Product Description

‘My father would not have wasted time reading – a trait I have inherited from him.’ The unmistakeable voice of Deborah Devonshire, the youngest of the Mitford sisters, rings out of this second volume of her occasional writings.

As broad and eclectic as her long and eventful life, the pieces range from a ringside view of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration and funeral, a valedictory for her local post office, the 1938 London season, Christmas at Chatsworth and the hazards of shopping for clothes when your eyesight is failing.

Affectionate, shrewd and uproariously funny, her no-nonsense, bang-on-the-nail observations are as good as any antidepressant.

 

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12679 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 168 pages

Review

’The Book is peppered with humorous and affectionate tales of the country, in addition to providing a rare insight into some of the more momentous world events of the last century...endearing...candid and down to earth style...an intriguing window into the key events of a bygone era...all delivered as if to a friend, with a high degree of honesty and humour’

(Derby Evening Telegraph, Lynne Brighouse )

‘Debo’s is a voice from a vanished Golden Age ... the Duchess herself embodies these noble and conservative values and she personally is a wonderment and an inspiration’

(Sunday Express )

‘Her latest has an introduction from Alan Bennett, so you get two national treasures for the price of one ... she’s a wonderful writer’

(Reader’s Digest )

‘The dowager duchess treats us to more of her musings...her profile is high following the success of In Tearing Haste’

(Bookseller )

‘This collection of wit and wisdom from the Duchess of Devonshire (and last surviving Mitford girl) just dances off the page ... funny and insightful ... whatever te subject, playfulness and a love of life spill from the page, and there are no words wasted. Perfect for dipping into, this book is bound to touch and tickle anyone’s heart’

(Waterstones Books Quarterly )

‘Behind the wit and quips, there is something else stronger and more rigorous ... a small, cumulative but revealing self-portrait ...this is a book about manners, how to behave, and being funny as a form of civilisation’

(Spectator )

‘This prolific writer needs no introduction ... this small book is a brilliant selection. I read it with such enjoyment, sometimes laughing aloud, sometimes pausing to think “Goodness! How right she is”.  It is remarkable not only for its style but also for the grear clarity, sympathy , conciseness and humour ... brilliant’

(Country Life )

‘Affectionate, shrewd and uproariously funny’

(Western Morning News )

‘All her writing is characterised by incisive observation and unfailing humour ... this blend of sagacity and wit proves very appealing.’

(Good Book Guide )

About the Author

The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire was brought up in Oxfordshire with spells in London. In 1950 her husband, Andrew, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, inherited estates in Yorkshire and Ireland, as well as Chatsworth, the family seat in Derbyshire, and Deborah became chatelaine and housekeeper of one of England’s greatest and best-loved houses. Following her husband’s death in 2004, she moved to a village on the Chatsworth estate where she now lives.

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Customer Reviews

Rich Pickings
Once again, Deborah Devonshire delights, entertains, amuses and moves with this second compilation of her sharp, elegant, self-effacing writings. Comprising everything from the text of after-dinner speeches to diary entries and magazine columns, Home To Roost gives the lucky reader another little glimpse into the fascinating life of a fascinating woman. The Dowager Duchess's immensely charming real-life anecdotes involve a cast of characters that a fiction writer would consider fantastical, from JFK to the Queen Mother via the fearsome head agent at Chatsworth, all of whom Deborah Devonshire treats with equal respect regardless of title or status.

And herein lies the beauty not just of Deborah Devonshire's prose but of the lady herself: that in recounting experiences of an extraordinary life, born into privilege and then elevated through marriage to one of the highest titles in the land, there is no sense whatsoever of entitlement and never, ever any sense of being one iota better or more important than anyone else. If there is anything wrong with this book it is that, like Counting My Chickens, there is so tantalisingly little of it. A volume several times as long would still not be too much of this wonderful writer's wonderful work.

Definitely worth a peck here and there
What a fantastic life and what a wonderful lady! Not a full-on gripping read, but a book to pick up during a coffee break. An intimate taste of a privileged life but always with a down-to-earth address. Give this a go and hopefully it will lead you on to explore the amazing Mitford sisters.

Entertaining read
It packs a lot of entertainment into a small book. I bought it as a present for my mother and it kept her chuckling for days.