Wait for Me!

Memoirs

By: Deborah Mitford Duchess of Devonshire

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire, is the youngest of the famously witty brood that includes the writers Jessica and Nancy, who wrote when Deborah was born, "How disgusting of the poor darling to go and be a girl." Deborah's effervescent memoir Wait for Me! chronicles her remarkable life, from an eccentric but happy childhood in the Oxfordshire countryside, to tea with Adolf Hitler and her controversially political sister Unity in 1937, to her marriage to the second son of the Duke of Devonshire. Her life would change utterly with his unexpected inheritance of the title and vast estates after the wartime death of his brother, who had married Kick Kennedy, the beloved sister of John F. Kennedy. Her friendship with that family would last through triumph and tragedy.

With its intense warmth and charm, Wait for Me! is a unique portrait of an age and an unprecedented look at the rhythms of life inside one of the great aristocratic families of England. It is irresistible listening and will join the shelf of Mitford classics to delight audiences for years to come.

©2010 Deborah Devonshire (P)2010 Tantor

Delightful

The lives of the Mitford sisters reflect so many aspects of history during WWII. This is a fascinating book, easy listen and charming.

Chickens on the Table

Debo’s writing style is light yet insightful. I laughed out loud several times and felt the gravity of other moments. Definitely recommend this view of life from such a Great Lady.

I'll Wait For You Anytime Debo

Debo, Duchess of Devonshire, a.k.a. Deborah Mitford, had the most interesting life, perhaps of all her siblings. The youngest Mitford child, she was overshadowed by her more notorious sisters, who dabbled with facism, communism and nazism. However, this book will leave your spellbound by the world she inhabited. She became Duchess by default when her brother in law was killed, and she singlehandedly transformed the vast estate that was hobbled twice by death taxes, into one of the world's sought after destinations, that of Chatsworth. Her story gives us much insight into world events, as she was friends with the Kennedys and other nobility. But her humble self shines through. I was enthralled and sad when she passed recently. I'm so interested in all biographies and histories of the British aristocracy and Debo's life was a fascinating life well lived. “AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

Lovely lady

What did you love best about Wait for Me!?

I enjoyed Mitford's perspective. She was wry and detached from the dramas of her life and other's lives. Life is tragic, life is joyful, that's how it is, let me recount it to you. People are funny, they have foibles, it's not the end of the world, it's makes life more colorful. Really enjoyed this.

The Duchess and her sisters

A fairy tale life of the youngest Mitford girl and a wonderful mix of country living mixed with sparkling society events like dinners with royalty and presidents. Was presented with a prize by this lovely lady when I lived in Derbyshire so was delighted to step into her life

Glad I stuck with it

I am an Anglophile of long standing, but it took me a while -- most of Part 1 -- to warm up to the Duchess and her story. Her tales of childhood painted scenes of privilege that I found off-putting, with little to endear the writer or her very young self to me. Once the narrator got older -- just on the brink of WWII and then into the war -- she became more of a real person, not only because she matured, but because she finally began to see hardship and sorrow, and to experience them, herself. Clearly, once Deborah Mitford had real responsibilities (raising children and running Chatsworth), she rose to them. Flosnik's reading is just fine, except when she attempts an American accent. In general, why bother if you can't do it well? In particular, Flosnik attempts the Kennedy version of the American accent when reading from letters to Mitford written by Jack and Bobby. It's appalling.

enjoyable

It was a fun book and had read many other Mitford books but this was in the first person

The last of the Mitford Sisters

The Mitford sisters continue to be wondered and written about. Deborah, now 90, is the youngest and only surviving sister of six, The novelist Nancy Mitford, the oldest sister was 16 years old when Deborah was born. Deborah became the Duchess of Devonshire and admittedly not political, especially in relation to her sisters. She writes of them lovingly for the most part as sisters not fascists - Unity and Diana - not communists - Jessica, known as Decca who is the only sister who left England for America and became an acclaimed writer here beginning with the expose of the funeral industry, "The American Way of Death". Deborah is a special person in her own right. She and her husband undertook the remodeling of their fabulous home and developed cottage industries as well, thereby tastefully restoring the home which has become a must-see destination of both English and visiting tourists. She is an honest but kind writer and adds much more perspective to the ongoing curiosity and the large library of tomes about her family. Her husband's government position sent her around the world and she had very many special friendships with notables in art and government. She married the younger Devonshire brother, the older had married Kathleen Kennedy, the sister of JFK and he was in line to become the Duke of Devonshire. He was killed in WWI just a few months after his marriage to "Kick" Kennedy (who died four years later in a plane crash). Deborah and her husband found themselves in a position they had not expected. As a result of these relationships in the family the Devonshires became very close to JFK and other members of the family. Her first hand observations of JFK's inauguration and later his funeral provide a very interesting and sensitive description of those events. As Duchess, she knew and in many cases had lifelong friendships with, includes many English notables of the time which makes the book even more interesting.

Narrator

Loved the book but the narrator's RP accent was a little to English for my American ears. I had difficulty understanding her at times, especially when using a word or phrase with which Americans are not familiar.

Her Long Life Story

This is her entire life story. It covers her childhood and the interesting relationships she had with her siblings and parents. You can tell she had a close family, although an eccentric one.

To be completely honest, there were times I could not completely understand the narrator, but that was due to her accent and she spoke rather quickly.

I appreciate Deborah's positive outlook. She glossed over what must have been some very trying times in her life. However, that is the way a lot of people cope. I came to admire her fortitude and strength.

It was fascinating learning about how she cared for Chatsworth House and how she appreciated all the help. Definitely gave a person a sense of who she was. She knew so many fascinating people such as Jack Kennedy.

I would recommend that whoever reads/listens to the story hang with it and in time you will really appreciate the story. As with so many books you feel like she becomes someone you would like as a friend which makes you sad when it is over.