“There’s 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 island—until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed. A Brief History of Montmarayis 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. I’m talking aboutA Brief History of Montmarayby Michelle Cooper. I’m calling her Australia’s next stroke of literary brilliance.”—Viewpoint