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''To War with Whitaker: The Wartime Diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly 1939–1945'' is a memoir of World War II written, in diary form, by Hermione, Countess of Ranfurly, that was first published in 1994 to immediate and general critical acclaim. The actor-novelist Sir Dirk Bogarde wrote in the London ''Daily Telegraph'': "If you buy one more book this year, do make it ''To War with Whitaker''." The author Robert Rhodes-James wrote in the London ''Sunday Express'': "An extraordinary story. No review can do justice to the writing." The London ''Daily Mail'' commented: "These absolutely spiffing diaries offer a madcap, aristocratic window behind the lines of war" and the reviewer for ''Woman & Home'' wrote: "Few diaries from any era could be as fascinating … This is truly compulsive reading."〔''To War with Whitaker: The Wartime Diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly'' (London, Mandarin, 1995), front and back covers.〕 The book's paperback publisher Mandarin Publishing described it as "A love story that knows no bounds": When World War II broke out, Dan Ranfurly was dispatched to the Middle East with his faithful valet, Whitaker. These are the diaries of his young wife, Hermione, who, defying the War Office, raced off in hot pursuit of her husband. When Dan was taken prisoner, Hermione vowed never to return home until they were reunited. For six years, travelling alone from Cape Town to Palestine, and meeting such charismatic characters as Churchill, Eisenhower, and a parrot called Coco on the way, she kept her promise.〔''To War with Whitaker'', back cover.〕 When the Countess died in 2001, her obituarist for the ''Daily Telegraph'' wrote: "Hermione, Countess of Ranfurly, who has died aged 87, was the author of one of the most delightful memoirs of recent times, ''To War with Whitaker'' (1994), and the kind of woman for whom words such as pluck and spirit might have been invented."〔''Daily Telegraph'', 22 November 2001. Retrieved 18 August 2014.〕 ''To War with Whitaker'' was first published by William Heinemann in 1994 and republished as a paperback by Mandarin in 1995. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「To War with Whitaker」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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