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Like The Bolter and Portrait of a Marriage, this beguiling, heady tale of a scandalous ménage à trois among England's upper classes combines memoir and biography to re-create an unforgettably decadent world.
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 gorgeous 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 composer, writer and aesthete—a creative aristocrat most at home in the company of the era's best and brightest minds. He also owned one of Britain's loveliest stately homes, Faringdon House, in Oxfordshire, which under his stewardship became a beacon of sybaritic beauty. Robert and Gerald 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, Sofka Zinovieff probes the mysteries of her grandparents and the third man in their marriage: Gerald, the complex and talented heir to a legendary house, its walls lined with priceless art and its gardens roamed by a bevy of doves, where he entertained everyone from Igor Stravinsky to Gertrude Stein. What brought Robert and Jennifer together under his roof, and why did Jennifer stay—and marry Robert?
Blending memoir and biography in her quest to lay old ghosts to rest, Zinovieff pieces together the complicated reality behind the scandals of revelry and sexuality. The resulting story, defined by keen insight, deep affection and marvelous wit, captures the glory and indulgence of the age, and explores the many ways in which we have the capacity to love.
Sofka Zinovieff was born in London in 1961. She studied social anthropology at Cambridge and is the author of three previous books—Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens; Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life; and The House on Paradise Street. She lives with her husband and daughters at Faringdon.
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR007897595
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 448 pages. The extraordinary story of wildly eccentric people and the house they lived in. Seller Inventory # 2779aj
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. A very clean bright copy. Seller Inventory # 9713B
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. A very clean bright copy. Seller Inventory # 4463G
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Fine. First Edition. A paperback book in fine condition, dated 2014. A vivid sketch of the extraordinarily glamorous society of Faringdon in its heyday. Seller Inventory # 065573
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # 007476
Book Description Condition: Good. Good condition ex-library book with usual library markings and stickers. Seller Inventory # 00039088297
Book Description Condition: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 2.65. Seller Inventory # bk009957196Xxvz189zvxgdd
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Good. good. Seller Inventory # 973