Darling: A razor-sharp, gloriously funny retelling of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love

Product Information

Darling' is a modernised, re-imagined version of Nancy Mitford's classic, 'The Pursuit of Love'. Linda Radlett's quest for love is narrated by her best friend, and cousin, Fran. Their unique, somewhat cloistered, childhood let their imaginations run rife; growing up is an adventure. Although Linda believes she wants to be free from the family confines, really she only dreams of romance and marriage. But this is only the beginning of Linda's pursuit of love, a journey that will be wilder, more surprising and more complicated than she could ever have imagined. Okay readers, don’t judge me, we’ve all done it, but I requested this book solely on the basis of loving that simply gorgeous front cover.

What a book to begin 2023 with. It is a tad different from what I usually read, but I loved it. I laughed out loud throughout, and thought that the characters were so impeccably described that I feel as though I know them. Emotive, raw and really really thought-provoking. I think we can all relate to the struggles that Linda faces, as well as a loathe for the Christians and Tonys of the world. The fact that it is a modern adaptation has been done so well, it has avoided being a superficial reading of The Pursuit of Love so well. Here are a few of m favourite quotes captured from a few of the chapters: I was good at becoming whatever was required: you could pour me into any vessel and I'd take on its shape" Emma Beddington Mitfordian mischief: Darling, by India Knight, reviewed A superb updating of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love will delight even diehard fans of the original

Eventually Linda does find her way out from the bosom of her deeply eccentric extended family, and moves to London to become a model. She knows she doesn't want to marry 'a man who looks like a pudding', as her good and dull sister Louisa has done, and marries the flashy, handsome son of a UKIP peer instead. But her new life is unromantic: darker, wilder and more complicated than she expected. India Knight does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of Mitford's original story but brings overlays modernity that makes it more relatable for today. Knight's effervescence of language magnifies the eccentricities of the families to satirical levels. As crazy as things get, there are poignant moments scattered throughout which remind us that love is sometimes not what we imagined, but it can also come when we least expect it. I haven’t read the original upon which it’s based - The Pursuit of Love - but will hunt down a copy to compare. The big question is WHY OH WHY? i.e. why bother retelling such a perfect book? What can be gained from doing this?

The most beautiful modern re-tell of a book that I have ever stumbled across in literature. Darling is wrapped around Nancy Mitford’s, ‘Pursuit of Love’ and India Knight could not have captured the heart of the story any better than she has in this beautiful piece of literature. And who can resist the beautiful cover?!What an extra treat to have read it right after having read the original Mitford‘s one, all the details India Knight wove in shone even brighter. There is a lot of pressure, taking on a novel that is beloved of so many people, me included, and I approached this with some trepidation, but I have to say that this is an absolute triumph. India Knight takes on the mighty task of re-imagining Nancy Mitford's classic comedy of manners, The Pursuit of Love.

After writing an article in The Sunday Times about her daughter's special needs - her youngest child has DiGeorge syndrome. This is a Mitford retelling, so the British class obsession features prominently, mainly in the form of working-class Uncle Matthew’s complicated loathing of “poshos”. Knight also takes a gleeful magnifying glass to the hypocrisies of modern life, from rigorous dieter Blanche going to restaurants solely for social media content, to Christian making Linda do all the housework, because paying a cleaner is “immoral”. So, this book is actually a retelling of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love. Never read it. But honestly, I didnt expect to be laughing so much, and I now need to read the original!

Mess with Nancy Mitford at your peril. Last year, purists recoiled from Emily Mortimer’s (in my mind terrific) BBC adaptation of the author’s 1945 novel The Pursuit of Love. No one likes people fiddling with their favourites, especially a classic as beloved as Mitford’s tale of interwar aristos the Radletts. So India Knight is a brave woman for retelling it for the 21st century . He was obsessed with money and status, perhaps because, as Aunt Sadie pointed out, he was one of those people who are clever enough to work out that they aren't a sufficient draw on their own" For a reader unfamiliar with Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love, India Knight’s reimagining would be a perfect comfort read: the kind of book you take into the bath and keep reading even when the water has gone cold, a one-sitting dark-at-four joy. Anyway, in this version, Uncle Matthew is a travesty, an anachronism in this modern age. There seems to be no reason why he has all his prejudices, and why people e.g. Sadie, put up with them too. However, Jassie is a much more interesting character this time, about the only thing better in the book, even if she didn’t run away. Everyone else just weren’t as good as in the original. It’s an “haute bohemia”, as the papers put it, lifestyle. Between Aunt Sadie’s hippy leanings and Uncle Matthew’s desire to shield his family from fame, the Radlett children are insulated from much of the modern world, home-schooled and banned from electronic devices.

Knight, a native French speaker, lived in Brussels until about the time she turned nine. After migrating to the United Kingdom, she was educated in London. She was awarded an exhibition to Trinity College, Cambridge, where she read Modern Languages from 1984-1987, before starting her career in journalism. In addition to writing for and contributing to major British magazines and newspapers, India Knight writes a prominent weekly column for The Sunday Times. She is also a regular guest on British radio and television. I'm glad that I read the original text that this retelling is taken from so that I had that knowledge of the storyline and could appreciate the masterful way that India Knight has revamped the story but kept the heart of the characters the same. In my opinion, this version is better than the original! So fresh, fun and full of heart, charm and whimsy - and that devastating ending comes all the more sharply because the reader has been having such a good time with the Radletts (extra points for including a reference to Cromer!!). Fans of Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit Of Love will adore this brilliant contemporary take ... The writing is as sharp, the details as perfect, the jokes as funny as [the] original' Daily MailIt’s a decent enough, weekend read. The final third was less engaging but that didn’t spoil the overall impression. Inevitably, Linda eventually rebels against her sheltered childhood, running away to London to be a model and then jumping into a duo of ill-fated marriages, which is Knight’s cue to skewer certain quarters of the British ruling class. A savagely funny, bracingly sad, dazzlingly clever reimagining of The Pursuit of Love. I loved it' Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss