He is everything I like, brave, funny, no nonsense, marvellous taste, common sense, interested in everything
- Nancy Mitford on Frederick II of Prussia,
The unmistakable Mitford trill, in whose light, bright cadences an entire hard-to-shock and easy-to-bore view of life is made manifest
- Zoe Heller, Daily Telegraph
Elegant and entertaining
Chicago Tribune
Witty and atmospheric
Sunday Times
[Her books] have the air of having been talked on to the page, in a voice as direct and intimate and clear as a child's
- Laura Thompson, Daily Telegraph
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY KATE WILLIAMS
Frederick II of Prussia attempted to escape his authoritarian father as a boy, but went on to become one of history's greatest rulers. He loved the flute, and devoted hours of study to the arts and French literature, forming a long-lasting but turbulent friendship with Voltaire. He was a military genius and enlarged the borders of his empire, but he also promoted religious tolerance, economic reform and laid the foundation for a united Germany. Nancy Mitford brings all these contradictions and achievements to sparkling life in an fascinating, intimate biography.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY KATE WILLIAMS
Frederick II of Prussia attempted to escape his authoritarian father as a boy, but went on to become one of history's greatest rulers. Nancy Mitford brings all these contradictions and achievements to sparkling life in an fascinating, intimate biography.