Martha Hall Kelly's Blog: Martha's Blog, page 11

An Incredible Day at The Bellamy-Ferriday House

June 10th was such a great day–I got to meet so many wonderful Lilac Girls readers and hang out at the world’s most beautiful place, The Bellamy-Ferriday House and Gardens. Signed a lot of books and we awarded the first ever Caroline Ferriday French Prize to a local high school graduate, Ryan Rescsanski. (If you couldn’t make it, we are doing another event July 15th.)

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The Hay looked especially beautiful.
The amazing Holly Baider and Marzena Chachaj arrange gorgeous lilacs. Marzena made Polish treats, too.
Signing books in Caroline’s playhouse
Adorable Herman Anderson knew Caroline and he told me some wonderful stories.
My attempt at a lilac selfie.
Caroline’s desk, just as she left it.
Holly’s beautiful work.
One of many lovely book groups!

A Lovely New Caroline Picture

 

Many thanks to Caroline Ferriday’s cousin Alexander “Sandy” Neave who recently shared this wonderful photo with me. I love finding old pictures of Caroline I’ve never seen, but this one is really special since it captures a moment with her cousins frozen in time. From left to right: Alexander C. Neave (Sandy’s father), Esther Baker Young, Charles F. Neave (going off to war), Betsy Baker and a teenaged Caroline. Caroline’s aunt on her father’s side, Elizabeth Ferriday Neave (whose beautiful, oval portrait hangs in Caroline’s room at The Bellamy-Ferriday House) was Alexander and Charles’ mother. The Baker girls are the daughters of Helen Ferriday Baker, Elizabeth’s sister.

One of the Last “Ravensbruck Ladies” Passes Away at 93.

Very sad to say Mrs. Stanislaw Osiczko Sledziejowska, one of the last surviving “Ravensbruck Ladies,” passed away today at 93. Part of a group nicknamed “The Rabbits” by the Nazi doctors at the camp, she was one of the youngest Polish political prisoners experimented on at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp as a teen, and was so positive and courageous to the end. Three hours before she died she spoke with a group of teenagers by phone who came to Ravensbruck to commemorate the prisoners. They sang her a beautiful song and she was very happy. A lovely way to spend her final hours.

Be still my heart. Pennie picked Lilac Girls.

I’ve always thought Costco was amazing and now I know for sure. It’s so gratifying to have someone like Pennie Clark Ianniciello, who has her finger on the pulse of what’s good in books, sing Lilac Girls’ praises. Writer Lisa Alcalay Klug captured the story so beautifully and they even included a video from my website about the rabbits and a giveaway of copies with signed bookplates. Costco goes above and beyond once again.

Meet Guy, the infant in Lilac Girls who survived Ravensbruck, now all grown up.

If you’ve read Lilac Girls you know about little Guy Poirot, the baby who is lifted up into one of the Swedish Red Cross’ rescue busses, to be reunited with his mother and escape the camp. It is based on a true story, of how Ravensbruck prisoner Raymonde Poirot gave birth to a child at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp and escaped with him.

Pregnant when she arrived at the camp, Raymonde worked in the prison laundry and on Sunday, March 11, 1945  she gave birth to her child in the corner of the room. Her fellow prisoners brought her rags to wrap the child in and she called him Mon petit chiffon, my little rag bundle. She named him Guy. Others called him Lumpi– rag bundle.

Raymonde’s friends smuggled Guy and his mother to the mother and child barrack, where they were somewhat safer. Soon the war ended and Raymonde knew she would be able to take Guy home to France, but she could not be seen with her secret child.

The Ravensbruck prisoners gathered and worked out a strategy to save Guy. The moment Raymonde had passed the guard on her way to the waiting Swedish rescue bus and had taken her first step up, another prisoner came running. “Raymonde, you have forgotten your rag bundle,” she said and tossed the bundle up to her. The bus drove off and the camp authorities never knew mother and child left that day, with the help of so many brave conspirators.

Guy is still called Lumpi today.

This week I found the lovely photo above, of Guy and his mother. I had heard Guy was a teacher in France, but that was all I knew about his life after Ravensbruck until I saw this picture. I also just found out this week Lilac Girls will soon be published in France.

Perhaps Guy will reach out to me here. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

 

An Incredible Meeting in Poland

I met Irene Weisberg Zisblatt (above right) in Florida on book tour this spring for Lilac Girls, when I was lucky to have her introduce me at a JCC book event. I admired the little silver pin fixed to the neck of her dress. “It means ‘remember’ in Hebrew,” she said as she took it off and pinned it on me. Right then I knew she’d be a friend for life.

After the event, with not a trace of self pity, she told me about her time as a “guinea-pig” at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, living through terrible experiments performed by Josef Mengele to change the color of her eyes. Irene said she was going on the March of the Living at Auschwitz for Holocaust Remembrance Day and would be in Krakow, Poland in April on her way. She asked if I knew how she could meet one of the Ravensbruck Rabbits, the group of women from my novel who were also subjected to Nazi experiments, but at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp for women in Germany.

What a wonderful meeting that would be, I thought. Though Wanda Poltawska (above, left) is Catholic and Irene is Jewish they have so much in common. Both were very young when Nazi doctors operated on them. Both have suffered terrible adversity but have kept so positive. Both are authors.

I wanted share the photo of them meeting, to celebrate them and have included both their books below, great stories from inspiring women. I have included a few pictures of Irene at The March of the Living, too…

The Read Between the Wines Book Club’s Amazing Lilac Girls Celebration

Book clubs that read Lilac Girls have done some incredible things to celebrate the novel, but this book club from Boca Raton, Florida went above and beyond.

          Joanna Jendroska who was born and raised in Legnica, Poland and moved to New York when she was 18 hosted the club’s Lilac Girls discussion last Saturday. Joanna (center in group shot above) made potato-cheese pierogi and nelsniki with cheese and mushrooms, served makowiec for dessert and even dyed her hair with lavender highlights.

          She made a challenging Lilac Girls trivia game, decorated her home with photos and information about the book characters and the Holly Hollon maps of Lublin, Poland and New York. Best of all she officiated over a “casting director” game where book club members voted for who would best portray Kasia, Caroline and Herta on screen. (below) I think they made great, unexpected casting choices.

          In Joanna’s words: “I put a lot of effort into making this book club meeting a memorable experience for all of the women involved and did my best in trying to honor the memory of ‘the rabbits’ and I feel like I will always do everything to make their story heard.”

          Love the way they recreated the book cover, arm-in-arm, too. Lilac Girls readers are the best. 

 

Half Price Books Rolled out the Red Carpet for Lilac Girls

It has been so much fun touring the country celebrating the launch of the Lilac Girls paperback, from Florida and San Francisco to Arizona. Texas to Illinois. But the lovely staff at Half Price Books flagship store in Dallas went way above and beyond. Not only did they broadcast the book talk on Facebook Live, (a first for both of us) their AMAZING display specialist Kiki Baughman, created this incredible, rotating Lilac Girls display, made from recycled books.

Kiki created the gorgeous globe to show the research journey I took writing Lilac Girls and it features Paris, Poland, New York City, Germany, all slowly rotating above a bed of literary lilacs.

You’d never know it but there’s a glittering disco ball at the heart of the project.

Even the Lilac Girls fans went all out…love the lilac nail color!

Thank you, Half Price Books! Read all about Kiki’s other wonderful displays here: https://blog.hpb.com/2017/03/08/meet-the-bibliomaniac-kiki-baughman/#more-20335

Somebody Get me a Margarita. Lilac Girls Just Hit theSkimm.

I’m a die hard fan of theSkimm, the bold and brainy daily newsletter that makes it easier to be smarter, and almost fell over this morning to see Lilac Girls recommended there. Eternally grateful and so happy this true story will find a lovely new audience of Skimmers!

Sign up for theSkimm newsletter and subscribe to their blog at theSkimm.com. You’ll love this great new way to get your news.

Be Still My Heart. Lilac Girls Paperback Just Arrived.

Nothing brightens a gray day like the arrival of the most beautiful spring flowers ever. Thanks to Random House the paperback is amazing. Love the addition of B&W pictures and a great interview by author Lynn Cullen. Can’t wait for the launch on February 28th!