A twentieth-century life - Frances Lonsdale Donaldson

First published in 1992, this is the story of Frances Donaldson and a
wonderfully multi-faceted life. As the daughter of the playwright
Frederick Lonsdale, she grew up in the frivolous world of 1920s cafe
society, yet she became a committed socialist. As the wife of Lord
Donaldson, who was on the board of both London opera houses and was
subsequently Minister for the Arts, she was at the centre of cultural
life in Britain. Yet for many years she had been a farmer, since, during
the Second World War, alone and with no experience, she was determined
to make a go of it. Her first two books, both highly successful, were
about farming; they were followed by a portrait of Evelyn Waugh, a
biography of her father, and biographies of Edward VIII and P.O.
Wodehouse, whom she knew as a child.Populated by characters as diverse as Waugh and Frederick Ashton, Tony Crosland and Ann Fleming, this delightful, highly personal memoir reflects the dramatically changing times which have shaped Frances Donaldson's fascinating life.