The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me: An Aristocratic Family, a High-society Scandal and an Extraordinary Legacy - Hardcover

Zinovieff, Sofka

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062338943 ISBN 13: 9780062338945

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2015

Synopsis

This beguiling tale of a scandalous menage a trois among England's upper classes is a high society love story that combines memoir and biography into a fascinating, heady read in the vein of The Bolter and Portrait of a Marriage.

Among the glittering stars of British society, Sofka Zinovieff's grandparents lived and loved with abandon. Robert Heber-Percy was a dashing young man who would rather have a drink than open a book, so his involvement with Jennifer Fry, a beautiful socialite famous for her style and charm, was not surprising. But by the time Robert met and married Jennifer, he had already been involved with a man--Gerald, Lord Berners--for more than a decade.

Stout, eccentric, and significantly older, Gerald was a well-known composer, and at home among scholars. He also owned one of Britain's loveliest stately homes, Faringdon House in Oxfordshire. The two made an unlikely couple, especially because they lived together at Faringdon House when homosexuality was illegal. And then a pregnant Jennifer moved into Faringdon in 1942, creating a formidable menage a trois.

In this gorgeous, entertaining narrative of bohemian aristocracy illustrated with dozens of photographs, Sofka Zinovieff probes the mysteries of her grandparents and the third man in their marriage. Who was Gerald, and what brought Robert and Jennifer together under his roof? Why did Jennifer marry Robert? Piecing together the complicated reality behind the scandals of revelry and sexuality, she finally allows old ghosts to rest.

About this title

Review:

..".[a] well-researched, engaging memoir..."--Washington Post

"[A] well-researched, engaging memoir."--Washington Post

"Superbly illustrated.... The Mad Boy is an absorbing as well as original book, which replaces the monographic vectors of biography with something more curious and multifarious, nonetheless brought into a haunting and satisfying shape."--Alan Hollinghurst, New York Review of Books

[A] delightful portrait of one of England s great eccentrics . Rich in glamorous scandal .Witty, empathetic, and stylish. --Miranda Seymour, New York Times Book Review"

Ms. Zinovieff handles her flamboyant material with considerable tact and finesse . It makes for ghoulishly irresistible reading. --Wall Street Journal"

[A] delicious family history. Zinovieff works her own kind of magic. --Boston Globe"

[A] well-researched, engaging memoir. --Washington Post"

Meet the hosts of 1930s England s most lavish soirees, complete with diamond-clad pets and no shortage of bed-hopping.... Riveting. --Town & Country"

Superbly illustrated.... The Mad Boy is an absorbing as well as original book, which replaces the monographic vectors of biography with something more curious and multifarious, nonetheless brought into a haunting and satisfying shape. --Alan Hollinghurst, New York Review of Books"

Ms Zinovieff s narrative tone is cool and clear enough to let its astonishing characters, and her relationship with them, come alive; that makes for a compelling read. --The Economist"

Book Description:

The extraordinary story of wildly eccentric people and the house they lived in.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0062338943
• ISBN 13: 9780062338945
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 436