I’m calling her Australia’s next stroke of literary brilliance. I’m talking about A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper. “Once in a while, a special book will cross our paths and make us grateful for life and the ability to read.

And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed.Ī Brief History of Montmaray is a heart-stopping tale of loyalty, love, and loss, and of fighting to hold on to home when the world is exploding all around you. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote island-until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. Sophie Fitzosborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. Michelle Cooper - Sketches and Maps for A Brief History of Montmaray Michelles Sketches and Maps for A Brief History of Montmaray When I was planning A Brief History of Montmaray, I drew some sketches and maps to help me figure out the setting.

“There’s a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings.” Michelle Cooper writes books - mostly historical novels, mostly for teenagers and people who used to be teenagers.