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A Life of Contrasts: An Autobiography

by Diana Mitford Mosley

3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 · rating details · 145 ratings · 30 reviews

At the outbreak of WWII, Diana Mosley, the Mitford sister who grew up with the Churchills, was imprisoned after her husband, the British Fascist Leader, Sir Oswald Mosley, was arrested under the orders of Winston Churchill. In this work, she tells in her own words what motivated her life & under what exceptional circumstances it took place, having known the two most po ...more

Hardcover , 1st , 304 pages

Published March 1st 1977 by Times Books (NYC) (first published 1977)

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Jul 14, 2012 Kristy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012 , autobiography

Like many people I'm totally intrigued by the Mitfords, a wonderfully eccentric family. I have read and loved Hons and Rebels, other biographies of the family and a few of Nancy Mitford's novels. This however, was a disappointment. Knowing Diana's background I wanted to read this with a very open mind but I couldn't help disliking her. Even if you ignore her political leanings she comes across as spoilt, snobbish, deluded and obnoxious. That doesn't make the book bad though, what makes it bad is ...more

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Mar 13, 2014 Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mitford_march , bios

*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Mitford March Mach Deux (March 2014)

Diana Mitford felt stifled in her life with her family. When she went to Paris she got a sense of the enormity of the world and how she was admired for her beauty and wit. As soon as she could she made a prosperous marriage to the heir of the Guinness fortune and started her life surrounded by artists and poets and writers to fill the void she felt in her life. Yet this wasn't her true ca *Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Mitford March Mach Deux (March 2014)

Diana Mitford felt stifled in her life with her family. When she went to Paris she got a sense of the enormity of the world and how she was admired for her beauty and wit. As soon as she could she made a prosperous marriage to the heir of the Guinness fortune and started her life surrounded by artists and poets and writers to fill the void she felt in her life. Yet this wasn't her true calling. Her true calling was to Oswald Mosley, the dynamic and married politician who founded the British Union of Fascists. She left her husband for him and spent her life dedicated to his causes and his happiness. They did eventually marry in Germany with Hitler as one of the only guests at the ceremony, which was one of the reasons they spent much of the war in prison. In A Life of Contrasts , Diana finally tells us her side of the story that captured headlines and made her one of the most memorable to those very notable Mitford sisters.

Frank Pakenham, the 7th Earl of Longford, had said of Diana in a review of her memoirs that she "lacked a dimension." I can think of no more perfect an insult than this for a woman who in her own writing comes across as a shallow, unfocused, self-centered, self-impressed, socialite. She is one dimensional, never bothering with anything below the surface. In fact, if you were to scratch her, I bet there would be more surface below the surface. Apparently being "the most glamorous Mitford Sister" means being the most superficial. Before reading about her life in her own words I wasn't predisposed to like her based on what I knew, but after reading Mary S. Lovell's book The Sisters , I was willing to give Diana the benefit of doubt. I was fully willing to let Diana surprise me with insights and details to the events of her life. To hear more about her feelings and thoughts on her marriages. But none of this presented itself. She had no depth coupled with a scattered writing style wherein she would change the subject every paragraph and sometimes every sentence. She never picked a thought and stuck with it unless it was to parrot Walter Mosley's ideologies to such an extent that I was made sick to my stomach and she literally disgusted me as a human being. I was left with the distinct feeling that the world would have been a better place without her in it, because really, what good did she ever contribute to society? Being pretty doesn't count, just FYI.

Diana's shallowness is evident in every line she writes in this book. Like minor celebrities she name drops like no tomorrow assuming that we will know who everyone is and be impressed with how much they love and adore her. Guess what Diana? Your day has come and gone and so have all your comrades in arms. Name drop all you want, all it shows is your own flaws in being needed to be validated by those around you because you had no inner life to sustain yourself. To need constant validation with artists demanding to paint her or draw her just made me want to smack her. The fact that Evelyn Waugh (one of the few celebrities I actually knew) was in love with Diana makes me not think more of Diana, but makes me think less of Evelyn.

Diana is also infuriatingly self-impressed, by all means Diana, don't translate all the French, Italian, and German for those who don't speak or read it to show us how worldly you are, I'm not going to bother to look it up on the assumption that it's just more of the same shit that came before. Also, with the book, she was given the chance to tell her side of the story, a story that has had many commentators and writers over the years, and she failed miserably. Her wedding to Bryan Guinness was glossed over in two seconds, as was her second marriage to Mosley. The fact that her sisters have written in more depth on her life shows that Diana has absolutely nothing to offer us.

Yet, it was this shallowness counterbalanced with bizarre political tracks that made me furious with her. You could feel at those times that it wasn't her voice by that of her master's, Walter Mosley. She was too shallow to have any true beliefs of her own so when she latched onto her idol Mosley, well, she took him all, even his opinions. Now that I've reached the "political tirade" section of my review, I firstly want to address the Hitler question. Diana has taken a lot of flack over the years for being unwilling to change her view of Hitler after the outbreak of war and his true desires and ambitions were revealed. Personally, I don't think that this in particular is what she should be criticized for. Hitler had to have been a charismatic and personable man in order to amass such a following and accomplish all that he did. I'm sure in a one on one setting he could be delightful. Therefore I don't blame Diana for being unwilling to take something back when her own experiences where different to public opinion. It was her opinion, one she is perfectly willing to stick to.

What I do think Diana should be criticized for is her parroting of horrid antisemitism. Yes, she is entitled to this view, but that doesn't mean it makes me like her, accept her, or even settle my nauseous stomach at some of the things she said. I came to not only really dislike her on a human level, but I revolt against all her ideologies. She actually states that what happened in the Holocaust could have been prevented if the Jews had just left Germany. Apparently they had plenty of warning, so they should have just moved on. Forget that these people have homes and lives and families, if they had just got up and gone history could have been different. In fact, in her opinion, if everyone would just go back where they came from, everything would be better for her. She didn't even want immigrants in England! While she never really outright states that she hates those who are Jewish or Black, the fact that she wants everyone to go back to where they came from shows a severe xenophobia that appears to be the sole aspect of her personality that isn't about her appearance. Also, extra ironic seeing as she lived in France and was therefore an immigrant herself. So by all means, if you want to read about a narcissist who will occasionally expound vitriolically on Jewry, well, Diana Mitford Mosley is the Mitford for you. She definitely isn't the Mitford for me. ...more

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Jul 17, 2010 Laurie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have a morbid fascination with Diana Mitford Mosley. She was one of the most hated women in Britain in her lifetime, not because she was an unrepentant Fascist, but that she could not admit that her cause was inherently in error. I suppose that is what got hold of me: she was a celebrated beauty who married into great wealth, and then when her children were very young, she left everything for Oswald Mosley, who started the Britain Union of Fascists (BUF). She was married in Germany at the home I have a morbid fascination with Diana Mitford Mosley. She was one of the most hated women in Britain in her lifetime, not because she was an unrepentant Fascist, but that she could not admit that her cause was inherently in error. I suppose that is what got hold of me: she was a celebrated beauty who married into great wealth, and then when her children were very young, she left everything for Oswald Mosley, who started the Britain Union of Fascists (BUF). She was married in Germany at the home of Dr. Goebbles with Hitler present. At the time Poland was invaded, she was almost completing negotiations to obtain a German radio wave to be used by the BUF for propaganda purposes. Mosely was an unrepentant serial adulterer; he married a daughter of Lord Curzon after having a fling with her elder sister. When his wife died, he began a long affair with her YOUNGER sister, while Diana waited for him in her small London home. She was imprisoned without charge at Brixton prison when her youngest son (with Mosley) was an infant, and was held for 3-1/2 years for activities that were deemed hostile.

What is so aggravating, not just to me as a reader, but to practically anyone who was in her social circle and in fact Britain itself, is Diana's way of glossing over facts that don't suit her and adopting an air of innocence in regards to her own behavior. She refused to ever repudiate Hitler and writes as though she doesn't know what all of the fuss is about; he was such a nice, civilized man and certainly there were other dictators worse than Hitler who were allies of Britain. She doubts that as many as 2 million Jews were killed, and if so, the Jews were given ample warning to get out of Germany and if they didn't...well, then! What was Germany to do? I have to say I liked reading ABOUT her, but was consistently irritated reading this book, as her inability to face the truth that she hitched her star to a man whose behavior suggests complete narcissism; Mosley is another being who was always right in her eyes. Which is probably appropriate as Diana had several characteristics herself. Wasted intellect. ...more

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Jan 08, 2010 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having read Anne de Courcy's biography of Diana I really wanted to read about her life in her own words. It was an interesting read - she was a very witty writer and obviously had a fascinating life, but I found it difficult to read in parts as she was always totally unrepentant about her fascism. She admits that the she didn't agree with people being killed in concentration camps but glosses over it by saying that, of course, the Russians did far worse and even the British had concentration cam ...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Veronica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: found , non-fiction

hmmm. The Mitfords were a fascinating family. I've read both Nancy and Jessica's more or less fictionalised accounts of their childhood, so when I found this book, I thought it might be interesting to see what their infamously pro-Nazi sister had to say. She was both beautiful and intelligent, and it started out with the trademark Mitford sarcastic wit about upper-class life in pre-war Britain. But as Hugh Thomas said in his review it's quite disconcerting when "the characters in a witty narrati hmmm. The Mitfords were a fascinating family. I've read both Nancy and Jessica's more or less fictionalised accounts of their childhood, so when I found this book, I thought it might be interesting to see what their infamously pro-Nazi sister had to say. She was both beautiful and intelligent, and it started out with the trademark Mitford sarcastic wit about upper-class life in pre-war Britain. But as Hugh Thomas said in his review it's quite disconcerting when "the characters in a witty narrative suddenly stop being Lord Berners and Harold Acton ... and become Putzi Hanfstaengl, Magda Goebbels, and Hitler" (Diana was married to Oswald Mosley in Hitler's front room in 1936).

Even after she married Mosley and signed up whole-heartedly to his political views I still felt sympathy for her when, still breast-feeding a three-month old baby, she was arrested and imprisoned in Holloway for three years without ever being charged with anything. So her two youngest children lived through their earliest years without her. But her manipulative, disingenuous account of Mosley's career soon changed my mind. Mosley was a great guy, sadly misunderstood; his "security staff" were only protecting peaceful meetings from violent Marxists; Hitler was a charming man with impeccable manners, generous to his friends, who loved music. As for the Jews, there is little mention of them except when she points out with condescending common sense that really it was their fault for coming to Germany from Eastern Europe in the first place. Why, they had plenty of opportunity to leave before being exterminated, and "international Jewry" should have used its untold riches to provide a home for them in some suitably empty part of Africa.

Speaking of untold riches, once released from prison, with the war over, she and Mosley wasted no time buying a couple of stately homes and a yacht and resuming their former lives. She actually complains that two of their fellow prisoners, who had been living with her and Mosley in a house in the grounds of Holloway (rather than in dank cells like lesser prisoners), were released "penniless and with nowhere to go." They must have been desperately worried, she says, but there's no mention that she used any of her own wealth to help them, or indeed any of the other much poorer followers of Mosley who were her "friends" in jail and must have been destitute when released.

Thereafter the book is increasingly dull as the Mosleys flit about Europe with their similarly minded friends. Her whining about the "victimisation" of Mosley becomes increasingly tiresome and blinkered. "Many people ... reject truth in even the most trivial matters if it conflicts with a prejudice," she says. Quite.

So unsurprisingly, Decca remains my favourite sister, and if you want an introduction to the Mitfords, I recommend Hons and Rebels rather than this irritating account. I've given it two stars just because of the horrible fascination it exerted on me. ...more

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Nov 23, 2009 Mimi Pond rated it 2 of 5 stars

If you are as fascinated with the fabulous Mitford sisters as I am, this is a must-read. Unfortunately, what you must learn is Diana is an unrepentant fascist and anti-semite who rationalizes it all in the most absurd fashion. It does round out the canon of books on the sisters...one way or another!

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Jun 17, 2011 Megan Farr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I find the Mitfords kinds of fascinating - Diana particularly (though Unity more, but she never wrote). This is interesting for her place at the sidelines of history and also for the astonishing lack of repentence. She clearly still believed not only Mosley was right but also Hitler.

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Mar 09, 2015 Debra rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like so many find the Mitford sisters diverse and fascinating so when I saw this book in a secondhand shop I couldn't pass it up. Diana was considered to by many at the time to be the most attractive and desirable of her sisters in their social set. I agree with other readers that there is "none so blind as do not want to see" element in the book by her selective omission of information and denial about a dreadful and very dark period in history. Amazing that she gave up a life of wealth havin ...more

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Apr 19, 2014 Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating stuff. The last Mitford book of any significance left for me, & reveals Diana to be perhaps the most interesting - but far from the most likeable (I think Debo gets that nod) - of the sisters. Too many unfamiliar names, & the French & German needed translations (certainly the German for me), & she really is completely unrepentant. World Jewry should have sorted the Jews out, what were the Germans supposed to do?! Hitler was simply charming! I listened to her Desert Is ...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Lynette Twaddle added it

An interesting if rather troubling read. Feel I now need to read a biography of her... A bit like Lawrence of Arabia.

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Dec 06, 2014 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this one, although I thoroughly enjoyed it.
First of all, I totally underestimated how shocking it would be to read the memoirs of an almost completely unapologetic nazi, although that makes it that much more interesting.
The problem I see is that this book completely lacks the self-reflection that makes an autobiography good. The style is very matter of fact, pretty much a description of events without pause. However, Diana's life was so fascinating that it alone makes ...more

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Dec 07, 2014 Maryanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

often portrayed as an aristocratic nobody by those who do not always read with open minds,this very brief tour through her life is thought provoking and very much an emotional journey.
Diana was cursed or blessed with a face that was beautiful as it was serene............Mosely her second husband loved her for her completeness and her strength when the chips were down.She never wavers from her beliefs and talks of the Hitler that few knew .......I enjoyed this book very much and feel it is worth ...more

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Sep 13, 2008 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mitford-reads

Well-written and unapologetic.

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Dec 02, 2012 Erik Graff rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommends it for: Mosley & Mitford fans

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: biography

I hadn't known that Diana Mitford had written an autobiography until I saw this volume at the Amarynth Bookstore in Evanston, Illinois. Being interested in the mentality of fascists and Nazis, I picked it up and read it immediately.

Mitford came from a background of wealth and aristocratic connections. Reaching out, as she did as a young woman, to Hitler and his circle was quite a stretch from her usual associations, a stretch not very well accounted for in this book except in that Hitler was ver ...more

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Jun 19, 2015 Elyse rated it 2 of 5 stars

Things in life are all about perspective. Before reading this, I had no idea who Diana Mitford was and frankly after reading this I'm still not sure if I do. I know who she is in the historical sense, but as a person not so much. I don't know if she really figured out who she was beyond her traditional female roles...mother & wife. I've read other reviews of this book & most are negative in that she didn't show any remorse for her actions. And I can see how easy it is for individuals to ...more

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Jun 25, 2014 Renato rated it 4 of 5 stars

Despite her controversial political stands, Diana's writing is very elegant. She is a very warm person, and totally devoted to her family and friends. I recommend this to anyone interested in the Mitford family or in the 1930's.

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Jul 25, 2014 treus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography , brilliant-english , memoirs , history

I think Diana was Nancy's equal as far as delightful prose goes. She presents fair and respectful portraits of her friends and acquaintances over the years, including some of the most publically reviled personalities of the twentieth century.

I think she does essays better than whole books, though. See also: The Pursuit of Laughter, for some of her collected essays and reviews.

A must-read for those interested in the Mitfords, Hitler, Oswald Mosley, the Second World War and the British aristocrac ...more

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Jul 11, 2015 Luba Ruzhnikov rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Women from different planet

Remarkable interpretations of england during her time. All her observation is from d

Very interesting interpretation of her time from different angles.

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Oct 01, 2009 Jaylia3 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Diana was the Mitford sister who married a British Fascist and was imprisoned during WWII so it was interesting, and sometimes eye-opening, to read her take on her life and the history of the last century. She had a unique vantage point because she was related to Churchill and knew Hitler--and a late chapter in the book describs the many ways she believed they were alike. Reading her sister Nancy's books I was happily infected with her determined love of life. Though there are enjoyable parts of ...more

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Jul 15, 2009 Gwyn Bailey rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought I had already reviewed this book so sorry if this is a duplicate. It is the last in a series about of books about the Mitford sisters that I have read this summer and it is definitely the worst. It should show as being authored by Diana Mosley as Diana Mitford married first Bryan Guiness and then Sir Oswald Moseley. It was written in 1977 and deals with her life up until that point but skates over her relationships with Hitler and various controversial political associations in a very ...more

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Jul 28, 2014 Keegan Chopin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Annoying, self-serving and devoid of any self-awareness or inner-reflection.

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Sep 28, 2008 Maura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fascinating family, the Mitfords - so many strong and varied personalities. Diana was personally acquainted with Hitler and I was always curious to hear her side of that, since anything else I'd read about them concentrated on her sister Unity's close friendship with Hitler. As I read her story, I was getting the real version of events and people that her sister Nancy immortalized in her books "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate".

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Dec 09, 2014 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

The unrepentant fascist Diana was never my favourite Mitford girl (team Decca), and some of this makes for uncomfortable reading ("the blacks" shouldn't have come to the UK, the Jews should have stayed out of Germany etc) but its still an interesting read.

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Mar 30, 2013 Geoffrey Rose rated it 2 of 5 stars

An interesting read for anyone interested in the Mitfords but her unrepentant fascism and her mendacious read of history - a world in which the 1945 Atlee government is seemingly characterized as more oppressive than Hitler's Germany - make this a difficult and at times infuriating read.

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Oct 17, 2013 Marta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Words fail me. I am really not aware of half of what she says, what with all the unexplained name-dropping and the shallowness and the unbelievable lack of self-criticism, but what a book. I'm shocked, and amazed, and glad it's over. So, life includes such lives. Who knew.

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Dec 04, 2011 Chiara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Def not as good of a writer as decca or even Debo, and her excuses for hitler are pretty unpalatable. Still an interesting read, as someone who was BFF with Evelyn waugh, Lytton strachey, etc etc

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Mar 08, 2013 Cathal Rm rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mostly vague, but amusing and witty. No mention of her rift with her sister Jessica. Skims over major events in a nonchalant way.

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Mar 19, 2015 Karen-Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

This book was interesting as it gives a different point of view to most I have read in my life.

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Nov 24, 2009 Budd Dwyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

One very cool lady. Fell for the Nazis a bit but mostly way cool.

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Aug 03, 2011 Paul added it · review of another edition

Very interesting book.

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