Do Admit! (a favourite saying of the sisters) is cartoonist Mimi Pond’s comics biography of the Mitford sisters - Nancy, Unity, Pam, Jessica, Diana, and Deborah - as well as a mini-autobiography of her own, at least in terms of her lifelong fascination with the Mitford family. At nearly 500 pages, the book covers all of the significant parts of the sisters’ lives and puts them in the context of some of the 20th century’s major historical events.
It’s an entertaining and informative look at this intriguing family, with Pond’s enthusiasm for these real life characters rubbing off on the reader. Prior to this, I had only known of Nancy Mitford, the author of novels like The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate (and something vaguely fascist/Hitler-adjacent about one or two of the other sisters). So it’s surprising to learn that nearly all of the sisters were authors, despite their mother’s lack of support in educating them. Although Nancy was the only novelist, Decca (Jessica’s nickname - this family and their nicknames, honestly), Debo (Deborah), and Diana all published nonfiction.
Besides Nancy the novelist, who were the Mitford sisters? Unity was six feet tall and friends with Hitler - she would also be the first to die, quite young and entirely her fault. Diana was the other Nazi sympathiser, and wife to Oswald Mosley, the leader of British fascism. Jessica/Decca was a communist who emigrated to America early in life and never returned to Britain, later becoming a civil rights crusader. Deborah/Debo became a duchess and steward to many historical country houses (all open to the public today under the National Trust). Pam was the quiet one - a farmer, who raised Diana’s children while she was imprisoned during the war, who later in life came out to be bisexual.
Although the subtitle is “The Mitford Sisters and Me”, Pond doesn’t include much of herself in the book, with the focus being almost exclusively on the Mitford Sisters, and then, mostly on Nancy, Decca and Diana. Although this is mostly because Pam was a very private person and so there isn’t much to say about her; the same could be said of Debo, whose conservation work pretty much defined her life; and Unity died young.
The Mitfords were aristocracy but it’s crazy how involved in some of the biggest names in 20th century history they were. Early in life, Decca (the communist) runs off with Esmond Romilly, Winston Churchill’s nephew, to fight the fascists in Spain, which explains why a naval Destroyer was sent to pick them up and bring them home! Both Diana and Unity insinuate themselves into Hitler’s inner circle, with Diana marrying Oswald in Goebbels’ house with Hitler as wedding guest. Their family is even vaguely connected to the Kennedys (and Debo may have hooked up with JFK once), while Nancy was friends with the literati of her day, exchanging regular correspondence with Evelyn Waugh, as well as dating the French ambassador, Gaston Palewski, who was part of DeGaulle’s government.
It’s like reading a biography of a real life Royal Tenenbaums - the family was a rich collection of eccentric characters who lived extraordinary lives. I’m not sure why Pond chose to colour the book in Prussian Blue ink but it works - the book looks great. And I especially appreciated the creative way she put across the Mitfords’ stories on each page. It’s not a series of uniform panels, but one creative design layout after another, that adds to keeping the reader’s attention on the book - and for such a big book, it’s a very quick read because Pond is such a strong storyteller.
The book does lose a bit of steam in the post-war years. Family members start dying off, the sisters are set in their lives, and the narrative becomes the sisters doing what they’ve been doing until they no longer do. And there’s perhaps too much on well-known American history than needed to be in there, as Decca (the American sister) dominates the remaining story with her social justice crusading. Also, as pretty as cursive is, it’s an absolute bugger to read and I hated the pages filled with cursive (not that many, but still).
Overall though, I do admit that this is a brilliant, informative and enthralling read about some genuinely captivating people and their remarkable lives, presented beautifully by the very talented Mimi Pond. Even if you’re not interested in learning about the Mitfords, the book makes you take an interest in them and cheerfully whisks you up into their upper class lives - for the better! Do Admit! The Mitford Sisters and Me is definitely one of the best comics of 2025 and a grand one-stop shop for learning about this complicated but undeniably compelling family.
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