Who – August 10, 2019

TheSydneysideristheauthorof 40 booksforadultsandchildren,

includingherbest-knownnovel,BitterGreens, a grown-upretelling

of the Rapunzel fairytale. With her latest, The Blue Rose, out now,

Forsyth, 53, tells WHO about the book that she ...

... was first captivated by as a child

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I badly wanted to live in

a thatched cottage in the countryside with an enchanted wood

at the end of my garden. Actually, I still want this!

... remembers reading to herself and loving

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. My aunt was

reading a chapter a night to my sister and me, and my sister kept on

reading during the day, gasping and laughing and crying. I was so

frustrated I picked up the book and began to read myself – suddenly

all those black marks on the white page began to make sense.

... prefers to read on holiday

I want a book which enchants and entertains me and which I simply

cannot put down. Books that fit the bill are The Betrayal by Kate

Furnivall and The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, both set in France in

World War II; and The Binding by Bridget Collins and Fingersmith by

Sarah Waters, both located in Victorian England.

... reads and re-reads

So many! Just this year I have re-read The Quality of Silence by

Rosamund Lupton, The King Must Die by Mary Renault, Northern

Lights by Philip Pullman, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier.

... wrote herself which features a character she loves

Charlotte-Rose de la Force, the heroine of Bitter Greens,

was inspired by 17th century French noblewoman

Mademoiselle de la Force. She wrote the story we know as

Rapunzel while locked in a convent as punishment for her

scandalous love affairs and audacious writing.

... has just released

The Blue Rose is a historical novel set in the late 18th

century, moving between Imperial China and France

during the French Revolution. Inspired by the true story, it

tells of the impossible love between Viviane, the daughter

of a French marquis, and David, a Welsh gardener. It is,

I hope, full of suspense, romance and adventure.

KATE FORSYTH

Stories of

my life

BOOKS

Charlieis 16 yearsold,hasjustleftschool

andislivingwithhisdepressed,heavy-

drinkingfatherwhena chancemeetingwith

a girlcalledFranleadshimtotakea new

path.Whilehehasnoactingambitionsand

isreallyjustfollowinghisheart– orsomethingelse– Charliejoins

Fran’stheatregroupanda newworldofpossibilitiesopensuptohim.

Fromtheauthorofthebest-sellingOneDay, thisisa nostalgictaleof

youngloveandlife. (Outnow)

When13-year-oldKylieisabductedinplain

sight,she’stoldthatwhathermotherdoesin

thenext 24 hourswilldeterminewhethershe

livesordies.Soonafter,mumRachelreceives

thecalltotellherKylie’sbeentakenandshe’s

nowpartofsomethingcalledTheChain.TofreeKylie,Rachelmust

abductanotherchildandthenexplaintotheirparentthatthey have

todothesame.Withmovierightsunsurprisinglyalreadysold,this is

a high-concept,page-turnerofa read. (Out now)

SWEET

SORROW

David Nicholls

THE

CHAIN

Adrian McKinty

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