Theres a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings.Sophie Fitzosborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote islanduntil two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed.A 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.Once in a while, a special book will cross our paths and make us grateful for life and the ability to read. Im talking about A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper. Im calling her Australias next stroke of literary brilliance.ViewpointFrom the Hardcover edition.