The mad boy, Lord Berners, my grandmother and me : an aristocratic family, a high-society scandal and an extraordinary legacy

Format:

Book

Title:

The mad boy, Lord Berners, my grandmother and me : an aristocratic family, a high-society scandal and an extraordinary legacy

Author:

Zinovieff, Sofka author

ISBN:

9780062338945

9780062338952

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Publication:

New York : Harper, [2015]

Physical Description:

xii, 436 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

General Note:

"Originally published in Great Britain in 2014 by Jonathan Cape."

Contents:

List of Illustrations -- A Fish-shaped Handbag -- Behind the Rocking Horse -- Russians, Radicals and Roman Catholics -- A Delightful Youth -- Et in Arcadia Ego -- Boys and Girls -- Fiends -- Follies and Fur-lined Wombs -- The Orphan on the Top Floor -- In the City of Dreaming Dons -- Gosh I think She's Swell -- The Pram in the Hall -- Put in a Van -- 'From Catamite to Catamite' -- The Nazi -- Robert's Folly -- Purple dye -- Blood Ties -- Dust and Ashes -- The Bell and the Blue Plaque -- Notes -- Select Bibliography -- Acknowledgments -- Index.

Summary:

"A narrative account of the author's bohemian aristocrat grandparents' unconventional relationship with her grandfather's gay lover examines the period taboos, family secrets and cultural dynamics that shaped their shared lives, "--Novelist.

Personal Subject:

Berners, Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Baron, 1883-1950.

Berners, Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Baron, 1883-1950-Homes and haunts.

1883-1950. Berners, Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Baron,

Berners, Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Baron, 1883-1950. (OCoLC)fst00113435

Subject(s):

Composers -- England -- Biography.

Novelists, English -- 20th century -- Biography.

Eccentrics and eccentricities -- England -- Biography.

Aristocracy (Social class) -- England -- Biography.

Bisexuality in marriage -- England -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

England.

Genre:

Biography.

Biographies.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	942.082 ZINOVIEFF 2015	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

This beguiling tale of a scandalous ménage à 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 ménage à 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.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

The story of renowned diplomat, composer, novelist and painter Lord Gerald Berners and his "cultivated, artistic milieu." In this vivid biography, Zinovieff (The House on Paradise Street, 2012, etc.) examines the lives of Lord Berners, his partner of more than two decades, Robert Heber-Percy (the author's grandfather and the "Mad Boy" of the title), and her grandmother, Jennifer Fry, a beautiful and witty party girl and the catalytic agent of the story. At Gerald and Robert's parties at Faringdon, their estate, "entertainment, excitement and the pleasure principle" were paramount. However, their social circle of artists and aristocrats was more of a romantic and sexual Gordian knot: Most of the men were bisexual or gay, though several also loved women (some enough to marry them), many of whom were also sexually fluid. This impressively researched saga, which spans both world wars, is an effervescent account of the British upper class in the first half of the 20th century. When Jennifer improbably married the Mad Boy, a "wildly physical, unscholarly young hothead," she upended their lives at Faringdon by introducing a feminine presenceand a child (the author's mother, Victoria)to their home. Victoria came to reject her English country home and lifestyle. The author was raised in a bohemian environment and recalls her mother's decision not to teach her children manners "on principle." (This is the washed-out section of an otherwise vibrant tapestry.) In a drastic tonal shift, Zinovieff takes out the knives in describing her dismay about her inheritanceLord Berners' manor and his chef. Though readers should find her relatable, she comes across as occasionally nonsympathetic; her story becomes tiresome as she recounts her struggle to resolve her modern sensibilities to the pastoral world of Faringdon and a "lost way of life." A mostly entertaining story of an unconventional family and their shared trait of flouting convention across generations. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

Starred Review. After discovering a photograph of her grandparents-socialites Robert "the Mad Boy" Heber-Percy and Jennifer Fry-with both their newborn daughter and Robert's longtime and significantly older boyfriend, Lord Berners, journalist Zinovieff was determined to find out what brought them all to live together as an unconventional, yet brief, threesome at the lively Faringdon House. The intrigue surrounding these unusual and formidable individuals is an instant hook, which is only enhanced by their personal histories and struggles. The narrative is also peppered with many creatives of the time-artist Salvador Dali and authors Evelyn Waugh and Gertrude Stein, to name but a few-who brought with them their own dramatic trysts and pasts during their visits to Faringdon. The cast of characters can feel overwhelming at times; however, brief confusion is well worth the tidbits gleaned from a group with such diverse sexual and political leanings. No one fit the social norm of 1930s and 1940s England, and readers will be eager to gobble up the next piece of gossip. VERDICT While highlighting eccentricities, glamour, and downright debauchery, Zinovieff is also able to capture the humanity in what is a fascinating and eye-opening ancestral history.-Kate DiGirolomo, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

List of Illustrations	p. ix
1 A Fish-shaped Handbag	p. 1
2 Behind the Rocking Horse	p. 11
3 Russians, Radicals and Roman Catholics	p. 31
4 A Delightful Youth	p. 50
5 Et in Arcadia Ego	p. 74
6 Boys and Girls	p. 99
7 Fiends	p. 116
8 Follies and Fur-lined Wombs	p. 132
9 The Orphan on the Top Floor	p. 157
10 In the City of Dreaming Dons	p. 186
11 Gosh I think She's Swell	p. 215
12 The Pram in the Hall	p. 239
13 Put in a Van	p. 260
14 'From Catamite to Catamite'	p. 288
15 The Nazi	p. 310
16 Robert's Folly	p. 326
17 Purple Dye	p. 346
18 Blood Ties	p. 372
19 Dust and Ashes	p. 384
20 The Bell and the Blue Plaque	p. 391
Notes	p. 401
Select Bibliography	p. 411
Acknowledgements	p. 417
Index	p. 419

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents