Albert Gates, a surrealist painter of impeccable family, is greatly given to outrageous pranks; Jane Dacre finds him quite irresistible – though the elder members of the shooting party are less enraptured. His victims include Lady Prague, whom he haunts disguised as the castle ghost, and General Murgatroyd, who will never willingly shake hands with a foreigner.

Written in 1931, Highland Fling was Nancy Mitford’s first published novel, and is the first time her irascible father appears as a character in one of her fictional plots, as the wrathful General Murgatroyd .

Combining physical humour and verbal sharpness, Highland Fling captures perfectly the high-society glamour of the decades immediately before and after World War II.

Click here to visit the Nancy Mitford website.

Nancy Mitford - Nancy Mitford (1904-1973) was born in London, the eldest child of the second Baron Redesdale. Her childhood in a large remote country house with her five sisters and brother is recounted in the early chapters of The Pursuit of Love (1945).

She had written four novels including Highland Fling (1931) before the success of The Pursuit of Love, and followed it with Love in a Cold Climate (1949) The Blessing (1951) and Don't Tell Alfred (1960). She also wrote four works of biography.

After the war she moved to Paris with her husband where she lived for the rest of her life. Nancy Mitford was awarded the CBE in 1972.

Julian Fellowes - Julian Fellowes is an actor, writer, director and producer. His first script for the cinema, Gosford Park, won numerous awards including Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. He is the author of the bestselling novel Snobs, and his second feature film, From Time to Time, will be released in 2009.

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