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Edda Mussolini: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe
Edda Mussolini was Benito's favourite daughter: spoilt, venal, uneducated but clever, faithless but flamboyant, a brilliant diplomat, wild but brave, and ultimately strong and loyal.
She was her father's confidante during the 20 years of Fascist rule, acting as envoy to both Germany and Britain, and playing a part in steering Italy to join forces with Hitler. From her early twenties she was effectively first lady of Italy. She married Galeazzo Ciano, who would become the youngest Foreign Secretary in Italian history, and they were the most celebrated and glamorous couple in elegant, vulgar Roman fascist society.
Their fortunes turned in 1943, when Ciano voted against Mussolini in a plot to bring him down, and his father-in-law did not forgive him. In a dramatic story that takes in hidden diaries, her father's fall and her husband's execution, an escape into Switzerland and a period in exile, we come to know a complicated, bold and determined woman who emerges not just as a witness but as a key player in some of the twentieth century's defining moments. And we see Fascist Italy with all its glamour, decadence and political intrigue, and the turbulence before its violent end.
She was her father's confidante during the 20 years of Fascist rule, acting as envoy to both Germany and Britain, and playing a part in steering Italy to join forces with Hitler. From her early twenties she was effectively first lady of Italy. She married Galeazzo Ciano, who would become the youngest Foreign Secretary in Italian history, and they were the most celebrated and glamorous couple in elegant, vulgar Roman fascist society.
Their fortunes turned in 1943, when Ciano voted against Mussolini in a plot to bring him down, and his father-in-law did not forgive him. In a dramatic story that takes in hidden diaries, her father's fall and her husband's execution, an escape into Switzerland and a period in exile, we come to know a complicated, bold and determined woman who emerges not just as a witness but as a key player in some of the twentieth century's defining moments. And we see Fascist Italy with all its glamour, decadence and political intrigue, and the turbulence before its violent end.
448 pages, Hardcover
Published October 27, 2022
About the author
Caroline Moorehead
43 books230 followersCaroline Moorehead is the New York Times bestselling author of Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France; A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France; and Human Cargo: A Journey Among Refugees, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. An acclaimed biographer, Moorehead has also written for the New York Review of Books, the Guardian, the Times, and the Independent. She lives in London and Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 5, 2022
A very well-researched and educational read and an informative account of the unravelling of the fascist vision for Italy.
When this book was first recommended to me I was eager to get my hands on it for two reasons, firstly because I have read very little about Mussolini and his reign during World War II and secondly who wouldn't be captured by the title "Edda Mussolini: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe".
This is a terrific account of Mussolini, his background. family and the 20 years of fascist's rule. I finished this one a lot wiser than I began and was so impressed with Caroline Moorhead's attention to detail and research. However, I do think that Mussolini and his sidekicks are more a focus for the author in this book and I had expected the book to centre more on Edda Mussolini than it did. This was a slow read for me as it is full of facts and I had to concentrate to keep track of the numerous people and names mentioned throughout the book, who they were and where they belonged in the account.
I did however get a good sense of who Edda was and how she became her father's favourite child. Her marriage to Galeazzo Ciano, who went on to become the youngest Foreign Secretary in Italian History is well documented, from their affairs and vulgar lifestyle to the downturn of their fortunes in 1943 when Ciano voted against Mussolini in a plot to bring him down. The last few chapters centres on Edda and her years after her father's execution.
This is without doubt a fascinating story of a women who was interesting, complicated, clever, and flamboyant. I loved reading about the life of Edda Mussolini, but I certainly didn't warm to her as a person. I enjoyed the read and can highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy history and want a well written and researched account of Mussolini, his daughter Edda and the 20 years of Fascist Rule.
Delighted to have purchased a hard copy of this for my real life bookshelf.
When this book was first recommended to me I was eager to get my hands on it for two reasons, firstly because I have read very little about Mussolini and his reign during World War II and secondly who wouldn't be captured by the title "Edda Mussolini: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe".
This is a terrific account of Mussolini, his background. family and the 20 years of fascist's rule. I finished this one a lot wiser than I began and was so impressed with Caroline Moorhead's attention to detail and research. However, I do think that Mussolini and his sidekicks are more a focus for the author in this book and I had expected the book to centre more on Edda Mussolini than it did. This was a slow read for me as it is full of facts and I had to concentrate to keep track of the numerous people and names mentioned throughout the book, who they were and where they belonged in the account.
I did however get a good sense of who Edda was and how she became her father's favourite child. Her marriage to Galeazzo Ciano, who went on to become the youngest Foreign Secretary in Italian History is well documented, from their affairs and vulgar lifestyle to the downturn of their fortunes in 1943 when Ciano voted against Mussolini in a plot to bring him down. The last few chapters centres on Edda and her years after her father's execution.
This is without doubt a fascinating story of a women who was interesting, complicated, clever, and flamboyant. I loved reading about the life of Edda Mussolini, but I certainly didn't warm to her as a person. I enjoyed the read and can highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy history and want a well written and researched account of Mussolini, his daughter Edda and the 20 years of Fascist Rule.
Delighted to have purchased a hard copy of this for my real life bookshelf.
November 28, 2022
As usual with Caroline Moorehead, this book is meticulously researched and very readable. The only small quibble I have about it is that it doesn’t fully do what it says on the tin. It’s much more of a general history of Mussolini himself and his period of fascist government in Italy. Edda was certainly his favourite child and had an influence on him, but I’m not sure about how dangerous she was. Her main influence was in being a go-between to Hitler and Nazi Germany, ensuring that Italy allied itself with the Nazis during the war.
Another small problem is that there are so many first hand sources, diaries and letters, that the detail and sheer number of characters can get confusing. One of the strongest and most influential was Edda’s husband, Ciano, who became Italy’s foreign minister and had an increasingly difficult relationship with Mussolini.
Another small problem is that there are so many first hand sources, diaries and letters, that the detail and sheer number of characters can get confusing. One of the strongest and most influential was Edda’s husband, Ciano, who became Italy’s foreign minister and had an increasingly difficult relationship with Mussolini.
May 18, 2024
A riveting and fascinating biography of Benito Mussolini’s eldest daughter and favourite child, Edda.
The subtitle declares Edda to have been “The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe” and it’s worth pondering that for a moment. It’s a phrase that the author quotes from a newspaper, not her own opinion. Fascist ideology came with a conservative social mindset that wanted women to obey men, just as men should obey the state, and in the end everything and everyone served the Duce. As daughter of the dictator and wife of foreign minister Ciano, Edda was in the same position as the Roman ladies of old — she wielded influence, not power. Edda didn’t attempt to lead any political organisation. Caroline Moorehead describes how the dictator’s wife Rachele followed the lead of many second-tier fascists and ran her own network of spies and informers; not so Edda. There isn’t any suggestion that Edda set out to build a serious political network, or that she tried to read the official papers that her husband may or not have brought home. Edda did her best to safeguard Ciano’s professional diaries, and used them to secure her survival and make money, but Moorehead doesn’t mention Edda actually reading them, or what she thought of them. Edda was a social go-between, and when she travelled the distance between Hitler and Mussolini, she was important as such. But the evidence, to my mind, backs up her own claim that she was politically naive.
Her life played out as a tragedy in four acts.
First Act: A rather unhappy childhood in an at least initially poor family. Edda was the unwilling witness of the quarrels between her parents, as Benito Mussolini was a bad husband and father, serially adulterous and often absent, and the practically minded Rachele wasn’t inclined to back down. Moorehead’s sketch of the times gives more insight in the world of her parents, than that of the child, but this is inevitable.
Second Act: The zenith of Italian fascism, in which Benito covered the streets in monuments to and statues of himself, the new elites shamelessly enriched themselves through corruption, dissidents were thrown in jail, and the Duce decreed that there should be no mention in the press of his age and birthdays, outbreaks of disease, unhappiness, bad weather, or women in trousers. Edda accordingly lived a rich and privileged life, but Moorehead’s description doesn’t render it as a particularly happy life. As a husband, Galeazzo Ciano became a disappointment, and Edda would have divorced him if her father had not decided that adultery wasn’t grounds for divorce. (Of course he would have looked ridiculous if he had.) At least Ciano didn’t seem to mind Edda’s numerous affairs either, which suggests that he was less attached to double standards than most Italian men of his time. The son-in-law’s obsequiousness to the whims of the Duce annoyed his wife, who was far more independently minded. But she did play out her diplomatic role as she was sent out to improve relations with Berlin. The main story that is told in this book is one of decadence, nouveau riches mixing with impoverished aristocrats, heavy gambling, and malign gossip.
Third Act: Italy’s participation in WWII, which demonstrated the folly of spending all your money on marble and foreign adventures, instead of on building your (war) industry. Here Edda is presented as more naive than her husband, and a true believer in the victory of the Axis, while Ciano understood early on that this adventure was going to end very badly. In these chapters of the book, it must be said, it is clear that Moorehead is no military historian. The author adopts a dismissive attitude to the Italian war effort that has been corrected by the efforts of more recent historians who have documented that the Italians, though poorly equipped and badly led, often fought bravely and contributed more to the successes of the Axis than they usually get credit for. There are also some blunders in detail. But there is no denying that the writing was on the wall early on, and Edda seems to have respected the determination of Ciano to find a way out, which contributed to Mussolini’s fall in 1943. And which of course, eventually cost Ciano his life, as he was shot on 7 January 1944.
Fourth Act: Edda’s life on the run, initially as a rather unwelcome guest of the Swiss, but arguably continuing even after she was allowed to return to Italy, and soon enough allowed to freely choose her place of residence again. This is the part of her life in which Edda needed to fend for herself and her three children, as her husband was dead and her father soon would be. It’s true cloak-and-dagger stuff, full of narrow escapes and bizarre negotiations. Edda tried to use Ciano’s diaries as leverage, offering them in turn to the SS and the OSS. It is an enticing story but this account of so many illicit manoeuvres can be a bit confusing, and as a reader you have to wonder whether it is really all true, or some of it is part of the many myths and legends of the period. But Edda survived, if not without difficulty. She didn’t spend that much time in detention and much of it was fairly gentle: In hotels, in convents, in a luxury mental hospital, on an island. It was hardship for someone who had gotten accustomed to money and comfort, but a better life than many Italians had in a bombed-out, shot-up and impoverished country. And until her death in 1995, she lived out her life in peace.
“Illusion is perhaps the only reality in life,” Moorehead quotes a young Benito Mussolini at the end of the book. The years of fascism were years of mutual illusion, during which the people thought that they had a strong and wise leader, and the leader thought that he had obedient and martial people. In this biography, it is laid out in detail Edda’s relationships with the two most important men in her life were likewise founded on illusions. But somehow her bonds with her husband grew deeper and stronger in times of danger and hardship, while those with her father were shattered beyond repair. Nevertheless Edda never stopped believing in the myth of her father. Her personal tragedy didn’t mirror that of her nation, as she had a too strong personality for that, but Moorehead’s biography of Edda nevertheless reads like rich and illuminating account of the times.
The subtitle declares Edda to have been “The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe” and it’s worth pondering that for a moment. It’s a phrase that the author quotes from a newspaper, not her own opinion. Fascist ideology came with a conservative social mindset that wanted women to obey men, just as men should obey the state, and in the end everything and everyone served the Duce. As daughter of the dictator and wife of foreign minister Ciano, Edda was in the same position as the Roman ladies of old — she wielded influence, not power. Edda didn’t attempt to lead any political organisation. Caroline Moorehead describes how the dictator’s wife Rachele followed the lead of many second-tier fascists and ran her own network of spies and informers; not so Edda. There isn’t any suggestion that Edda set out to build a serious political network, or that she tried to read the official papers that her husband may or not have brought home. Edda did her best to safeguard Ciano’s professional diaries, and used them to secure her survival and make money, but Moorehead doesn’t mention Edda actually reading them, or what she thought of them. Edda was a social go-between, and when she travelled the distance between Hitler and Mussolini, she was important as such. But the evidence, to my mind, backs up her own claim that she was politically naive.
Her life played out as a tragedy in four acts.
First Act: A rather unhappy childhood in an at least initially poor family. Edda was the unwilling witness of the quarrels between her parents, as Benito Mussolini was a bad husband and father, serially adulterous and often absent, and the practically minded Rachele wasn’t inclined to back down. Moorehead’s sketch of the times gives more insight in the world of her parents, than that of the child, but this is inevitable.
Second Act: The zenith of Italian fascism, in which Benito covered the streets in monuments to and statues of himself, the new elites shamelessly enriched themselves through corruption, dissidents were thrown in jail, and the Duce decreed that there should be no mention in the press of his age and birthdays, outbreaks of disease, unhappiness, bad weather, or women in trousers. Edda accordingly lived a rich and privileged life, but Moorehead’s description doesn’t render it as a particularly happy life. As a husband, Galeazzo Ciano became a disappointment, and Edda would have divorced him if her father had not decided that adultery wasn’t grounds for divorce. (Of course he would have looked ridiculous if he had.) At least Ciano didn’t seem to mind Edda’s numerous affairs either, which suggests that he was less attached to double standards than most Italian men of his time. The son-in-law’s obsequiousness to the whims of the Duce annoyed his wife, who was far more independently minded. But she did play out her diplomatic role as she was sent out to improve relations with Berlin. The main story that is told in this book is one of decadence, nouveau riches mixing with impoverished aristocrats, heavy gambling, and malign gossip.
Third Act: Italy’s participation in WWII, which demonstrated the folly of spending all your money on marble and foreign adventures, instead of on building your (war) industry. Here Edda is presented as more naive than her husband, and a true believer in the victory of the Axis, while Ciano understood early on that this adventure was going to end very badly. In these chapters of the book, it must be said, it is clear that Moorehead is no military historian. The author adopts a dismissive attitude to the Italian war effort that has been corrected by the efforts of more recent historians who have documented that the Italians, though poorly equipped and badly led, often fought bravely and contributed more to the successes of the Axis than they usually get credit for. There are also some blunders in detail. But there is no denying that the writing was on the wall early on, and Edda seems to have respected the determination of Ciano to find a way out, which contributed to Mussolini’s fall in 1943. And which of course, eventually cost Ciano his life, as he was shot on 7 January 1944.
Fourth Act: Edda’s life on the run, initially as a rather unwelcome guest of the Swiss, but arguably continuing even after she was allowed to return to Italy, and soon enough allowed to freely choose her place of residence again. This is the part of her life in which Edda needed to fend for herself and her three children, as her husband was dead and her father soon would be. It’s true cloak-and-dagger stuff, full of narrow escapes and bizarre negotiations. Edda tried to use Ciano’s diaries as leverage, offering them in turn to the SS and the OSS. It is an enticing story but this account of so many illicit manoeuvres can be a bit confusing, and as a reader you have to wonder whether it is really all true, or some of it is part of the many myths and legends of the period. But Edda survived, if not without difficulty. She didn’t spend that much time in detention and much of it was fairly gentle: In hotels, in convents, in a luxury mental hospital, on an island. It was hardship for someone who had gotten accustomed to money and comfort, but a better life than many Italians had in a bombed-out, shot-up and impoverished country. And until her death in 1995, she lived out her life in peace.
“Illusion is perhaps the only reality in life,” Moorehead quotes a young Benito Mussolini at the end of the book. The years of fascism were years of mutual illusion, during which the people thought that they had a strong and wise leader, and the leader thought that he had obedient and martial people. In this biography, it is laid out in detail Edda’s relationships with the two most important men in her life were likewise founded on illusions. But somehow her bonds with her husband grew deeper and stronger in times of danger and hardship, while those with her father were shattered beyond repair. Nevertheless Edda never stopped believing in the myth of her father. Her personal tragedy didn’t mirror that of her nation, as she had a too strong personality for that, but Moorehead’s biography of Edda nevertheless reads like rich and illuminating account of the times.
Read
September 21, 2023On 17 June 1934, Benito Mussolini’s daughter, Edda, presided over a fascist parade at Edgware Stadium in north London, flanked by the radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi and the Italian ambassador Dino Grandi. She was 23. Over 1,000 Italian children dressed up in the uniforms of the fascist youth groups Opera Nazionale Balilla and Avanguardisti and marched past the platform. The aim – as outlined in 1922 – was to ‘create in effect a new Italian empire’ using the ten million Italians abroad, those ‘in London in particular’. On that day, Edda Mussolini could not have foreseen that her host, Grandi, would play an instrumental role in bringing down her father. Nor that many of the children parading before her would cry over the loss of their fathers following Italy’s declaration of war on the United Kingdom in June 1940. Thousands of Italian civilians were interned as potential ‘dangerous characters’ and 470 were drowned when their passenger ship, the Arandora Star, was sunk by a German U-2 while en route to Canada in July 1940.
Edda was in London on a diplomatic mission. Mussolini wanted to be certain of Britain’s position before launching an attack against Ethiopia which would involve sending troops through the Suez Canal. She was to let the British government know about Italy’s ambitions and report back. In Caroline Moorehead’s gripping new book, we learn how she extracted a chilly green light from the prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald. Mussolini had reasons to be thankful to the glamorous emissary he had trained with a mixture of love and brutality since she was a child. She was his favourite. Even in her old age, Edda remembered how, when she was just three or four, her father put a frog in her hands. She had to squeeze it to keep it prisoner. She was told never to cry.
Moorehead’s meticulous research describes another of Edda’s diplomatic missions, this time to Germany, charged with establishing useful contacts. While there, she became an enthusiastic Nazi. An unbridgeable contrast ensued with her anglo-francophile husband, Galeazzo Ciano, who as Foreign Minister could not stop Mussolini from siding with Adolf Hitler. Edda wanted war at all costs.
Read the rest of the review at HistoryToday.com.
Alfio Bernabei is the author of The Summer before Tomorrow (Castelvecchi, 2022).
Edda was in London on a diplomatic mission. Mussolini wanted to be certain of Britain’s position before launching an attack against Ethiopia which would involve sending troops through the Suez Canal. She was to let the British government know about Italy’s ambitions and report back. In Caroline Moorehead’s gripping new book, we learn how she extracted a chilly green light from the prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald. Mussolini had reasons to be thankful to the glamorous emissary he had trained with a mixture of love and brutality since she was a child. She was his favourite. Even in her old age, Edda remembered how, when she was just three or four, her father put a frog in her hands. She had to squeeze it to keep it prisoner. She was told never to cry.
Moorehead’s meticulous research describes another of Edda’s diplomatic missions, this time to Germany, charged with establishing useful contacts. While there, she became an enthusiastic Nazi. An unbridgeable contrast ensued with her anglo-francophile husband, Galeazzo Ciano, who as Foreign Minister could not stop Mussolini from siding with Adolf Hitler. Edda wanted war at all costs.
Read the rest of the review at HistoryToday.com.
Alfio Bernabei is the author of The Summer before Tomorrow (Castelvecchi, 2022).
April 21, 2023
An interesting and very well researched book about Mussolini's favourite daughter who supposedly held great influence over her father. It was very densely written (little white space on the pages) with lots of names, dates and places which required great attention from the reader. It also meandered back and forth over the years.
I classed this as "OK" rather than liking it, not because of the way it was written, but because the characters were quite unlikeable. However I did learn about the Fascist phase of Italian history of which I previously knew little.
Edda Mussolini was Benito's favourite daughter: spoilt, venal, uneducated but clever, faithless but flamboyant, a brilliant diplomat, wild but brave, and ultimately strong and loyal. She was her father's confidante during the 20 years of Fascist rule, acting as envoy to both Germany and Britain, and playing a part in steering Italy to join forces with Hitler. From her early twenties she was effectively first lady of Italy. She married Galeazzo Ciano, who would become the youngest Foreign Secretary in Italian history, and they were the most celebrated and glamorous couple in elegant, vulgar Roman fascist society. Their fortunes turned in 1943, when Ciano voted against Mussolini in a plot to bring him down, and his father-in-law did not forgive him. In a dramatic story that takes in hidden diaries, her father's fall and her husband's execution, an escape into Switzerland and a period in exile, we come to know a complicated, bold and determined woman who emerges not just as a witness but as a key player in some of the twentieth century's defining moments. And we see Fascist Italy with all its glamour, decadence and political intrigue, and the turbulence before its violent end.
I classed this as "OK" rather than liking it, not because of the way it was written, but because the characters were quite unlikeable. However I did learn about the Fascist phase of Italian history of which I previously knew little.
Edda Mussolini was Benito's favourite daughter: spoilt, venal, uneducated but clever, faithless but flamboyant, a brilliant diplomat, wild but brave, and ultimately strong and loyal. She was her father's confidante during the 20 years of Fascist rule, acting as envoy to both Germany and Britain, and playing a part in steering Italy to join forces with Hitler. From her early twenties she was effectively first lady of Italy. She married Galeazzo Ciano, who would become the youngest Foreign Secretary in Italian history, and they were the most celebrated and glamorous couple in elegant, vulgar Roman fascist society. Their fortunes turned in 1943, when Ciano voted against Mussolini in a plot to bring him down, and his father-in-law did not forgive him. In a dramatic story that takes in hidden diaries, her father's fall and her husband's execution, an escape into Switzerland and a period in exile, we come to know a complicated, bold and determined woman who emerges not just as a witness but as a key player in some of the twentieth century's defining moments. And we see Fascist Italy with all its glamour, decadence and political intrigue, and the turbulence before its violent end.
February 1, 2023
I found this to be a most readable book, giving a good insight into the inner workings of Fascist Italy.
My objections to this book are twofold - a lack of attention to detail and editing (example: Italian soldiers were said to have fought on the "Caruso" in the First World War, rather than on the Carso plateau in modern-day Slovenia), and that the book was more a biography of Benito Mussolini than of his daughter. The book's namesake makes only sporadic appearances across the pages, and I got the impression she was more of a bit player in the story than the main subject.
One telling thing in the author's favor was her observation of the salacious rumors that surrounded Edda Mussolini's private life, almost all of them untrue. It took a woman author to highlight once again how women in powerful places more often than not are the subject of unfounded malicious rumors about their sex lives.
Notwithstanding my nitpicking, I really enjoyed the story with its wealth of anecdotal detail about the Mussolini family and the turbulent times they lived in.
My objections to this book are twofold - a lack of attention to detail and editing (example: Italian soldiers were said to have fought on the "Caruso" in the First World War, rather than on the Carso plateau in modern-day Slovenia), and that the book was more a biography of Benito Mussolini than of his daughter. The book's namesake makes only sporadic appearances across the pages, and I got the impression she was more of a bit player in the story than the main subject.
One telling thing in the author's favor was her observation of the salacious rumors that surrounded Edda Mussolini's private life, almost all of them untrue. It took a woman author to highlight once again how women in powerful places more often than not are the subject of unfounded malicious rumors about their sex lives.
Notwithstanding my nitpicking, I really enjoyed the story with its wealth of anecdotal detail about the Mussolini family and the turbulent times they lived in.
September 10, 2023
Caroline Moorehead is one of my favourite biographers. And lots of this very well written book is highly interesting. Having read a lot about the Third Reich, it was fascinating to see how different in many ways Fascist Italy. More emphasis was put on persuading the population, with the exception of their terrible outrages in Libya and Ethiopia, awash with war crimes and clearly not seeing these nations as people. There are lots in interesting characters and the corruption of the regime and rivalries are fascinating.
What is disappointing is how marginal Edda often is. Even less the 'dangerous' of the subtitle which is just an invitation to buy the book. She only becomes centre stage with the deaths of of her husband Ciano and her father in the last chapters of the book. Even then in lots of ways she remains mysterious and hard to fathom.
I would suggest giving this one a miss and returning to Moorehead's superb biographies of Bertrand Russell and Martha Gelhorne.
What is disappointing is how marginal Edda often is. Even less the 'dangerous' of the subtitle which is just an invitation to buy the book. She only becomes centre stage with the deaths of of her husband Ciano and her father in the last chapters of the book. Even then in lots of ways she remains mysterious and hard to fathom.
I would suggest giving this one a miss and returning to Moorehead's superb biographies of Bertrand Russell and Martha Gelhorne.
Read
March 17, 2024What a terrific read.
I know next to nothing about Italy during Mussolini's time and this book provides a vivid and clear account of his reign through the story of his daughter who was extra-ordinarily close to her father and represented him across many international meetings before and during WWII.
Well worth reading.
While it doesn't deal with the aftermath of the war..Mussolini's end, and that of Edda's husband are covered.
What's also interesting is the role that Emilio Pucci (of famous fashion house name) played in trying to get Edda's husband, Galeazzo Ciano, out of Italy...which failed. More reading about the Ciano Rose Garden papers here. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2...
Looks like I'll be buying more books to read about this part of history.
I know next to nothing about Italy during Mussolini's time and this book provides a vivid and clear account of his reign through the story of his daughter who was extra-ordinarily close to her father and represented him across many international meetings before and during WWII.
Well worth reading.
While it doesn't deal with the aftermath of the war..Mussolini's end, and that of Edda's husband are covered.
What's also interesting is the role that Emilio Pucci (of famous fashion house name) played in trying to get Edda's husband, Galeazzo Ciano, out of Italy...which failed. More reading about the Ciano Rose Garden papers here. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2...
Looks like I'll be buying more books to read about this part of history.
April 22, 2024
Very interesting historical account of Edda Mussolini. But it took several months to read. Lots of facts and figures to take in, with many characters (names) introduced regularly. There is a list of the main people of interest at the beginning. While reading, say half way through, forget who's who, but biblio at the back helped to refer back to people's background. Somewhat repetitive in the middle, but perhaps reflective of the lifestyle that Edda lived. Learnt a lot about WWII, Italy's involvement and fascism.
November 1, 2023
I found this book fascinating. This was a gift of a friend and I have to say she always gets me great books. She certainly knows what genres I enjoy and anything to do with history, especially the Second World War is a winner. However, I thought this was a historical fiction but it became clear it was a biography when I started reading. I’m not a massive non-fiction reader so once that realisation hit in I thought I’d end up giving up, but this was so captivating. The writing was so brilliant because it flowed and read like a novel, and captivated me straight away. Edda Mussolini is someone I would never have thought to have read on. It was fascinating to see the rise and fall of her father, the perception of the rise of Hitler, the killing of the Jews and the Second World War in general through her eyes was eye opening. It gave me a whole new perspective on the war and of Mussolini’s regime in general. I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by history and WWII in general. This book has now given me the bug to read more non-fiction, without having to write essays after.
April 25, 2024
A detailed book about Edda Mussolini’s life - it has been overall been well researched. I did not know much about Fascist Italy until I read this book, and it was super interesting to deep dive into the details.
The only thing I really picked up on was sometimes it jumped back and forth between years, which at time made the book quite confusing and messy. Furthermore, you really need to keep up with the people involved - I found I forgot in some places who some of the people were.
The only thing I really picked up on was sometimes it jumped back and forth between years, which at time made the book quite confusing and messy. Furthermore, you really need to keep up with the people involved - I found I forgot in some places who some of the people were.
March 11, 2023
A very interesting book, full of information/ facts about Mussolini, Edda and his family. It was a slow read but worth the time. It gave good insight into Fascism and the 20 years of Mussolini rule in Italy - what a mess and a difficult time for Italians but amazing that he had so many followers who adored him.
December 17, 2023
fascinating
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this biography. The author is very good at describing the fascist culture, the lives of those who had it all as opposed to the ordinary Italians who just lived the myth. Edda emerges clearly from all the hyperbole and propaganda. Great read
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this biography. The author is very good at describing the fascist culture, the lives of those who had it all as opposed to the ordinary Italians who just lived the myth. Edda emerges clearly from all the hyperbole and propaganda. Great read
March 24, 2024
Listened to on audiobook, read by Kathleen Gati. Edda Mussolini is ostensibly the subject of this book, but her father's story plays a bigger role. "The most dangerous woman in Europe" is pushing it (there is nothing to warrant that claim in the book), but I found the Mussolini family story interesting. The audiobook gets 1 star from me, Kathleen Gati's voice sounded AI generated.
December 26, 2022
Some interesting insights into fascist Italy. For me, though there was too little focus on Edda herself, and too much on the wider italian landscape. Fascinating, just not what I wanted when I picked this up.
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May 3, 2023If you like your fascism unmustachioed then this history of right wing Italy may be for you. However as for claiming E.M. to have been anything but a self-centred pinhead, well, there's precious little evidence here. I'd back my gran with her rolling pin after a couple of tins of Mackeson's.
January 23, 2024
As someone who did not know a lot about how Italy was in WW2 this was an interesting read with very detailed accounts of various aspects of fascism and the Mussolini’s ascendency and subsequent fall.
December 16, 2022
Great biography not only of Edda but also Italy.
September 22, 2023
52 book club 2023 #1 has a subtitle
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