Why are we so utterly in thrall to upper-crust tales of privilege, riches and scandal? Because it’s a great story of wealth, heritage and survival in the modern world.
This brainy feminist romp of a novel, loved by Rachel Cusk and Maria Semple, is often compared to Brideshead Revisited. But Carol Lefevre says it’s more like a sexy, sweary version of Nancy Mitford in 1960s London.