Martha Hall Kelly's Blog: Martha's Blog, page 10

Two Years Ago Today Lilac Girls Debuted

I love this picture. Taken two years ago today, it captures the joy and nervous excitement of the Lilac Girls pub day. It shows my sister Polly surprising me (in mid photo op) where it all began–at the Lilac Girls launch party at The Corner Bookstore in NYC. That night was surreal and just the beginning of an incredible two years. Thank you to all the amazing readers and book groups and bookstores for championing Lilac Girls. I’m grateful for you every day.

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Win A Visit From Me to Your Bookclub–for a Great Cause

This Thursday March 15th The Kelly Gang Charities will be live auctioning an in-person bookclub visit from yours truly, at their annual benefit. I love in-person bookclub visits and will bring a trove of Lilac Girls goodies with me when I visit, including signed hardcovers for all and plenty of pinot noir. I’ll also be signing copies of Lilac Girls at the Thursday fundraiser. This year, all proceeds go to Wholesome Wave, a wonderful nonprofit that makes fruits and vegetables affordable for those living in poverty. If you are in the NYC area, come bid in person at Michael’s Restaurant. (invite below)

Click the link below to get tickets to the Kelly Gang Benefit: http://www.kellygangcharity.org/2016-event-tickets

 

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An Incredible Polish Christmas at Caroline Ferriday’s House

What a wonderful time we had today at The Bellamy-Ferriday House in Bethlehem, CT. at the Polish Christmas celebration. Guests toured Caroline Ferriday’s former home and learned about Polish Christmas customs and I signed books in Caroline’s kitchen, the comfiest place in the world. I loved meeting so many Lilac Girls readers and book clubs from all corners of Connecticut and the country. I even got to meet Father Christmas, aka George McNulty, the house site administrator (though, clearly flummoxed at meeting the great man, got my book cover turned around.)

Special thanks to Marzena Chachaj (bottom below) who brought the Polish table to life in Caroline’s dining room and and Holly Baider (left below) who created fabulous flowers and Polish decorations. Together with the amazing Connecticut Landmarks staff, they went above and beyond to transform the house into a Polish wonderland.

Hope we do this every year–it’s such a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

The Most Amazing Lilac Girls Cookies Just Landed

I’m in love with these Lilac Girls cookies made by Rachel Mikitka of Sweet Pea Cookies. In the Caroline’s House cookies she recreated the facade perfectly, right down to the exact windows. Incredible.

You can see all of her amazing cookies on sweetpeacookies.com. Thank you, Rachel!

Researching Lilac Girls in Paris Made the Book Come Alive

One of the best things about writing Lilac Girls was traveling the world searching for clues about the true story. I spent a lovely week there learning so much about Caroline. The archive she left at The University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Defense and the staff at the library there was especially helpful. Below are some of the things I found in the archive that helped the book come to life.

From the archive in France. Clockwise: Caroline’s Medaille de la Reconnaissance Francaise, (Medal of French Gratitude)-one of Caroline’s many honors awarded by the French government, group shot of Caroline and committee in Poland, laundry ticket Caroline used to take notes on, at Jardin du Luxembourg: me with translator Mail Feryal AKA Josephine Boulanger, who lovingly translated Caroline’s letters for me.
From the archives-clockwise: Telegram from Norman Cousins, Caroline’s typewritten list of “Lapins”,French map of concentration camps, Ravensbruck and others marked in red by Caroline, Caroline’s lovely, engraved calling card.
While researching in Paris I stayed at The Hotel Lutetia (pre-renovation) which the Nazis used as headquarters, lovely Paris and the best profiteroles ever made, reward for a hard day’s research.

W. Somerset Maugham’s 1940s Thoughts on America Still Resonate Today

I found this 1944 Life Magazine article displayed at the lovely Colonial Inn on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s an interesting look at a successful author’s life on the Vineyard during WWII. At the time of his visit, he was “the most prolific and financially successful living writer in the English language – second only to Churchill as the most famous Englishman in the world.”

Maugham’s take on post-WWII America in The Razor’s Edge is interesting and  relevant today: That tumultuous conglomeration of humanity, distracted by so many conflicting interests…so wistful of good, so cocksure on the outside, so diffident within, so kind, so hard…so mean and so generous–the people of the U.S.

The American people seemed to dote on the 70 year old Maugham, on Martha’s Vineyard, at least, where the article says admirers invariably surround him–sometimes girls, more often elderly ladies who try unsuccessfully to corral him for cocktails. By elderly, did the author mean women his own age? Who wouldn’t be clamoring to hang out with Maugham with that porcupine frieze hair?  

He attended the premiere of the film adapted from his novel The Moon and Sixpence at the Edgartown Playhouse, the first such gala on the Vineyard. “The skies were dark under the wartime dim-out in effect on the Island and the setting was modest, but the audience glittered with the Hollywood producers and mainland press.”

A Vineyard reporter  wrote of Maugham’s visits: “This island, more than most places of the earth, takes pride in its visitors – which is perhaps an Island prerogative.” Still true today over 60 years later.

 

Maudie May be the Perfect Movie

It’s been years since I’ve cried in a movie theater but Maudie got me. Hope Sally Hawkins wins an Oscar for her performance as Nova Scotia artist Maud Lewis. (See her home below.) If you haven’t seen it, go soon–it’s amazing in every way. Especially love the casting, the costumes (Maud’s sweaters!) and the music. The cinematography. Everything. Just lovely.

Exciting New Find at The Bellamy-Ferriday House

It may look like just any old trunk but it made my heart skip a beat to see it. I arrived July 15th at The Bellamy-Ferriday House for a Lilac Girls event and there it was in the kitchen. The Connecticut Landmarks staff told me one of them had found it in the attic over one of Caroline’s barns. Reminds me of the trunk Caroline opens up in Lilac Girls, full of her theatrical costumes, complete with stickers from Caroline’s theatre tours.

The sticker on the trunk’s front is from David Belasco’s play Accused.

E.H. Southern, below, a popular stage and screen actor of the time was a good friend of the Ferriday’s. His wife Julia Marlowe was a famous Shakespearian actress and the pair starred in many plays together. Caroline appeared in four plays with E.H. and many more with her mentor Julia Marlowe.

Julia and EH as Romeo and Juliet

David Belasco was the theatrical producer, director and playwright who produced Accused.

If only this trunk could talk.

Excited to Talk Lilac Girls on Martha’s Vineyard This Week

Just arrived on Martha’s Vineyard and will be talking about Lilac Girls and signing books at two wonderful libraries: Thursday July 6th at 6:00 pm at The Oak Bluffs Library and Tuesday July 11th at 7:00 pm at The Vineyard Haven Library. Come and see me if you’re on the island!

 

Happy Birthday, Caroline Ferriday.

July 4th seems a perfect birthday for Caroline, the anniversary of the date when our thirteen colonies declared themselves a new nation. It seems fitting today to celebrate this strong, independent women who did so much for others.

Thank you to Ronald Duelks who paid his respects to Caroline this weekend at beautiful Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where Caroline is buried, along with her parents and grandparents. Such a lovely final resting place for a lovely woman.