Author continues series inspired by real Conn. woman
MARTHA HALL KELLY IS INSPIRED BY REAL WOMEN IN HISTORY, STARTING WITH CAROLINE FERRIDAY
It might be an oversimplification to say that Martha Hall Kelly was spurred to a career as a best- selling author by a combination of grief, a love of gardens and a mistake in her coffee order at Starbucks. But without that delicate stew of ingredients, it’s possible that the Litchfield resident, 62, might never have written her acclaimed 2016 novel “Lilac Girls,” nor its follow- up, “Lost Roses,” which will be released in paperback on Tuesday.
Both books — and a third, “Sunflower Sisters,” due out next year — chronicle a family of real women over several generations. Kelly says she first learned of the women in 2000, while coping with the death of her mother.
“Mother’s Day was coming, and I was very sad about the idea of Mother’s Day without my mother,” Kelly explains. In a bid to cheer her up, her husband suggested that Kelly, who then lived in Fairfield, travel to Bethlehem, Conn., to visit “that house you’ve always wanted to go it.”
The house in question was the Bellamy- Ferriday House, a Victorianized Colonial that was once the home of Shakespearean actress Caroline Ferriday. The home was known for its lavish gardens, rife with lilacs, long a favorite flower of Kelly’s.
The day Kelly went to the Bellamy- Ferriday House, she was the only visitor, so she had the full attention of the guide who led her from room to room, telling the home’s history. In Caroline’s bedroom, there was a desk filled with photos of young women. Kelly asked who the women were, and the guide told her that these were the “rabbits” — Polish women who had been experimented on by Nazis at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp.
Caroline Ferriday had helped the women, and their collective story lit a fire in Kelly. She wanted to learn more about Caroline and the rabbits and what had brought them together. At first, Kelly says, her curiosity took the form of copious research. Caroline had kept many letters and photos that were a treasure trove of information. Through this, Kelly learned not just about Caroline, but about her mother Eliza, who had done her own good works.
Kelly says she was fascinated by this old money family, and their commitment to helping others. “They had all the money in the world, and they could do anything they wanted with it,” Kelly says. “But they never rested on their laurels. They always reached out to less fortunate people and gave back to them.”
But, as much as she admired the women — and despite a background in journalism and writing — Kelly says that, for a long time, she didn’t consider writing anything about them. Then, one night, she was talking to a friend of her husband’s about Caroline Ferriday. The woman, who happened to be a book editor, told Kelly the story might make a good novel, and asked Kelly to write a chapter.
Kelly was flummoxed at first, and didn’t know where to start. Then, one fatefully day, she went to a Starbucks drive- through and ordered a decaffeinated cappuccino. She received a caffeinated beverage by mistake. That day, she wrote the first chapter of what would become “Lilac Girls.”
The book was a hit, and struck a chord with readers, who saw Caroline as something of a role model for decency. “I think we can always use the stories of women who did what they thought was right,” Kelly says. “We need beacons in rough times.”
Kelly went on to write “Lost Roses,” a prequel to “Lilac Girls” about Caroline’s mother, Eliza Ferriday. The book is a fictionalized version of the story of Eliza’s quest to help Russian refugees following the revolution in their country at the time of World War I.
To promote the book’s paperback release, Kelly will speak 7 p. m. Tuesday at the Bethel Public Library, 189 Greenwood Ave. She says she hopes readers, particularly women, will continue to be inspired by stories that shed a light on heroic women in history.
“For hundreds of year, the stories were largely about men,” Kelly says. “I think people are starting to realize that we need to uncover and bring to light these stories of women. PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader. com + 1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW