belchamber" x Howard Sturgis.
Lord Berners was nearing 50 -- writer, composer, painter, and closeted aristo, by law -- when, in 1932, he mentored and "protected" (lol) Robert Heber-Percy, age 21, an aristo with No Ambition and in search of a sugar daddy. A hunky-cutey with a bad temper, he had no particular interests outside of sex. The author of this memoir (her grandfather was, probably, Robert) wants to believe that the two pecked kissies a few times, but, surely, did nothing more : C'mon, lady! ~ Robert was happy, it's obvious, to sing for his supper on the Berners estate and even hit a few high notes (know what I mean?) to get named - early on - in the Gerald Berners Will.
Gerald was an interesting, though, physically, most unattractive poop. He was also a wit who needed entertainment. Robert obliged. But he was never a "mad boy." After 5 years - when all relationships, het or hs, hit the skids -- changes began, but you must read between the lines of this boringly overwritten 400-pager which sticks to known facts (A for accuracy) and fails on anything that might be called insight or...sexual psychology.
Enter a beaut-dun-it-all aristo dame named Jennifer, whose own dado was queer -- pre 1967, this seems to be the Brit norm. Suddenly queer Robert marries (1942) this preggie miss and then locks his bedroom door. She births a child named Victoria and soon decamps to other areas of London. So, in fact, this is not about a menage-a-trois. (False advertising).
The first 200 pages dump a guest List at the manor of Lord Berners. It is a thumping snooze, despite the presence of names like HG Wells, Fred Ashton, Nancy Mitford, Dali, Evelyn Waugh, Cyril Connelly and, of course, Cece Beaton, who later gets slugged by Robert, the one act you might cheer him for. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho !
The midsection (some 100 pages) is only worth reading : it covers Robert's eh-huhh? marriage-dissolvement and London during W2. Badly conceived, the book has another (dear gott) 100 pages of scrapple while the author tells us all about herself (more ehh?) and erects the question of her paternity. Wazzit Robert or someone else for whom he played stand-in? I sus he may have poked Jennifer once (she knew where to guide his lil thingie) and agreed to play "official father"-- for it may have been Ian or Ned or jessuzooo. If so, it was the one courteous deed he ever did. Yawn...
The author -- Victoria's daughter -- is sincere and scrupulous. Her memmy is so discreet, and humorless, it could be read aloud at high tea or High Church. Most annoying, the author fails to put this "story" in any perspective of our evolving sexio-cultural world. ~~ You wont be surprised to hear the UK critics wet their knickers over it.
Skip this and read Mitford's "The Pursuit of Love" (Gerald is Lord Merlin) or "Belchamber" x Howard Sturgis.
December 31, 2014
The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me
The ‘Me’ in Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me is Sofka Zinovieff the author of this wonderfully intriguing book about the occupants of an Oxfordshire Manor House in the twentieth century. This is a fun read written in a wonderful and easy to read style packed with some fantastic photographs.
Besides writing about herself Sofka introduces us to the cast her grandmother Jennifer Fry the heir to the Fry Chocolate dynasty and the only daughter of Geoffrey Fry; the mad boy is Robert Heber-Percy who may or may not be the grandfather of the author; Lord Berners is the gay lover and benefactor of Robert, who happens to be eccentric as well as a composer, writer and artist; and the manor house is Farringdon.
Lord Berners throughout the 1930s entertained the fashionable and well connected in society London of the time. Farringdon is where they could come and play not having to worry about what others thought so we get a star studded cast all the way through the book; with people such as The Mitford sisters, HG Wells and Igor Stravinsky the list is endless.
This book enlightens us to Lord Berners and how he became involved in the much younger bisexual Robert. We also get to look inside the world of Jennifer Fry who never does reveal the name of the biological father of Sofka’s mother. If this were today the red top papers would be filling their pages with the gossip of what was happening at Farringdon.
This book is a well presented well written book which lovingly tells us of all the eccentrics and eccentricities that took place at Farringdon. This is a pleasure to read and takes us back to a world that has since died whatever some people say.
The ‘Me’ in Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me is Sofka Zinovieff the author of this wonderfully intriguing book about the occupants of an Oxfordshire Manor House in the twentieth century. This is a fun read written in a wonderful and easy to read style packed with some fantastic photographs.
Besides writing about herself Sofka introduces us to the cast her grandmother Jennifer Fry the heir to the Fry Chocolate dynasty and the only daughter of Geoffrey Fry; the mad boy is Robert Heber-Percy who may or may not be the grandfather of the author; Lord Berners is the gay lover and benefactor of Robert, who happens to be eccentric as well as a composer, writer and artist; and the manor house is Farringdon.
Lord Berners throughout the 1930s entertained the fashionable and well connected in society London of the time. Farringdon is where they could come and play not having to worry about what others thought so we get a star studded cast all the way through the book; with people such as The Mitford sisters, HG Wells and Igor Stravinsky the list is endless.
This book enlightens us to Lord Berners and how he became involved in the much younger bisexual Robert. We also get to look inside the world of Jennifer Fry who never does reveal the name of the biological father of Sofka’s mother. If this were today the red top papers would be filling their pages with the gossip of what was happening at Farringdon.
This book is a well presented well written book which lovingly tells us of all the eccentrics and eccentricities that took place at Farringdon. This is a pleasure to read and takes us back to a world that has since died whatever some people say.
December 3, 2018
A fascinating family history is written by the granddaughter of Lord Berners' boyfriend/mate. I'm a fan of Lord Berners, and this book gives a more full picture of the world of Berners and his extraordinary home, the Faringdon House. From the 1920s to the 1980s, a narration of slightly decadent people with a cast of individuals such as Cecil Beaton, among many. The Mad Boy in the title is the nickname of Robert Hever-Percy, a party boy who took care of the household/grounds of Faringdon House, as well as being the life companion of Lord Berners. A beautifully designed book, with fascinating family pictures of the estate and those who lived in this wonderful house. There is no real in-depth look into Berners' writings or music, but still a detailed account of his life as part of the society at the time.
May 6, 2025
This was right up my alley. It's a very niche subject matter so unless you already have an interest in this time period and this group of people don't bother trying to read it. If you know who Nancy Mitford, Daisy Fellows, John Betjeman, Edith Sitwell, Evelyn Waugh, Sergei Diaghilev and Emerald Cunard are, then you are in the right place and should definitely read this biography.
I kept reading references to Mad Boy in other books and wanted to get his story. I found this in the library and was immediately struck by both the title and the great cover photo(taken by Cecil Beaton, another person in this book). There were lots of great photos throughout the book, which I loved. I also, like a crazy person, googled Faringdon House so I could get a birds eye view of the grounds and the general location. I am such a sucker for those grand English country houses. I am still trying to find images from the Mario Testino 1988 photo shoot held at the house. I would have been happy with even more photos, oh well, at least there are some.
This is a long book, almost 500 pages, because the book included lots and lots of tangents about other characters who interacted with Berners and Mad Boy. At times I would forget the book was supposed to be about them, the digressions went on for so long. Not that I minded, the stories were fascinating. The story about Coote and her family! That sent me down a long rabbit hole! What an amazing house Madresfield Court is! Maybe even cooler than Faringdon House and that is saying a lot. Lord Berners house is another character in this story; it sounded so amazing and I hope the new owners appreciate it. I think they got a bargain, only 11 million for the house and land.
There was a meeting of social groups when I found out that David Niven's first wife was the best friend of the author's grandmother. Wha??? I read a lot of old Hollywood books so I knew about Prim and her tragic accident dying at Tyrone Powers house playing the fun game Sardines. To suddenly stumble across her in this book was startling. It was such a small incestuous group of people back then in high society, everyone knew everyone. As a reader of books about that era, I find myself reading about the same people over and over again so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Pamela Churchill is another person I keep coming across in so so many biographies. She got around!
While entertaining to read about, most of the people in this book are not people I would actually want in my life. Basically across the board awful parenting, the romantic relationships were almost all unhappy and miserable with lots of cheating, servants and staff were underpaid and mistreated....um, I guess the animals were treated well(other than the scads of those hunted and killed, of course). So much unhappiness! There was a lot of addiction issues, lots of suicides....the beauty and creativity was not enough to sustain them.
my mother was not enthusiastic about the glamour or impressed by the famous old friends. She associated the place with snobbery, camp bad behaviour and a lack of love and affection.
Through the 1920s and into the 1930s, the pursuit of pleasure and beauty seemed some sort of reaction to the horrors of what had gone on during the war It turns out the pursuit led to different horrors
Her collection of jewels was impressive and when making a promise she would mischievously touch her forehead, breast and two collar-bones, murmuring 'Tiara, brooch, clip, clip'. Doris, Lady Castlerosse, whose biography I recently read. Awful human being but lots of funny anecdotes about her
It is unsettling to think about Diana's enormous charisma combined with such poisonous attitudes, particularly because, at least in the early years, she was far from being alone in holding them.The question of where Gerald and Robert stood politically is much less clear, although neither of them ever seemed to take politics seriously Lots of creepy antisemitism and racism going on
Salvador Dali must have been thrilled by the Folly when he came to stay with his wife Gala in the summer of 1936. Gerald had met them in Paris with Winnie de Polignac and was intrigued enough by the rising surrealist star to invite him to Faringdon. The book repeatedly references the guest book at Faringdon. I would love to flip through them, there were so so so many famous visitors
At West Dean, Edward James's Sussex home, the two men came up with the famous Lobster Telephone and the Mae West Lips Sofa...In happier days, James had ordered a stair carpet woven with his wife's footprints, to recall the marks she made with wet feet after a bath. Their very public divorce provoked a huge scandal: she accused him of being homosexual (her close friend Adele Astaire caused a stir with her evidence) Ok, I now have to read a biography of this guy! Adele Astaire! I love her! The Mae West lips couch! I just read Mae's memoir last year and she wrote about that couch!
When Max Ernst refused to shake Dali's hand, saying, '1 don't shake the hand of a Fascist,' Dalí replied, 'I am not a Fascist, I am only an opportunist.' Peggy Guggenheim had the right idea, being obsessed with Max.
Elsa Schiaparelli made sweaters with patterns of skeleton ribs or tattoo-like pierced hearts, suits with pockets like a chest of drawers, and introduced zippers (specially coloured), wedge-heeled shoes, culottes and simple 'smalls' to replace elaborate silk underwear. Dang, I would wear all of those! Another person I need to read more about.
Robert Helpmann, one of the star dancers in A Wedding Bouquet, described a visit to Faringdon when another of the more unusual and interesting couples to visit was there: Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Helpmann recalled entering the drawing room at teatime and having to wait while a horse was fed buttered scones before being introduced to his fellow guests I assume Penelope Betjeman's horse Moti? Cecil Beaton has several photos of the horse hanging out inside Faringdon House.
Like countless mothers of the time, Alathea was denied the opportunity to look after her child and had little else to occupy her. The figure of the sick mother, neurotic, fainting, depressed and 'ill' on a couch or in her bedroom is a staple of the reality and fiction of the time and was often linked to
'a profound sense of uselessness' So true! You see this stock character a lot in Golden Era mysteries.
The writer Peter Quennell described being caught in an air raid with his friend in a London street, bombs going off all around. 'And Cyril simply stood inside a doorway calmly waiting for the raid to end. I was visibly frightened, thinking any minute a bomb might hit us, but when Cyril saw the expression on my face he just looked at me and said, "Be calm. Really, you know, we've all had interesting lives. And so they all did!
I kept reading references to Mad Boy in other books and wanted to get his story. I found this in the library and was immediately struck by both the title and the great cover photo(taken by Cecil Beaton, another person in this book). There were lots of great photos throughout the book, which I loved. I also, like a crazy person, googled Faringdon House so I could get a birds eye view of the grounds and the general location. I am such a sucker for those grand English country houses. I am still trying to find images from the Mario Testino 1988 photo shoot held at the house. I would have been happy with even more photos, oh well, at least there are some.
This is a long book, almost 500 pages, because the book included lots and lots of tangents about other characters who interacted with Berners and Mad Boy. At times I would forget the book was supposed to be about them, the digressions went on for so long. Not that I minded, the stories were fascinating. The story about Coote and her family! That sent me down a long rabbit hole! What an amazing house Madresfield Court is! Maybe even cooler than Faringdon House and that is saying a lot. Lord Berners house is another character in this story; it sounded so amazing and I hope the new owners appreciate it. I think they got a bargain, only 11 million for the house and land.
There was a meeting of social groups when I found out that David Niven's first wife was the best friend of the author's grandmother. Wha??? I read a lot of old Hollywood books so I knew about Prim and her tragic accident dying at Tyrone Powers house playing the fun game Sardines. To suddenly stumble across her in this book was startling. It was such a small incestuous group of people back then in high society, everyone knew everyone. As a reader of books about that era, I find myself reading about the same people over and over again so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Pamela Churchill is another person I keep coming across in so so many biographies. She got around!
While entertaining to read about, most of the people in this book are not people I would actually want in my life. Basically across the board awful parenting, the romantic relationships were almost all unhappy and miserable with lots of cheating, servants and staff were underpaid and mistreated....um, I guess the animals were treated well(other than the scads of those hunted and killed, of course). So much unhappiness! There was a lot of addiction issues, lots of suicides....the beauty and creativity was not enough to sustain them.
my mother was not enthusiastic about the glamour or impressed by the famous old friends. She associated the place with snobbery, camp bad behaviour and a lack of love and affection.
Through the 1920s and into the 1930s, the pursuit of pleasure and beauty seemed some sort of reaction to the horrors of what had gone on during the war It turns out the pursuit led to different horrors
Her collection of jewels was impressive and when making a promise she would mischievously touch her forehead, breast and two collar-bones, murmuring 'Tiara, brooch, clip, clip'. Doris, Lady Castlerosse, whose biography I recently read. Awful human being but lots of funny anecdotes about her
It is unsettling to think about Diana's enormous charisma combined with such poisonous attitudes, particularly because, at least in the early years, she was far from being alone in holding them.The question of where Gerald and Robert stood politically is much less clear, although neither of them ever seemed to take politics seriously Lots of creepy antisemitism and racism going on
Salvador Dali must have been thrilled by the Folly when he came to stay with his wife Gala in the summer of 1936. Gerald had met them in Paris with Winnie de Polignac and was intrigued enough by the rising surrealist star to invite him to Faringdon. The book repeatedly references the guest book at Faringdon. I would love to flip through them, there were so so so many famous visitors
At West Dean, Edward James's Sussex home, the two men came up with the famous Lobster Telephone and the Mae West Lips Sofa...In happier days, James had ordered a stair carpet woven with his wife's footprints, to recall the marks she made with wet feet after a bath. Their very public divorce provoked a huge scandal: she accused him of being homosexual (her close friend Adele Astaire caused a stir with her evidence) Ok, I now have to read a biography of this guy! Adele Astaire! I love her! The Mae West lips couch! I just read Mae's memoir last year and she wrote about that couch!
When Max Ernst refused to shake Dali's hand, saying, '1 don't shake the hand of a Fascist,' Dalí replied, 'I am not a Fascist, I am only an opportunist.' Peggy Guggenheim had the right idea, being obsessed with Max.
Elsa Schiaparelli made sweaters with patterns of skeleton ribs or tattoo-like pierced hearts, suits with pockets like a chest of drawers, and introduced zippers (specially coloured), wedge-heeled shoes, culottes and simple 'smalls' to replace elaborate silk underwear. Dang, I would wear all of those! Another person I need to read more about.
Robert Helpmann, one of the star dancers in A Wedding Bouquet, described a visit to Faringdon when another of the more unusual and interesting couples to visit was there: Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Helpmann recalled entering the drawing room at teatime and having to wait while a horse was fed buttered scones before being introduced to his fellow guests I assume Penelope Betjeman's horse Moti? Cecil Beaton has several photos of the horse hanging out inside Faringdon House.
Like countless mothers of the time, Alathea was denied the opportunity to look after her child and had little else to occupy her. The figure of the sick mother, neurotic, fainting, depressed and 'ill' on a couch or in her bedroom is a staple of the reality and fiction of the time and was often linked to
'a profound sense of uselessness' So true! You see this stock character a lot in Golden Era mysteries.
The writer Peter Quennell described being caught in an air raid with his friend in a London street, bombs going off all around. 'And Cyril simply stood inside a doorway calmly waiting for the raid to end. I was visibly frightened, thinking any minute a bomb might hit us, but when Cyril saw the expression on my face he just looked at me and said, "Be calm. Really, you know, we've all had interesting lives. And so they all did!
January 8, 2015
Dithered between three and four stars for this. It's a gorgeous book to look at and handle. It's SO heavy, with thick, shiny, creamy paper and lots of beautiful photographs. It's the sort of book you open and close and almost stroke before you settle down to read it properly.
The book tells the story of Faringdon House, home to the bachelor Lord Berners, his 'companion' Robert Heber-Percy, and Robert's wife Jennifer. The author is Jennifer's granddaughter.
It's packed full of everyone who was anyone during the 1920's and 30's and I spent a lot of time googling to find out more about the outrageous stories and life styles mentioned.
The language sometimes got a little too flowery for my taste. I could do without "both were sexual buccaneers whose bodies were their boats". For goodness sake!
Having said that, it's an enjoyable read.
The book tells the story of Faringdon House, home to the bachelor Lord Berners, his 'companion' Robert Heber-Percy, and Robert's wife Jennifer. The author is Jennifer's granddaughter.
It's packed full of everyone who was anyone during the 1920's and 30's and I spent a lot of time googling to find out more about the outrageous stories and life styles mentioned.
The language sometimes got a little too flowery for my taste. I could do without "both were sexual buccaneers whose bodies were their boats". For goodness sake!
Having said that, it's an enjoyable read.
June 28, 2018
WARUM WOLLTE ICH ES LESEN? Ein exklusiver Einblick in eine Elite voller bekannter Autoren? Das klang unheimlich interessant und auch das sehr deutlich angeteasterte LGTBQ-Thema sprach mich an. Darüber hinaus wollte ich mich mit dieser (Auto)Biografie mal wieder in andere Genres wagen. Ob mir das gelungen ist?
HAT ES MEINE ERWARTUNGEN ERFÜLLT? Ja und nein. Aber hauptsächlich leider nein. Anstatt eine auf sehr wenige Personen konzentrierte Biografie zu lesen, bekam ich eine allumfasende Beschreibung der englischen High Society. Und das war mir leider zu viel, zu chaotisch und zu wenigen fokusssiert.
WAS HAT MIR GUT GEFALLEN? Allen voran die wahnsinnig schöne Gestaltung des Buches. Jede einzelne Seite ist wundervoll gestaltet und die Fotos, die ich wunderschön und sehr gut ausgewählt finde. Auch der Schreibstil war erfrischend und schön zu lesen und den Rundumblick durch verschiedene Zeiten fand ich klasse.
WAS HAT MICH GESTÖRT? Ich hätte mir eine stärkere Fokussierung auf die im Titel und Klappebtext angeteaserten Personen sehr gewünscht. Leider bekam ich eine Vielzahl an Geschichten, Personen und Beziehungen und verwirrte mich leider sehr, da ich schlichtweg nicht den Überblick zwischen allen Relationen behalten konnte. Hier wäre weniger einfach mehr gewesen, denn das Buch wurde über weitere Strecken einfach sehr langweilig und konnte mich trotz der schönen Gestaltung schlichtweg nicht überzeugen.
FAZIT. Trotz der tollen Idee und der schönen Aufmachung konnte mich die Biografie leider nicht überzeugen. Schuld daran sind die Handlung ohne Faden, starke Abschweifungen und viel zu viele Informationen, über die man nur schwer den Überblick behält. | ★★★☆☆
HAT ES MEINE ERWARTUNGEN ERFÜLLT? Ja und nein. Aber hauptsächlich leider nein. Anstatt eine auf sehr wenige Personen konzentrierte Biografie zu lesen, bekam ich eine allumfasende Beschreibung der englischen High Society. Und das war mir leider zu viel, zu chaotisch und zu wenigen fokusssiert.
WAS HAT MIR GUT GEFALLEN? Allen voran die wahnsinnig schöne Gestaltung des Buches. Jede einzelne Seite ist wundervoll gestaltet und die Fotos, die ich wunderschön und sehr gut ausgewählt finde. Auch der Schreibstil war erfrischend und schön zu lesen und den Rundumblick durch verschiedene Zeiten fand ich klasse.
WAS HAT MICH GESTÖRT? Ich hätte mir eine stärkere Fokussierung auf die im Titel und Klappebtext angeteaserten Personen sehr gewünscht. Leider bekam ich eine Vielzahl an Geschichten, Personen und Beziehungen und verwirrte mich leider sehr, da ich schlichtweg nicht den Überblick zwischen allen Relationen behalten konnte. Hier wäre weniger einfach mehr gewesen, denn das Buch wurde über weitere Strecken einfach sehr langweilig und konnte mich trotz der schönen Gestaltung schlichtweg nicht überzeugen.
FAZIT. Trotz der tollen Idee und der schönen Aufmachung konnte mich die Biografie leider nicht überzeugen. Schuld daran sind die Handlung ohne Faden, starke Abschweifungen und viel zu viele Informationen, über die man nur schwer den Überblick behält. | ★★★☆☆
July 14, 2018
Mixing memoirs and biography, this handsomely and elegantly presented book is quintessentially British, at least in the way it offers a riveting portrait of a certain kind of England that - as much as it sometimes may feel riddled with clichés - was very much a reality for a small elite, and remains a sort of fantasy for some (a fantasy, shall I add, that many movies and TV series have exploited). I’m talking about the quasi mythical, deliciously decadent England of eccentric aristocrats, grand mansions where tea-parties and fancy dinners are organized, sorrowful yet multi-talented artists who tend to die young, fast and furious Bright Young Things, shocking scandals, London under the Blitz, men and women who dare to assume their fluid sexuality at a time when it was not the thing to do, lives both charmed and tragic, horses and green countryside. This is the England that this book is all about. Somehow, and rather cleverly, Zinovieff, its author, manages to give it an irresistible homage, while simultaneously depicting it with honesty and without false nostalgia or pink-colored glasses. She doesn’t shy away, for example, from the abhorrent political views a few of the people she writes about were holding, and she talks unflinchingly about their flaws. Having inherited Faringdon House, a superb property, Zinovieff tells us about its rich past and especially about its most famous owners, the once celebrated, once forgotten, and newly rediscovered Lord Berners, an aesthete who was also a brilliant composer (and writer), and his much younger lover, the dashing Robert, nicknamed “Mad Boy” for good reasons, who happens to be (at least possibly) the author’s great-grand-father. It’s a story filled with arts, beauty, sex, luxurious travels (Berners owned a home in Rome), depressive wealthy people, terribly unhappy families, stuffing traditions, and children inhabited by a desire to escape the trappings of their lonely childhood but often repeating the mistakes of their parents. Faringdon House is truly the heart of the book, and Zinovieff writes beautifully about its atmosphere, about the way it looked and felt, about how people – owners and guests – lived in it. The cast of characters is huge and fascinating: famed names such as Cecil Beaton (who comes across as quite bitchy), the composer Constant Lambert, movie star David Niven, or the writer Nancy Mitford (and her notorious sister Diana, a fascist) appear in guest-roles, and so do numerous forgotten women and men, most of them members of the UK’s high society and the jet-set. Their amazingly privileged (even if often tragic) lives seem straight out of a novel. In fact, the whole book reads as a novel, and evokes not only the world of Mitford’s best-sellers (she actually used Lord Berners and his domain in her own work) but also stories written by Evelyn Waugh and E.M. Forster, among others. Zinovieff doesn’t try to write a definitive biography of any of these characters. There are, for example, much more detailed books about Berners, and numeros bios of the Mitford sisters. But she does gives us a sensitively articulated and quite empathic portrait of both Berners and the lesser-known Robert, who formed an unusual and arresting couple. She also writes lovingly about the enigmatic and charismatic Jennifer, a free spirit who, to the shock of quite a few, married Robert, and lived for a while at Faringdon House with the two men. Without any judgement, the author writes about the complicated lives of all those characters – including their sexuality, which is often burdened by the pressures of society (homosexuality was then punishable by law in GB) and by traumatic family histories. Many photographs are displayed throughout the book, but frustratingly, a lot of them are printed so small that it’s hard to really appreciate them fully. Zinovieff’s book is often funny, if only because of the extraordinary eccentricities that she records, but it’s also bathing in a persistent sadness that can turns into poignancy as time passes by and people age. Still, a new generation has lately given new life to Faringdon House, bringing hope and youthfulness to it, while continuing to honor its glorious past. Accordingly melancholic and joyful, Zinovieff is a gifted guide who is as beguiled as her reader by the world she introduces us to.
April 13, 2024
The Mad Boy has popped up in a few other books I’ve read -certainly in Chips Channon - and the idea of the Mad Boy has always fascinated me. Who was this mysterious character, why was he called the Mad Boy, what made him mad? I also knew that the Mad Boy was in a queer relationship with Lord Berners, who I found out was the inspiration for Lord Merlin in The Pursuit of Love part of the world of Mitfordiana. What I did not know was the Mad Boy, in the midst of his relationship with Lord Berners - and in the middle of WW2 - married and had a child. That child is the mother of the author of this book, who wanted to know more about his mad grandfather, his glamorous mad, madcap life, and where her grandmother fit into all of this. It’s a fascinating book, particularly if you like books about the bright your things culture of hte 1930s (and the Mitfords). It runs out of steam towards the end, but it’s a mad journey to get there. There are still mysteries left that likely will never be solved. Berners and the Mad Boy make for interesting reading.
February 16, 2015
I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins.
Author Sofka Zinovieff's grandparents Jennifer and Robert belonged to the glittering, bohemian aristocracy of Britain of the 1930s and 40s. However, their marriage was particularly unusual because by the time Robert Heber-Percy married Jennifer Fry, he had been involved with and living with a much older man - Gerald, Lord Berners - for more than a decade. Together, this unusual trio lived at Faringdon House, Gerald's house in Oxfordshire, which Robert later inherited. Although Robert and Jennifer's marriage didn't last long, it did produce the author's mother, Victoria. Today, the author owns the home, and the particular legacy of the her wildly unusual family.
Stepping into the world of Lord Berners, Robert, and Jennifer felt like revisiting old friends. For anyone who has read anything about the Mitford sisters, the Waughs, or books like The Bolter, the cast of characters will be familiar. It's remarkable how the vibrant, irreverent social scene of British aristocracy of the time period seems like such a small world - all the same individuals appear in this book as many others from the time period. Famous names dropped in this book's pages, many of whom were guests of Gerald and Robert at Faringdon House, include Nancy Mitford, Igor Stravinsky, Diana Mitford Mosley, Hitler, Evelyn Waugh, Salvador Dali, H.G. Wells, Gertrude Stein, and Alice Toklas.
Faringdon House was known for its eccentricities. Indeed, Nancy Mitford fictionalized Gerald Berners and Faringdon in The Pursuit of Love as Lord Merlin and Merlinford. The estate is famous for its doves, dyed in various pastel hues. Lord Berners was said to keep and play a piano in his car, in fact, it was "a portable Dolmetsch clavichord (with no legs and decorated with flowers and butterflies), which Gerald took around with him and played when he stopped' (42). Although illegal at the time, Gerald and Robert seemed to have no qualms about living together as a gay couple. "Many of the old taboos were broken by the Bright Young Things, who refused to follow in the conventional footsteps of their parents, yet had (in the case of men) gone to public schools where relationships between boys were the rule not the exception" (67).
All three of the trio were intriguing individuals. Lord Gerald was a composer, musician, painter, writer, and poet, whose works are still known today. Robert, known by his friends as the "Mad Boy" was known for flagrantly disregarding the rules and being wild and great fun. "At Faringdon, Robert lived the life of a favoured first son on a country estate, but with the indulgence of an older man who was in love with him" (76). Yet Gerald benefitted from Robert as well, since Robert became estate manager and handled all the day to day affairs of Faringdon. The two seemed to have had an an open relationship (which may have not even been sexual). On the other hand, its unsure whether or not Jennifer's child Victoria was really fathered by Robert, and their marriage was largely devoid of sex as well. Jennifer herself had an interesting childhood and was a relative of Lord Carnarvon, who funded many of Howard Carter's Egyptian expeditions and her aunt was "She-Evelyn" - the first wife of Evelyn Waugh. Jennifer was extremely sexually liberal and extravagantly beautiful. Later in life, Jennifer's wealth funded her second husband's "interest in young, undiscovered talent" and a monthly literary publication that published aspiring young writers including Derek Walcott and Jean Rhys.
The author, although granddaughter of Robert and Jennifer, is in a unique position to be rather objective towards the story of Faringdon House since she grew up largely outside of its world and never knew Robert well and did not meet Gerald before his death. The author expresses much anxiety over the inheritance of the house and its many traditions and rich history. Since much of the book deals with the house itself, I do wish more of its history had been included that predated Lord Berners as its owner. I would love to learn more about its origins and owners before Lord Berners, Robert, and now the author took the reigns.
Part biography, part memoir, part history of a particular slice of British society, this book is a fascinating addition to the other histories that have covered this period of British life. Although at times it seems to name drop a tad too much, and at other times seems to suffer from too flowery language, overall I loved learning about the brilliantly odd life and times of the three people whose relationship ultimately led to the author's existence.
Author Sofka Zinovieff's grandparents Jennifer and Robert belonged to the glittering, bohemian aristocracy of Britain of the 1930s and 40s. However, their marriage was particularly unusual because by the time Robert Heber-Percy married Jennifer Fry, he had been involved with and living with a much older man - Gerald, Lord Berners - for more than a decade. Together, this unusual trio lived at Faringdon House, Gerald's house in Oxfordshire, which Robert later inherited. Although Robert and Jennifer's marriage didn't last long, it did produce the author's mother, Victoria. Today, the author owns the home, and the particular legacy of the her wildly unusual family.
Stepping into the world of Lord Berners, Robert, and Jennifer felt like revisiting old friends. For anyone who has read anything about the Mitford sisters, the Waughs, or books like The Bolter, the cast of characters will be familiar. It's remarkable how the vibrant, irreverent social scene of British aristocracy of the time period seems like such a small world - all the same individuals appear in this book as many others from the time period. Famous names dropped in this book's pages, many of whom were guests of Gerald and Robert at Faringdon House, include Nancy Mitford, Igor Stravinsky, Diana Mitford Mosley, Hitler, Evelyn Waugh, Salvador Dali, H.G. Wells, Gertrude Stein, and Alice Toklas.
Faringdon House was known for its eccentricities. Indeed, Nancy Mitford fictionalized Gerald Berners and Faringdon in The Pursuit of Love as Lord Merlin and Merlinford. The estate is famous for its doves, dyed in various pastel hues. Lord Berners was said to keep and play a piano in his car, in fact, it was "a portable Dolmetsch clavichord (with no legs and decorated with flowers and butterflies), which Gerald took around with him and played when he stopped' (42). Although illegal at the time, Gerald and Robert seemed to have no qualms about living together as a gay couple. "Many of the old taboos were broken by the Bright Young Things, who refused to follow in the conventional footsteps of their parents, yet had (in the case of men) gone to public schools where relationships between boys were the rule not the exception" (67).
All three of the trio were intriguing individuals. Lord Gerald was a composer, musician, painter, writer, and poet, whose works are still known today. Robert, known by his friends as the "Mad Boy" was known for flagrantly disregarding the rules and being wild and great fun. "At Faringdon, Robert lived the life of a favoured first son on a country estate, but with the indulgence of an older man who was in love with him" (76). Yet Gerald benefitted from Robert as well, since Robert became estate manager and handled all the day to day affairs of Faringdon. The two seemed to have had an an open relationship (which may have not even been sexual). On the other hand, its unsure whether or not Jennifer's child Victoria was really fathered by Robert, and their marriage was largely devoid of sex as well. Jennifer herself had an interesting childhood and was a relative of Lord Carnarvon, who funded many of Howard Carter's Egyptian expeditions and her aunt was "She-Evelyn" - the first wife of Evelyn Waugh. Jennifer was extremely sexually liberal and extravagantly beautiful. Later in life, Jennifer's wealth funded her second husband's "interest in young, undiscovered talent" and a monthly literary publication that published aspiring young writers including Derek Walcott and Jean Rhys.
The author, although granddaughter of Robert and Jennifer, is in a unique position to be rather objective towards the story of Faringdon House since she grew up largely outside of its world and never knew Robert well and did not meet Gerald before his death. The author expresses much anxiety over the inheritance of the house and its many traditions and rich history. Since much of the book deals with the house itself, I do wish more of its history had been included that predated Lord Berners as its owner. I would love to learn more about its origins and owners before Lord Berners, Robert, and now the author took the reigns.
Part biography, part memoir, part history of a particular slice of British society, this book is a fascinating addition to the other histories that have covered this period of British life. Although at times it seems to name drop a tad too much, and at other times seems to suffer from too flowery language, overall I loved learning about the brilliantly odd life and times of the three people whose relationship ultimately led to the author's existence.
May 27, 2015
This spectacular and authoritative: "The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me: An Aristocratic Family, High Society Scandal, and Extraordinary Legacy" authored by Sofka Zinovieff PhD, is explained somewhat in the title, and details how the author came to inherit the grand English Faringdon house, located in Oxfordshire, England which is at the center of this incredible story.
*Lord Gerald Berner, was an established member of high British society, a charming, generous, brilliant, artist, self published satire novelist, a self-taught pianist spoke French, German, and Italian to engage musically with the brightest composers of his day. Although it was permissible under certain conditions for female related inheritance, he inherited his title, money, and property from a paternal uncle in 1918, after serving as a diplomat.
Gerald, a thoughtful confirmed bachelor, hadn't confirmed or denied his homosexuality, which during his lifetime was illegal. After the arrest/imprisonment of Oscar Wilde the "Bohemia" alternative lifestyles of cosmopolitan artistic flair were more acceptable in society. When Gerald met the handsome, sexy, sensual, highly unreliable "Mad Boy" Robert Herber-Percy (1911-1987) in 1931 at a house party, he couldn't resist him! Soon after Robert joined Gerald and lived with him at Faringdon.
Gerald and Robert seemed happy as they held lavish parties, their guests among the most famous influential writers, artists, actors, of their time. Gerald couldn't have been pleased when Robert married (July 1942-1947) the beautiful, free-spirited, socialite Jennifer Fry. Fry at 26, (and likely pregnant) was known to have a "penchant for homosexual men", and spent some of her brief married life at Faringdon with Robert and Gerald. Robert, unable to be successful husband, locked his new bride out of his bedroom forbidding entry. The couple had a daughter, Victoria, later visited Robert with her nanny on occasion, long after Jennifer had left. Beautiful family photos show Gerald posing with Victoria in an obvious grandfatherly role. Clarissa Churchill maintained a strong protective friendship with Gerald, many speculated she may have been a rival against Robert for Gerald's affections, disapproving of Jennifer's presence at Faringdon.
By the time the author met Robert, her grandfather, he had been the squire of Faringdon for years, concerned about continuing and preserving Lord Burner's legacy. Robert informed her that she was to be his heir, and Faringdon passed to her shortly after. In spite of their unconventional lifestyle, which at first impression may invite judgment, ridicule, and scorn; the author wanted to convey their story with a loving compassion and an open mind. This beautifully produced oversize volume contains numerous personal and family photographs, copies of written records and artistic works.
Reference:
*Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson Berner: (1883-1950)
14th Baron Berners 5th Baronet: (1918-1950)
*Lord Gerald Berner, was an established member of high British society, a charming, generous, brilliant, artist, self published satire novelist, a self-taught pianist spoke French, German, and Italian to engage musically with the brightest composers of his day. Although it was permissible under certain conditions for female related inheritance, he inherited his title, money, and property from a paternal uncle in 1918, after serving as a diplomat.
Gerald, a thoughtful confirmed bachelor, hadn't confirmed or denied his homosexuality, which during his lifetime was illegal. After the arrest/imprisonment of Oscar Wilde the "Bohemia" alternative lifestyles of cosmopolitan artistic flair were more acceptable in society. When Gerald met the handsome, sexy, sensual, highly unreliable "Mad Boy" Robert Herber-Percy (1911-1987) in 1931 at a house party, he couldn't resist him! Soon after Robert joined Gerald and lived with him at Faringdon.
Gerald and Robert seemed happy as they held lavish parties, their guests among the most famous influential writers, artists, actors, of their time. Gerald couldn't have been pleased when Robert married (July 1942-1947) the beautiful, free-spirited, socialite Jennifer Fry. Fry at 26, (and likely pregnant) was known to have a "penchant for homosexual men", and spent some of her brief married life at Faringdon with Robert and Gerald. Robert, unable to be successful husband, locked his new bride out of his bedroom forbidding entry. The couple had a daughter, Victoria, later visited Robert with her nanny on occasion, long after Jennifer had left. Beautiful family photos show Gerald posing with Victoria in an obvious grandfatherly role. Clarissa Churchill maintained a strong protective friendship with Gerald, many speculated she may have been a rival against Robert for Gerald's affections, disapproving of Jennifer's presence at Faringdon.
By the time the author met Robert, her grandfather, he had been the squire of Faringdon for years, concerned about continuing and preserving Lord Burner's legacy. Robert informed her that she was to be his heir, and Faringdon passed to her shortly after. In spite of their unconventional lifestyle, which at first impression may invite judgment, ridicule, and scorn; the author wanted to convey their story with a loving compassion and an open mind. This beautifully produced oversize volume contains numerous personal and family photographs, copies of written records and artistic works.
Reference:
*Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson Berner: (1883-1950)
14th Baron Berners 5th Baronet: (1918-1950)
December 7, 2015
If you are looking for a wonderful gift for a certain kind of reader (Anglophile, interested in literature and arts and music and culture 1920-1940, readers of biographies such as That Woman by Anne Sebba or Lady Almina and the Real Downtown Abbey by the Countess of Carnavon, Edward St. Aubyn readers, or fans of Downton Abbey itself), you should consider this wonderful book.
It's simply delicious: a beautifully-designed (endpapers and color photos galore), gossipy, breezily-written but just so smart in every line account of the author's grandparents, who lived for a time in what seems to have been a menage-a-trois, but not quite, with the composer/painter/novelist/socialite Lord Berners on an eccentric, beautiful English estate. Berners knew and was visited by everyone there was to know in England and Europe: Stravinsky, Picasso, Cocteau, Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Evelyn Waugh, the Sitwells, composers Constance Lambert and William Walton, Noel Coward, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West, H. G. Wells, Salvador Dali, the Mitford sisters, Elsa Schiaparelli, Cyril Connolly, and many more. The book is filled with scandal, beauty, genuine accomplishment, money, sex in various permutations, and a portrait of a certain kind of life on the brink of extinction as World War II approached.
An utter delight, a sophisticated treat to read and page through slowly. My wife gifted me this book and I hope this post will spread word to others who might be interested.
The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me:
February 22, 2015
If you are into English history of the privileged then this book is for you. It was interesting at first, but got bogged down by the middle. I did not enjoy reading about rich people with nothing to do and their playmates who were also rich people with nothing to do. The book was well written but there were many references to people and places that I did not know.
August 9, 2015
Ghoulishly irresistible reading as Ms. Zinovieff handles the flamboyant nature of the Bright Young Things with considerable tact and finesse, giving due weight to their outlandishness while still acknowledging a certain darkness at its core. She makes no judgments; just tells an extraordinary tale with great care.
November 14, 2018
An unusual look inside the lives of the Bright Young Things of the thirties, written by the granddaughter of two stars of that brittle decade. Her grandmother (Jennifer) married a known homosexual "Robert, the mad boy", who had lived with a much-older aristocrat (Lord Berners) for a decade. Nobody really knows what inspired this spectacularly bad match, which led to a temporary love triangle on Lord Berner's estate. Jennifer soon left, taking her daughter Victoria (the author's mother) with her. The Mad Boy and Lord Berners resumed their life, filled with estate business and horseback riding for the former, and esthetic pleasures (music, literature) for the latter. This was one of those grand country houses that saw a continuous influx of guests every weekend. Evelyn Waugh, the Mitford sisters, musicians, writers, artists... they all signed the Faringdon guest book.
The author knew her grandfather only superficially and was flabbergasted when she realized that she'd inherited the estate (which he, himself, had inherited upon Lord Berners' death in 1950). So there she was, a young woman in her twenties, working toward a PhD in sociology in Greece, suddenly the mistress of an old-fashioned estate with historical associations... but with very little money to take care of it. And so the possession of Faringdon skips one generation, from the Mad Boy to his granddaughter.
People in the thirties, to judge by this book, did really have the time of their lives! Mad parties, cocktails, artistic entertainments.... even though homosexuality wasn't decriminalized until 1967 or so, many of the characters twirling in and out of Faringdon were gay, often quite openly. So in some ways this little corner of English eccentricity (dyed doves on the grounds, a horse drinking tea in the salon ) was a safe haven for people who might have felt freer on the Continent. I found it fun to experience this vanished era vicariously through this society of artists, heiresses, eccentrics and bystanders.
The author knew her grandfather only superficially and was flabbergasted when she realized that she'd inherited the estate (which he, himself, had inherited upon Lord Berners' death in 1950). So there she was, a young woman in her twenties, working toward a PhD in sociology in Greece, suddenly the mistress of an old-fashioned estate with historical associations... but with very little money to take care of it. And so the possession of Faringdon skips one generation, from the Mad Boy to his granddaughter.
People in the thirties, to judge by this book, did really have the time of their lives! Mad parties, cocktails, artistic entertainments.... even though homosexuality wasn't decriminalized until 1967 or so, many of the characters twirling in and out of Faringdon were gay, often quite openly. So in some ways this little corner of English eccentricity (dyed doves on the grounds, a horse drinking tea in the salon ) was a safe haven for people who might have felt freer on the Continent. I found it fun to experience this vanished era vicariously through this society of artists, heiresses, eccentrics and bystanders.
April 14, 2023
Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners, was a well-to-do composer, novelist, and eccentric whose stately home, Faringdon, was where he entertained the likes of Cecil Beaton, Gertrude Stein, Nancy and Diane Mitford, Igor Stravinsky, and Salvador Dali. He was the inspiration for Lord Merlin in Nancy’s The Pursuit of Love. He kept a portable clavichord in his car and had his doves dyed in pastel colors.
Robert Hebert-Percy, the Mad Boy, was his much-younger lover and partner. Surprising everyone, he married Jennifer, a woman his age, who came to live at the estate and they had a child, Victoria. Berners was fond of Jennifer and the baby but the marriage foundered. They divorced and she remarried, more than once. Robert remained at Faringdon and inherited it when Berners died.
Sofka Zinovieff is the daughter of Victoria so the Mad Boy was her grandfather. They had a friendly relationship but weren’t close. When she was in her 20s he asked her to visit, and, to her surprise, told her he was leaving her the estate.
It’s funny and empathetic. Several of the characters’ fathers were closeted gay men in unhappy marriages. Many people in the story went from marriage to affair to affair and the lover of someone in the 30s may reappear in the 40s, now married to someone else. There are many quirky and memorable characters and surprises up to the last chapter. Zinovieff describes it all with sympathy and it’s beautifully illustrated with photos.
As an Anglophile and a fan of the Mitfords and that world, this is just the sort of book I love. It was recommended by the cartoonist Mimi Pond who’s writing a graphic novel about the Mitfords and posting pages on Facebook.
Robert Hebert-Percy, the Mad Boy, was his much-younger lover and partner. Surprising everyone, he married Jennifer, a woman his age, who came to live at the estate and they had a child, Victoria. Berners was fond of Jennifer and the baby but the marriage foundered. They divorced and she remarried, more than once. Robert remained at Faringdon and inherited it when Berners died.
Sofka Zinovieff is the daughter of Victoria so the Mad Boy was her grandfather. They had a friendly relationship but weren’t close. When she was in her 20s he asked her to visit, and, to her surprise, told her he was leaving her the estate.
It’s funny and empathetic. Several of the characters’ fathers were closeted gay men in unhappy marriages. Many people in the story went from marriage to affair to affair and the lover of someone in the 30s may reappear in the 40s, now married to someone else. There are many quirky and memorable characters and surprises up to the last chapter. Zinovieff describes it all with sympathy and it’s beautifully illustrated with photos.
As an Anglophile and a fan of the Mitfords and that world, this is just the sort of book I love. It was recommended by the cartoonist Mimi Pond who’s writing a graphic novel about the Mitfords and posting pages on Facebook.
February 27, 2023
The author is the great-granddaughter of worthless, degenerate homosexual who was known among the turn-of-the-last century British country house set as “The Mad Boy.” In order to live at the level of idle uselessness he desired, he became the toy-boy of an aging member of the nobility, who at least wrote books and composed music. The majority of the crowd they ran with would make Hollywood seem priggish. It seems like 75% of them were homosexual or bisexual, and the ones that were heterosexual constantly cheated on their spouses.
The amount of money they burned through was incredible. “They were both without any fixed employment or education and like most of their friends spent an inordinate amount of time and effort on enjoying themselves.” During WII, one woman busied herself doing her own version of patriotic duty: “she was ‘keeping up the morale of others by letting down her own morals’ which seems to me a very amiable form of war-work.”
Their unusual lives were filled with luxury but short on happiness --- and common sense. “Gerald felt himself to be the black sheep among his cousins and friends, living in fear and dread of humiliation because he could not ride well.” “The figure of the sick mother, neurotic, fainting, depressed and ‘ill’ on a couch or in her bedroom is a staple of the reality and fiction of the time and was often linked to ‘a profound sense of uselessness’. “Women in her milieu did not generally spend much time with their children and it was assumed that you hired people for the practicalities. Once, Jennifer took the four-year-old Victoria shopping at Harrods and then went home, totally forgetting her.” And yet, they had the effrontery to look down on the working class.
The amount of money they burned through was incredible. “They were both without any fixed employment or education and like most of their friends spent an inordinate amount of time and effort on enjoying themselves.” During WII, one woman busied herself doing her own version of patriotic duty: “she was ‘keeping up the morale of others by letting down her own morals’ which seems to me a very amiable form of war-work.”
Their unusual lives were filled with luxury but short on happiness --- and common sense. “Gerald felt himself to be the black sheep among his cousins and friends, living in fear and dread of humiliation because he could not ride well.” “The figure of the sick mother, neurotic, fainting, depressed and ‘ill’ on a couch or in her bedroom is a staple of the reality and fiction of the time and was often linked to ‘a profound sense of uselessness’. “Women in her milieu did not generally spend much time with their children and it was assumed that you hired people for the practicalities. Once, Jennifer took the four-year-old Victoria shopping at Harrods and then went home, totally forgetting her.” And yet, they had the effrontery to look down on the working class.
April 29, 2018
This non-fiction book is predominately about Lord Gerald Berners and his lover, Robert Heber-Percy in the early to mid twentieth century. Lord Gerald Berners was a talented musician and painter. He also wrote for the stage and his impressionistic paintings continue to sell well today.
Gerald Berners made Faringdon House, in Oxfordshire England, into a luxurious country house that soon had England’s fashion set vying for weekend invitations. Exquisite food, central heating, hunting and brilliant conversation attracted London’s acknowledged beauties, adventurers, courtesans, wits, artists, musicians, politicians and socialites.
Gerald Berners was an aesthete in firm possession of wit, acute intelligence and great charm. At Faringdon his white doves would be bathed in coloured dyes, gently dried off and then set free to form a cloud of floating colour.
In about 1931, Gerald fell in love with Robert Heber-Percy. He was twenty years old and known as The Mad Boy. Robert had a reputation for bad behaviour, even though he'd been raised in aristocratic circles and provided with an expensive public school education.
When Robert was sent off to become an army officer, he became so laconic and disinterested that he eventually had to leave. The Mad Boy knew how to behave and he understood the rules and conventions but he chose to behave outrageously.
What I loved so much about this book is the detailed, beautifully written observations of the eccentric, clever, bohemian characters. Nancy Mitford and her siblings were made welcome at Faringdon as were the Sitwells, Elsa Schiaparelli, Evelyn Waugh, Cecil Beaton, Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein, Marchesa Luisa Casati, Nöel Coward and many, many others all signed the visitor’s book.
There are also many photographs in the book that contribute to the distinct feeling that you’ve actually met Faringdon’s many visitors – and perhaps even dined in style at Lord Berner’s table.
Gerald Berners made Faringdon House, in Oxfordshire England, into a luxurious country house that soon had England’s fashion set vying for weekend invitations. Exquisite food, central heating, hunting and brilliant conversation attracted London’s acknowledged beauties, adventurers, courtesans, wits, artists, musicians, politicians and socialites.
Gerald Berners was an aesthete in firm possession of wit, acute intelligence and great charm. At Faringdon his white doves would be bathed in coloured dyes, gently dried off and then set free to form a cloud of floating colour.
In about 1931, Gerald fell in love with Robert Heber-Percy. He was twenty years old and known as The Mad Boy. Robert had a reputation for bad behaviour, even though he'd been raised in aristocratic circles and provided with an expensive public school education.
When Robert was sent off to become an army officer, he became so laconic and disinterested that he eventually had to leave. The Mad Boy knew how to behave and he understood the rules and conventions but he chose to behave outrageously.
What I loved so much about this book is the detailed, beautifully written observations of the eccentric, clever, bohemian characters. Nancy Mitford and her siblings were made welcome at Faringdon as were the Sitwells, Elsa Schiaparelli, Evelyn Waugh, Cecil Beaton, Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein, Marchesa Luisa Casati, Nöel Coward and many, many others all signed the visitor’s book.
There are also many photographs in the book that contribute to the distinct feeling that you’ve actually met Faringdon’s many visitors – and perhaps even dined in style at Lord Berner’s table.
June 18, 2020
In the early 1930s, Lord Gerald Berner met the younger Robert Heber-Percy. Soon after, Robert moved into Gerald’s country home, Faringdon House, in England where they lived together for decades. Faringdon became a gathering place for the elite, the eccentric, and artists such as Cecil Beaton, David Niven, Salvadore Dali, H.G. Wells, and the Mitfords. They were outrageous and decadent. Sexuality was fluid, though homosexuality was illegal. The author is the granddaughter of Robert and inherited the house. I found the beginning and other parts of the book slow, but overall, this is a book about fascinating free spirits, but I got a bit lost sometimes as there were so many to follow. It’s amazing that being gay or bisexual was so prevalent and accepted at the time, especially since it was illegal. They were open-minded, arrogant, and sometimes racist reflective of their times, at times admirable and at others abhorrent.
June 24, 2020
Interesting depiction of socialites and their extravagant behaviors. The author describes the lifestyle of the 'rich and famous', were entertaining and wild behavior was the norm. Lord Berners, an intelligent and wealthy writer, has a life long relationship with the 'Mad Boy', who is the grandfather of the author (who eventually inherits the entire estate). It is this relationship that gives life to the book. One of the more pleasant parts of the read is the description and photos of the opulence of the estate, gardens, food, decor, and cloths. The characters are dreadful, shallow people who have no true friends and use each other only for their next party. For as civilized and 'fancy' as they are, they often behave horribly to each other.
There are many footnotes worked into the piece and their usage feels mostly 'forced' as if the author feels the need to validate the story's facts with past published pieces. Nothing I'd re-read again...
There are many footnotes worked into the piece and their usage feels mostly 'forced' as if the author feels the need to validate the story's facts with past published pieces. Nothing I'd re-read again...
February 13, 2020
Mitford Sisters devotees--this book about Lord Gerald Brenners, his beloved home Faringdom House, the Mad Boy boyfriend Robert, the wild, creative set of the 1930's and beyond, and the family that inherited the home is just delightful. Lord Brenners, composer, painter, musician, is immortalized in Nancy Mitford's book The Pursuit of Love as Lord Merlin and his home as Merlinford. Nancy's sister Diana, Lady Mosley, was his life- long friend. Evelyn Waugh, Gertrude Stein, David Niven, Princess Margaret and dozens of others tumble through the pages. The author, granddaughter of the Mad Boy,
unexpectedly inherits the house and struggles to finish her PhD in Social Anthropology. Eventually she gathers the reins of management, investigates the tangled relationships, and tells the story of the house and the people who love it.
unexpectedly inherits the house and struggles to finish her PhD in Social Anthropology. Eventually she gathers the reins of management, investigates the tangled relationships, and tells the story of the house and the people who love it.
May 26, 2024
This review contains spoilers.
There are three major characters in this biography.
Lord Berners, his partner Robert Heber-Percy and the house they shared: Farington.
Around the two men are a range of people who come into their lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Their commonality is that their sexualities are fluid covering all the LGBTQ spectrum.
Lord Berners was a dabbler, never committing himself to one aspect of his talent. He was an average composer and an average painter. His greatest achievement was maintaining his country house Farginton and building a deightful folly in its grounds.
He was an eccentric and wit. I would have liked more examples of these foibles, though I am surprised that the RSPCA didn't have something to say about his predilection for dying doves different colours.
His long term partner Robert Heber-Percy managed the estate and suddenly married Jennifer Fry who then joined the household. An intriguing ménage a trois.
Self-indulgent, self-possessed, both men received unswerving loyalty from their staff over many years.
An enjoyable biography of a vanished world.
There are three major characters in this biography.
Lord Berners, his partner Robert Heber-Percy and the house they shared: Farington.
Around the two men are a range of people who come into their lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Their commonality is that their sexualities are fluid covering all the LGBTQ spectrum.
Lord Berners was a dabbler, never committing himself to one aspect of his talent. He was an average composer and an average painter. His greatest achievement was maintaining his country house Farginton and building a deightful folly in its grounds.
He was an eccentric and wit. I would have liked more examples of these foibles, though I am surprised that the RSPCA didn't have something to say about his predilection for dying doves different colours.
His long term partner Robert Heber-Percy managed the estate and suddenly married Jennifer Fry who then joined the household. An intriguing ménage a trois.
Self-indulgent, self-possessed, both men received unswerving loyalty from their staff over many years.
An enjoyable biography of a vanished world.
December 7, 2020
This is an exhaustive family history/personal history, with details down to the scones served at tea level. The main problem with it is its weight. A curious production decision resulted in it being printed on heavy stock, heavy meaning heavy. Doesn’t exactly make for comfort in holding it. But it offers an insidery look at many of the luminaries who held cultural court during the interwar period and then continues on. Might have been better split into two volumes — it would have served to give the project some focus snd also spared readers’ hands and laps.
April 4, 2020
Overall, I enjoyed this book though the author sometimes seemed to get a little lost in recounting the lives of people who weren't all that important to the story. It was definitely an interesting look at a tiny tiny slice of nontraditional upper class British society, though a general familiarity of British creative types of the 1930s is helpful.
May 16, 2017
Enjoyed this tremendously. I came armed with some prior knowledge of the cast of characters but this is a great book whether you know about them or are starting from scratch.
The author is a great writer - warm, witty and knowledgeable. Recommended.
The author is a great writer - warm, witty and knowledgeable. Recommended.
August 8, 2017
I read an interesting review of this so I tried it. Like many books about the Mitfords it is a look into England from the 1920s through the 1950s. The author adds the personal connection because it is her family she is writing about. Many well known and familiar names appear.
November 17, 2020
A Fantastic Read
I love this writer, love everything she writes, but this was something else! What ancestry! How bloody wonderful! I want to give it five stars, but my iPad is playing up.
I love this writer, love everything she writes, but this was something else! What ancestry! How bloody wonderful! I want to give it five stars, but my iPad is playing up.
May 2, 2021
Lifts the lid on Lord Berners
Witty, sprightly, biography of perhaps the last great English eccentric. Publicly shy yet extravagant in company he was far from simple as well as an underrated composer. Unselfishly, Lord Berners sprinkled kindness which permeated generations.
Witty, sprightly, biography of perhaps the last great English eccentric. Publicly shy yet extravagant in company he was far from simple as well as an underrated composer. Unselfishly, Lord Berners sprinkled kindness which permeated generations.
May 23, 2017
I think that I had reached maximum capacity for charm when I started this. It's an interesting story, and it's very well written, but I didn't like any one.
June 25, 2018
Mildly entertaining.
July 18, 2018
All too mediocre.
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