"The narrative trajectory is something like a cross between a Martin Scorsese film and a Greek tragedy: the omnipotence, partying and carnal escapades slowly give way to feuding, executions and revenge killings. It's a testament to Moorehead's precise, empathic prose that Edda emerges not as the Duce's devilish scion, but as a wounded, fragile being. There is nuance and paradox: [Edda] appears not only an enabler and beneficiary of fascist crimes, but also their victim. It makes for a profoundly satisfying, albeit wistful, read." -- The Guardian "Caroline Moorehead writes with her characteristic elegance, eye for detail, and authoritative knowledge about a monster and a survivor. The story of Mussolini's glamorous daughter is certainly a fascinating one." -- Miranda Seymour, author of Mary Shelley "Painstakingly researched and vividly told, this engrossing history turns the spotlight on the deeply conflicted Edda Mussolini, brilliantly balancing the big picture with a wealth of telling detail." -- Clare Mulley, author of The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville "Timely.
An engrossing portrait of a young woman forced to become a public figure. Moorehead has a spirited turn of phrase, a keen eye for the telling detail and pungent quote and a gift for marshaling complex material." -- The New York Review of Books "Interesting and original . Moorehead is a fine writer and a conscientious historian." -- The Spectator (UK) "Wide-ranging and compelling . this book will take a leading place in all studies of the reality of Fascism and all authoritarianism." -- Richard Bosworth, author of Mussolini and the Eclipse of Italian Fascism "Edda was a key player in a tragedy whose plot was so extraordinary that the ancient Greeks would have been seriously proud had they thought of it, and Moorehead tells it well." -- The Telegraph (UK) "Moorehead's clear, compelling prose and sure-handed grasp of historical events combine to make Mussolini's Daughter read like a page-turning thriller, one that will have special appeal for readers fascinated by European history, World War II and the conditions that gave rise to fascism.
" -- BookPage "Readers of early 20th-century Italian political history should enjoy." -- Library Journal "A powerful portrait of a young woman who played a key role in one of the most terrifying and violent periods in human history." -- Bookreporter.com "Enthralling . [Moorehead] brilliantly sketches the background of Mussolini and his regime, along with its deservedly bathetic end. Moorehead's readers can savour the characters of Edda and her family but also learn a great deal about the nature of Europe's first modern dictatorship." -- Literary Review (UK) "Highly readable . a fascinating mesh of the personal and the political.
" -- Toronto Star "Gripping. Meticulous research. Moorehead excels in describing the role played by intellectual and aristocratic circles." -- History Today "Caroline Moorehead creates with her trademark narrative elegance and authoritative attention to detail this portrait of a complicated, at times cruel, woman. Engrossing and enraging, Mussolini's Daughter is in the end a balanced portrait of a woman who not only benefited from fascist crimes but was also a victim of them." -- NOW Toronto "A timely reminder of fascism's sinister allure." -- Winnipeg Free Press.