The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire was brought up in Oxfordshire with spells in London. In 1950, her husband inherited estates in Yorkshire, Ireland and Derbyshire. As broad and eclectic as her long and eventful life, the pieces in this book 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. Specially commissioned drawings from her son-in-law Will Topley are included.
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