Kirsty Manning Livres

Originally published as The Jade Lily in Australia in 2018 by Allen & Unwin-- Copyright page.

From Kirsty Manning, author of The Song of the Jade Lily, comes a gripping World War II set historical novel about murder, secrets, and survival. A forgotten manuscript that threatens to unravel the past... Fresne Prison, 1940: A former maid at a luxury villa on the Riviera, Margot Bisset finds herself in a prison cell with writer and French Resistance fighter Joséphine Murant. Together, they are transferred to a work camp in Germany for four years, where the secrets they share will bind them for generations to come. Paris, around about now: Evie Black lives in Paris with her teenage son, Hugo, above her botanical bookshop, La Maison Rustique. Life would be so sweet if only Evie were not mourning the great love of her life. When a letter arrives regarding the legacy of her husband's great-aunt, Joséphine Murant, Evie clutches at an opportunity to spend one last magical summer with her son. They travel together to Joséphine's house, now theirs, on the Côte d'Azur. Here, Evie unravels the official story of this famous novelist, and the truth of a murder a lifetime ago. Along the way, she will discover the little-known true story of the women who were enslaved by German forces in WWII. Bringing together the present and the past, The French Gift is a tender and heartbreaking story of female friendship, sacrifice and loss, and the promise of new love.

Set during World War II, the novel explores the bravery of prisoners of war who risk their lives to document Nazi atrocities. It delves into the life of one man who, after concealing this critical evidence for decades, eventually passes it down to his family. As they grapple with this inherited legacy, the story examines themes of trauma and the long-lasting impact of history on future generations.

Why would someone bury a bucket of precious jewels and gemstones and never return? Present Day. When respected American jewelry historian, Kate Kirby, receives a call about the Cheapside jewels, she knows she's on the brink of the experience of a lifetime. But the trip to London forces Kate to explore secrets that have long been buried by her own family. Back in Boston, Kate has uncovered a series of sketches in her great-grandmother's papers linking her suffragette great-grandmother Essie to the Cheapside collection. Could these sketches hold the key to Essie's secret life in Edwardian London? In the summer of 1912, impoverished Irish immigrant Essie Murphy happens to be visiting her brother when a workman's pickaxe strikes through the floor of an old tenement house in Cheapside, near St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The workmen uncover a stash of treasurefrom Ottoman pendants to Elizabethan and Jacobean gemsand then the finds disappear again! Could these jewelsone in particularchange the fortunes of Essie and her sisters? Together with photographer Marcus Holt, Kate Kirby chases the history of the Cheapside gems and jewels, especially the story of a small diamond champlevé enamel ring. Soon, everything Kate believes about her family, gemology, and herself will be threatened. Based on a fascinating true story

Intrepid reporter Charlotte "Charlie" James arrives in Paris in 1938 eager to make a fresh start, but little does she know the trouble that awaits her... Charlie James is chasing her first big scoop as correspondent for British-based newspaper The Times, and she needs to prove to her boss that she can do this job as well, if not better, than her male counterparts. The best way to forge the necessary contacts quickly is to make well-connected British expats, Lord and Lady Ashworth, her business. Lady Eleanor knows everyone in Parisian high society, and at her sumptuously extravagant annual party, a Circus Ball, Charlie will meet them all. On the summer solstice eve, the Circus Ball is in full swing, with the Parisian elites entranced by burlesque dancers, tightrope walkers, a jazz band . . . and a horrific murder. A wealthy but unscrupulous investor is dead, and the list of suspects is a veritable who's who of le haut monde. As Charlie tries to determine who the murderer is, she finds herself drawn into the magical parties, couture houses, and bohemian wine bars of the City of Lights. Soon secrets start to unravel, including some Charlie has a personal stake in keeping hidden.

Zapomenutý poklad a dávné tajemství skrývá klíč k rodinné historii. Když historička Kate Kirbyová z Bostonu dostane nabídku napsat článek o „pokladu z Cheapside“, tuší, že jde o životní šanci. Nikdo neví, jak se šperky a cennosti dostaly pod zem. Cesta do Londýna však Kate přinutí prozkoumat minulost své rodiny. Po návratu do Bostonu objeví v zápiscích své prababičky, chudé irské imigrantky, náčrty zlatého knoflíku vykládaného drahými kameny, který se podobá knoflíkům z pokladu. Mohla by Kate s těmito vodítky zjistit něco o životě své prababičky Essie Murphyové, která Londýn opustila a už se tam nevrátila? V létě 1912 navštíví Essie svého bratra, který pracuje na staveništi, právě když dělníci objevují úchvatný poklad – od otomanských přívěsků po alžbětinské klenoty. Může být možné, že tyto šperky, zejména jeden z nich, změnily osud Essie a jejích sester? Kate se spolu s fotografem Marcusem Holtem pustí do pátrání, přičemž ji zajímá příběh malého prstenu s diamantem a zlatých knoflíků. Jakou pravdu tyto cennosti skrývají a co se Kate dozví o své rodině? Její představy o původu a o sobě samé se brzy ocitnou v ohrožení.

Ein Wohlfühl-Roman für alle Sinne über zwei Frauen, zwei Leben und die Liebe zum Kochen: Lassen Sie sich von Kirsty Manning und ihrer charmanten Heldin Pip Arnet auf eine unvergessliche kulinarische Reise in den „Garten der Düfte“ entführen. Die Meeresbiologin Pip liebt ihre Heimat Tasmanien, den Duft nach Meer und Eukalyptus, die Weinberge und die regionalen Köstlichkeiten. Und doch zieht es sie in die Ferne. Von Wissensdurst getrieben heuert die Hobbyköchin bei einem spanischen Spitzengastronom an. Im Gepäck hat Pip wenig mehr als ihre Leidenschaft für vorzügliches Essen und das mittelalterliche Rezepte-Büchlein einer gewissen Artemisia, das sie in einem alten Kupfertopf entdeckt hat. Wer war die geheimnisvolle Frau, die mit großem Einfallsreichtum solch köstliche Rezepte niedergeschrieben hat? Und was ist aus Artemisias Liebe zu ihrem italienischen Gewürzhändler geworden? Von den windumtosten Stränden Tasmaniens führt Pips Reise ins Baskenland, auf ein Weingut in der Toskana und in die Brasserien von Paris, bis sie in dem verwunschenen Garten eines französischen Klosters auf die Spur von Artemisa trifft ... „Lässt Ihnen das Wasser im Munde zusammenlaufen!“ Australian Women's Weekly