When Celia Paget died in 2002, her daughter Ariane Banks inherited an old trunk filled to the brim with letters, diaries and correspondence between her mother and her Aunt - iden6tical twins Celia and Mamaine.
Born in 1916 and orphaned at an early age, this book is the story of their lives growing up in the 1920s and 1930s and the many remarkable friendships they had along the way.
As twins, they were reluctant debutantes together in 1935 and shared a passion for travel - gained from their time spent at a finishing school in the Switzerland.
Their correspondence recounts the friendships and lovers they had including some very well know names.
I found this a wonderful book and was sad to learn that Mamaine died at only thirty seven years old. Ultimately, this is a story of two sisters and the bygone world that they lived in.
This was such a fascinating book, I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved the amount of pictures that were included in this, as they really brought this to life.
I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys reading biographies.
5 stars
Thank you to Random Things Tours for including me. Check out the banner below to follow the other stops on the tour.
About the Author
Ariane Bankes had a long career in publishing, including at John Murray and V&A Publishing, before becoming a writer, critic and curator. Her writing has appeared in the Spectator, TLS, Financial Times, Country Life and Slightly Foxed. She sits on the boards of Koestler Arts, the Leche Trust and the Biographers’ Club, where she runs the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize and the Tony Lothian Prize.
