OBSERVER: The Florentine Quilt


Congratulations to Victorian writer Chrissie Bellbrae (pictured) on releasing her debut novel The Florentine Quilt.
While working in education, Chrissie undertook a Fiona McIntosh Masterclass and completed her first manuscript. She says she hasn’t stopped writing since.
The novel is inspired by Chrissie’s life-long interest in art and fabric, stories her grandmother told her, and remarkable women who cross the sea to begin new lives.
Chrissie says she draws from her ancestry research to create characters “with more remarkable lives than my ancestors might have experienced”.
Her dual narratives depict women during times of social and emotional change, and aim to transport readers from past to present.
The Florentine Quilt tells of three women connected in time to a medieval quilt, and an ancient tale of forbidden love.
Each woman pays the price for love – and for her differences.
Is the missing scene from the Florentine quilt the key to unlocking more than one woman’s forgotten story?
The Florentine Quilt can be purchased from amazon.com.au

Cheryl Threadgold