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

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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 . 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.

India Knight takes on the mighty task of re-imagining Nancy Mitford's classic comedy of manners, The Pursuit of Love. This book is gorgeous. Full of charm and whimsy, I want so badly to live at Alconleigh. Uncle Matthew is ridiculous and my favourite character with Davey as a close second. Such a fun and witty read about the Radletts, mainly Linda Radlett, who feels herself destined for greater things in life. It’s about love, family, social class and more. Apparently, a 21st century version of ‘The Pursuit of Love’ (which I’d never heard of, oeps). But something I’m quite curious about now! 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. 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.

It’s a decent enough, weekend read. The final third was less engaging but that didn’t spoil the overall impression. 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. Eventually Linda does find her way out from the bosom of her deeply eccentric extended family, and she escapes to London. 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.

The big question is WHY OH WHY? i.e. why bother retelling such a perfect book? What can be gained from doing this? 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!!). 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. 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.Granted, it’s hard to compete with the high stakes of Mitford’s pre Second World War setting. Knight makes Linda’s third love affair, with French hotel tycoon Fabrice El Hassane, dizzyingly romantic. But there’s no getting round it: being separated from your lover because they must open a new hotel in New Zealand is fundamentally less sexy than them leaving to fight the Nazis as a French resistance hero. A savagely funny, bracingly sad, dazzlingly clever reimagining of The Pursuit of Love. I loved it' Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss 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 was good at becoming whatever was required: you could pour me into any vessel and I'd take on its shape"

Darling is a witty, homely and comforting novel all orbiting the life of Linda Radlett and her pursuit to find love wherever she can. Exploring the modelling lifestyle in London and the cultural walks of Paris, this eccentric character captured my heart at every angle. The story is told from her cousin Fran’s perspective and we are truly welcomed with open arms by the beautiful Norfolk countryside setting that Knight feasts our eyes with. 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”. 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:

About this book

And what a relief she took the risk. Darling is a real treat, destined to be reread as devotedly as its predecessor.

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?! Husband number one, Tony Kroesig, has been perfectly refashioned as the son of a prominent right-winger. He calls his banking colleagues “proper lads” and has a sister called Blanche (“I thought it a sinister name for the offspring of a Ukip supporter,” thinks Fran).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.