The Chocolate Tin

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The Chocolate Tin Page 40

by Fiona McIntosh


  First, I want to thank Dr Alex Hutchinson, curator and head of archives for Nestlé in York, England. Much of the chocolate history I’ve built around my characters in York is due to her expertise. We spent a few days together – mostly convulsing with laughter because we hit it off so well – walking the streets of York and rummaging through archives, where I had the privilege of holding the original tin of chocolate that inspired this story and reading the handbook for the guides who escorted tours around the Rowntree factory in 1915. Alex’s knowledge felt boundless and there wasn’t a question I asked that she couldn’t answer. I can’t thank her enough for her dauntingly clever brain, brilliant company and instant grasp of what I was trying to do with this story. Love and thanks to my new pal, Alex.

  Another old friend and brilliant mind is Simon Godly, who led me through the battlefields of northern France for The Perfumer’s Secret, and for this story gave me fresh insight into the Fromelles region for my poor fallen soldier from England. Simon taught me the entire process of how the chocolate tin from York would have reached Tom Fletcher and the procedure for the sweeping party led by Captain Harry Blake that would eventually find Tom. His energy for my storytelling is addictive and he does amazing work to recognise battles, military units and the fallen through various events, fundraisers and guiding visitors from all over the world. Thank you, Simon.

  And finally to a frequent helper, Brian Halford, whose extensive knowledge of the southern railways of Britain never fails to impress or excite. He has been known to provide an image identical to the very ticket my character would have been given on a journey on a particular day, month and year. Naturally, I turned to him once again as I needed his assistance for the important steam train journey down to Cuckmere in Sussex. As usual, he had all the answers to help me to make this trip from London come alive for readers. Thank you, Brian.

  I’ve taken some liberties – my privilege as a fiction writer – but as someone who relies on history for her storytelling, I think it’s appropriate to confess that I’ve played a little with the layout of York in 1915. I should also admit that Ockenden Manor in Sussex was never owned by a family called Blakeney and these days is a well-known hotel. At the time of the story, it would have been operating as a school.

  Let me add here that women were not encouraged to work once married; this was not peculiar to the chocolate factories of northern England, but a simple fact of working life of the times. However, I needed Alex Frobisher to be given a role even though she was engaged and then newly married, so Dr Hutchinson and I put our heads together and came up with the idea of the guide for the factory (slightly different from the usual factory floor jobs for which rules were hard and fast). Even so, it is a liberty but I think I’ve got away with it!

  The research took me to France to learn about the battlefields and twice to York to get it right. What a fabulous city! I have acquired a genuine respect for Quakers, who essentially built the commercial chocolate empires of Britain and so many of the famous confectionery brands. It’s a fascinating area of study – and a fun one!

  Learning about chocolate toppled me into Europe, of course, and I went ranging through Brussels, Switzerland and France, hunting for my story. It ultimately led me to York, but the knowledge and enrichment gained from reading about the history of cacao and its commercial development into chocolate has been delicious, with plenty of sampling along the way.

  I’m thrilled that we’re offering a special competition with this book for one lucky reader and partner/friend to travel to York and learn about the setting for this story. Whoever that lucky person is, you’ll love it! And my thanks to Visit Britain and the York team who helped me on my first trip to find Dr Alex Hutchinson and to realise that the story really did need to be set in this glorious city. York has been raided by Viking invaders and Roman legionaries, and is an amazing walled medieval city of Henry VIII fame and, more recently, its infamous son Guy Fawkes, which only adds to its allure. Please visit!

  I am grateful to Penguin Random House and my loyal publishing team, especially Ali Watts, my close partner on every story together with my freelance editor, Saskia Adams. Plus, never far away is the wonderful Lou Ryan, Rhian Davies and Ben Ball, and the wider family including Heidi Camilleri, Karen Reid, Nikki Christer and that fab sales team.

  Pip Klimentou, my loyal draft reader and Sonya Caddy, reading behind us, thank you – and my sincere appreciation to the best, warmest, most wonderfully loyal audience a writer could hope for. And to Australia’s bookselling community; we would be hard pressed anywhere in the world to find a more committed, generous and loyal support group for homegrown writers.

  As always, the task of writing books is quietly supported by the family behind the storyteller – and one family member in particular who does most of the heavy lifting, from housework to first read of the first draft. Thank you, Ian, you’re the rock. And Will and Jack . . . I already miss the laughter. Good luck boys in your new lives away from the nest. I can’t believe how tidy our home is or how much food is in the fridge these days!

  Fx

  Book Club Discussion Notes

  Alex believed she could love Matthew when they married. Did she?

  Every character in this novel is bound by duty. Discuss.

  Was Matthew doing the right thing in marrying Alex?

  Which couple suffered more for their true heart’s desire – Alex and Harry, or Matthew and James?

  ‘There’s no accounting for what lust can do to one’s sensibilities.’ Discuss the ways in which lust influences the various characters in this novel, and the ultimate outcome of the story.

  At the asylum, Alex tells Matthew that she forgives him. Do you?

  Kitty’s note was always intended for a random stranger, but Tom never got to read it. What if he had? Why do you think the author chose not to have another man come between Kitty’s words and Harry?

  Do you see Kitty as the heroine of this story? In what ways might she also be seen as the villain?

  Discuss the treatment of homosexuals in this era, especially in light of the current push for marriage equality today.

  Is illicit love a punishment or a gift?

  Do you think women had it easy in 1919 or are they better off today?

  Discuss the importance of chocolate in the story. What did it add to your enjoyment of the novel overall?

  PRAISE FOR FIONA McINTOSH

  ‘A blockbuster of a book that you won’t want to put down.’

  BRYCE COURTENAY

  ‘McIntosh’s narrative races across oceans and dances through ballrooms.’

  SUN HERALD

  ‘This book is fast-paced, beautifully haunting and filled with the excruciating pain of war.’

  WEST AUSTRALIAN

  ‘A fine read . . . The moral ambiguity McIntosh builds into the novel gives it a depth that takes it beyond a sweeping wartime romantic thriller.’

  SUNDAY HERALD SUN

  ‘McIntosh weaves a diverse cast together, and you gain an appreciation for her depth of research.’

  BOOKS+PUBLISHING

  ‘A captivating saga of love, loss, and the triumph of the human spirit . . . Fiona McIntosh is an extraordinary storyteller.’

  BOOK’D OUT

  ‘A perfect blend of romance, action, mystery and intrigue by one of our best known and popular authors.’

  NOOSA TODAY

  ‘Sure to appeal to lovers of period romantic dramas like Downton Abbey.’

  WOMAN’S DAY

  ‘Written with zest and a talent for description that draws you into the world of the novel and its characters.’

  THE AGE

  ‘Everything I want in a curl-up-on-the-sofa read . . . an exquisite story that just bursts from the pages and leaps into your heart.’

  WRITE NOTE REVIEWS

  ‘Meticulously researched and beautifully written, The Perfumer’s Secret solidifies McIntosh’s place as one of Australia’s most loved storytellers.’

  BOOKTOP
IA

  ‘Spellbinding . . . [Stella is] reminiscent of our favourite literary heroines of the era, only feistier, sexier and more independent.’

  CHERYL AKLE, BETTER READING

  ‘Beautiful storytelling, emotional depth and complex characters captivated me from start to finish.’

  WRITE NOTE REVIEWS

  ‘A grand historical love story ideal for Francophiles and romantics.’

  GOODREADS

  ‘A lively tale with a rich assortment of ingredients . . . a well-crafted read.’

  SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

  ‘McIntosh’s latest offering is an intimate and unusual portrait of wartime France, and of a perfume dynasty . . . A romance for the senses.’

  BETTER READING

  ‘I am at one with Nature’s perfection – her beauty, her colours, her fragrances – and she has allowed me to glimpse it in a man.’

  On the eve of the First World War, Fleurette, the only daughter of the wealthy Delacroix perfume dynasty, is being forced to marry a man she loathes, Aimery De Lasset, head of the pre-eminent perfume house in France. It is only the rally to the frontlines that saves her from sharing his bed.

  When she receives an unexpected letter from Aimery’s estranged brother, Fleurette is left holding a terrible secret, and the sparks of a powerful passion. Her discoveries risk shattering the two families, bringing tragedy to both their perfume empires.

  The Perfumer’s Secret is an intoxicating feast for the senses, a dramatic story of duty, deception and desire.

  ‘This rare good book on how to set about writing a popular novel is compulsory reading. Fiona McIntosh is top of the pops.’

  BRYCE COURTENAY, AT HIS FINAL MASTERCLASS

  ‘McIntosh’s claims are bold but never overoptimistic.’

  THE AGE

  To write is a verb. That’s an action word. No more procrastination.

  Almost everybody thinks they have a book in them or dreams of seeing their name on a front cover, but not everyone knows how to go about it. Sharing all she’s learned so far, Fiona McIntosh, one of Australia’s most successful commercial authors, shows you how to get started and, even more importantly, how to finish.

  In this practical and lively handbook McIntosh guides you through the stages of writing a novel, from establishing good working habits all the way through to submitting your draft to a suitable publisher.

  Chock-full of insider’s advice on what makes a bestselling general fiction author, this invaluable resource will equip the newcomer to novel writing with the tools to finish their first draft within a year. If you have a tough hide and a philosophical attitude – as well as a damn strong work ethic – you can make writing fiction your career.

  About the Author

  Fiona McIntosh is an internationally bestselling author of novels for adults and children. She co-founded an award-winning travel magazine with her husband, which they ran for fifteen years while raising their twin sons before she became a full-time author. Fiona roams the world researching and drawing inspiration for her novels, and runs a series of highly respected fiction masterclasses. She calls South Australia home.

  fionamcintosh.com

  MICHAEL JOSEPH

  UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia India | New Zealand | South Africa | China

  Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.

  First published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, 2016

  Text copyright © Fiona McIntosh 2016

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  Cover design by Alex Ross © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd Cover image research by Nikki Townsend

  Text design by Samantha Jayaweera © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd Cover photographs: Woman: Rekha Garton/Arcangel; River: Aubrey Stoll/Getty Images; Ribbon: wragg/Getty Images; Bow: Lisa Thornberg/Getty Images penguin.com.au

  ISBN: 9781743770221

  THE BEGINNING

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