"Biographer Seymour, granddaughter of diplomat Richard Seymour who served in Berlin under Queen Victoria, captures the tumultuous relationship between England and Germany in this ambitious exploration of the period from 1613-1945. She opens with the union of Prince Frederick and Elizabeth Stuart--''marriage of the Thames and Rhine''--and runs through the 1840 match of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert that culminated in WWI. Long before the indelible scars created by ''the pity of war,'' Seymour illustrates how intellectual attraction drew the two cultures together, sketching a series of illustrious Englishmen--for example, poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Friedrich Schiller''s translator) and William Thackeray. Most compelling is the minor royal who played a role in what might be called the family feud: Daisy, Princess of Pless--née Cornwallis-West--who in 1891 married into the German aristocracy. Daisy''s position afforded her a close view of the antipathy between Kaiser Wilhelm, Queen Victoria''s irascible grandson, and his Uncle Bertie, the Prince of Wales. Seymour draws on Daisy''s private papers, which foretold the inevitability of WWI, and interviews with her son Hansel, which revealed her own uncomfortable position during the conflict. Every family has its differences but Seymour lays out why this particular family''s intrigue is so irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly "In her new book, Seymour contends that no two European nations have a stronger history of cultural and familiar bonds than Germany and England.

This work celebrates these connections and calls for a resurgence of the mutual admiration that once existed between these cousin nations. Beginning with the marriage of Elizabeth Stuart and Prince Frederick in 1612, Seymour explores how marriages of royals and nonroyals created dual identities for the children of these unions. Particularly appealing are the accounts of lesser-known figures such as Daisy Plessy and Hansel Plessy, mother and son, one interned by Germany and the other interned by England for being alien enemies during World War II. Equally compelling are the lives of Herbert Sulzbach and Heinz Koeppler, who worked with German prisoners of war during the same war, teaching them the skills necessary for democratic citizenship. By focusing on intercultural exchange, successful diplomatic relations, and cultural exchange, Seymour successfully makes the case that the nationalism of the era isn''t the only lens from which to examine the period. VERDICT A well-researched collection of stories that emphasizes the connection rather than the divide among nations, this book should appeal to students of international relations and peace studies as well as Anglophiles and Germanophiles." -- Library Journal "Miranda Seymour''s [stories] have a hypnotic effect. Imagine yourself outside a café overlooking a seaside esplanade.

The mood is elegiac: nostalgia shot through with a sense of foreboding.A vivid, well-researched book." -- BBC History Magazine "An arresting account of a complex and multi-faceted subject." -- Country Life "This is an impressive, meticulously researched and thought-provoking history." -- History Today "Seymour''s enormously entertaining . book acts as a much-needed counterweight to the glut of World War One histories that appeared in 2014; it paints the much larger picture of just how incredibly interconnected England and Germany were in the decades preceding the outbreak of war in 1914. Even long-time students of WWI will learn a great deal from this wonderful book." -- Stevereads "The Pity of War is a collection of the personal stories of the rich and the famous, many of whom had close family connections.

The chapters dealing with the 20th century are.interesting because there is more detail and longer biographical sketches." -- Daily News "A noble endeavour, encyclopaedic in its scope, beautifully organised and written, and very moving, as these two cousinly nations are driven asunder by war. A wonderful subject." --Michael Frayn "Seymour provides an eloquent, perceptive and often moving account of that broader, longer and more benign sweep of history." -- The Times (UK) "[Seymour''s] account of the First World War is both riveting and moving. A gripping read and a new and strangely uplifting perspective on relations between these two countries." -- Literary Review "Most readable and compulsive.

By writing her book as a patchwork of individual tales, Seymour allows this story of torn loyalties and proliferating influences to retain its messiness and its colour." -- The Guardian "Miranda Seymour''s . hugely entertaining and absorbing study . keeps the political, military and diplomatic dimensions as a framework and focuses on two centuries of personal relationships, families and friendships." -- The Daily Telegraph "Seymour''s masterstroke is to engage and teach us by letting the stories of real people shine through. A timely reminder of a delicate, deeply felt relationship between two countries." -- The Daily Express "Expands like an accordion, stories opening into more stories, and the whole propelled by prose that is lean and intricate. The book, which could be read for style alone, is an education and a handshake not only with the past, but with the present.

" -- Telegraph "Miranda Seymour''s research is meticulous, and many of her vignettes are lively and perceptive." -- Times Literary Supplement.