In the interim she gives birth to a daughter, Moira, whom she literally abandons, leaving her to be brought up by family. Linda embarks on a decade long whirlwind of gay partying and socializing, remaining faithful to her husband but engaging in frivolous flirtations with all and sundry. We very quickly see the marriage falling apart. Tony is focused on his career and being successful. Despite her parent’s disapproval Linda quickly marries Tony and very quickly repents her decision. So eager is Linda to be in love and married, that she fancies herself in love with the first person she meets- Tony Kroesig, son of a rich, banking family lacking a title. In a couple of years Linda and Fanny who are of the same age make their debut. Nevertheless, we see Linda Radlett consumed with jealousy for her sister’s engagement. The alliance is a prudent one, guided by the head and not the heart and to Linda seems an uninspiring choice. Towards the beginning of the story we find Louisa, the eldest Radlett daughter engaged to be married to the much older John Fort William- a lacklustre personality of good pedigree. Linda, the protagonist of the story is the beautiful second daughter of the family.
Their mother, Fanny’s Aunt Sadie is a mild-mannered woman. Their father-Uncle Matthew is a slightly eccentric, short-tempered, overbearing man. The Radlett children have an unusual upbringing- bereft of any formal education. They live in a large manor house in the Gloucestershire countryside called Alconleigh. There are six Radlett children and their parents are Uncle Matthew and Aunt Sadie. Aunt Sadie, mother to the Radlett children is the third sister. Fanny’s mother- wittily described as the ‘Bolter’ in the story due to her tendency to form a series of monogamous romantic attachments, abandoned her daughter at a very young age, leaving her to be brought up by her younger, unmarried sister- Aunt Emily. The story is told through the eyes of Fanny Logan, cousin to the Radlett children. However, at the heart of the tale is the story of a young woman’s lifelong quest to find love.
The threat of impending war and its repercussions play a major role in the unfolding of the story. The time frame of the story is set in between the two world wars. The Pursuit of Love was the first novel that brought Mitford popularity and is semi-autobiographical. It is the first novel in a trilogy of which Love in a Cold Climate and Don’t Tell Alfred form a part. The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford is her fifth novel published in 1945.
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