Circe

Edith Londonderry was a pioneer in the large-scale and effective organization of women in wartime, and founded and ran the Women's Legion in the 1914-1918 war. She was an influential feminist and spoke and wrote effectively in the cause of women's suffrage. A gifted gardener, she created the Mount Stewart gardens in County Down, now owned by the National Trust. However, she is probably best remembered for the Eve of Parliament receptions she gave for the Conservative Party between the wars when, glittering with jewels, she would receive up to 2000 guests at the top of the famous Londonderry House staircase. A woman of compelling personality and mesmeric charm, she fascinated many. Her remarkable spectrum of friends ranged from the Royal Family, Prime Ministers and politicians, to writers, artists and musicians. Among those romantically obsessed with her was Britain's first Labour Prime Minister, James Ramsay MacDonald. Her emotions, however, were entirely absorbed by her glamorous but unfaithful husband. Their letters make this book as much a story of a marriage as of a life. The author has also written "1939: The Last Season".