Kirsty Manning’s lush dual timeline stories, dealing with family secrets and female friendships in international settings, have drawn favorable comparison with blockbuster authors like Penny Vincenzi.
Her latest book, The French Gift, is a tale of loyalty and betrayal in World War II Germany and Paris today. It is based on the true story of an iconic French Resistance fighter and won’t disappoint.
We've got three E-book copies of The French Gift to give away in our All New Aussies Giveaway.
ENTER DRAW FOR THE FRENCH GIFT E-BOOK
Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and on the show today Kirsty talks about the remarkable woman who inspired The French Gift, an amazing jewelry find, and a medieval walled garden reborn in her best sellers.
Just a mention - the sound quality on this episode is sometimes a little distorted as it was recorded in rural Australia and our WIFI connection danced around a little at times. I hope it won't distract too much - it's only in a few places that we get wobbly.....
Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:
Why multiple time frame novels appeal to KirstyWhy she sees writers as magpiesBeing captivated by Agnes HumbertThe glamor of the 1930s French RivieraThe mystery of a hidden jewel hoardHow a French holiday started her writing
Where to find Kirsty Manning
Website: http://kirstymanning.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirstymanningau/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kirstymanningau/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53486718-the-french-gift
What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.
But now, here’s Kirsty:
Introducing author Kirsty Manning
Jenny Wheeler: Hello there, Kirsty and welcome to the show. It's so good to have you with us.
Kirsty Manning: Hello. Thanks for having me.
Jenny Wheeler: You are talking this morning from the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, a place made famous by the movie Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Kirsty Manning: Yes, it was, and of course it was a novel before that. I live right on the northern faces of Mt Macedon, in an old chestnut grove, and you can see Hanging Rock sometimes from my house. I'm surrounded by gumtrees, and if you walk up the hill a bit further from where I am, you can look right across to the valley and Hanging Rock peers up from the valley floor. It is very mystical and magical.
Braemar College is just around the corner from my house and my kids went there in their early high school career.
(Editor note: Braemar College is believed by some to be the model for the school in the novel. Novelist Joan Lindsay attended the girl's boarding school near Mount Macedon, then named Clyde College,)
Jenny Wheeler: It sounds like a wonderful place to be set as a writer.
Kirsty Manning: Yes, it is. It's private and quiet and very beautiful. A lovely place to spend your day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzfiGzHDJE0
Female friendships & family secrets
Jenny Wheeler: We are talking about your fourth novel, The French Gift, but they have all got a very similar feeling. You have set yourself a tradition of lush dual timeline stories with an international reach, dealing with family secrets and female friendships. This is literature you have been drawn to yourself, isn't it?
Kirsty Manning: Yes, it is. When I started to write, people said write what you love and what you are feeling at the time. A book that really captivated me when I was at university was Possession by A. S. Byatt. That was set in multiple timeframes.
Later on, Geraldine Brooks’ People of the Book, which traces the Haggadah through the ages. I thought about the way those books and that plot unfolded. Elizabeth Kostova is another one, toing and froing between history past to present. I was drawn to those stories.
I have always loved historical fiction and when it cam...
