Inspired by the incredible true story of Lee Miller, Vogue model turned one of the first female war photojournalists, comes the new novel by the bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress.

Manhattan, Paris, 1942: When Jessica May’s successful modelling career is abruptly cut short, she is assigned to the war in Europe as a photojournalist for Vogue. But when she arrives the army men make her life as difficult as possible. Three friendships change that: journalist Martha Gellhorn encourages Jess to bend the rules, paratrooper Dan Hallworth takes her to places to shoot pictures and write stories that matter, and a little girl, Victorine, who has grown up in a field hospital, shows her love. But success comes at a price.

France, 2005: Australian curator D’Arcy Hallworth arrives at a beautiful chateau to manage a famous collection of photographs. What begins as just another job becomes far more disquieting as D’Arcy uncovers the true identity of the mysterious photographer—and realises that she is connected to D’Arcy’s own mother, Victorine.

Crossing a war-torn Europe from Italy to France, The French Photographer is a story of courage, family and forgiveness, by the bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress and A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald.

Natasha Lester worked as a marketing executive before returning to university to study creative writing. She completed a Master of Creative Arts as well as her first novel, What is Left Over, After, which won the T A G Hungerford Award for fiction. Her second novel, If I Should Lose You, was published in 2012, followed by A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald in 2016, Her Mother’s Secret in 2017 and the top 10 Australian bestseller The Paris Seamstress in 2018. The Age described Natasha as ‘a remarkable Australian talent’ and her work has been published in numerous anthologies and journals.

In her spare time, Natasha loves to teach writing, is a sought-after public speaker and can often be found playing dress-ups with her three children. She lives in Perth.

For all the latest news from Natasha:
www.natashalester.com.au
Twitter: @Natasha_Lester
Instagram: @natashalesterauthor
Facebook: @NatashaLesterAuthor

‘What an enjoyable read. With her eye for historical detail, Natasha effortlessly transported me back to war-ravaged Europe and into the story of an extraordinary woman who managed to overcome the gender barriers of the era in her own inimitable style. I found myself cheering Jess on as she ran rings around rules and convention in a plot that was full of surprises.’—Joanna Nell, author of The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village

Praise for Natasha’s previous novels:

‘Stunning. Will have you captivated.’—Liz Byrski, author of A Month of Sundays

‘Heralds the arrival of a remarkable Australian talent.’—The Age

‘A fantastically engrossing story. I loved it.’—Kelly Rimmer, author of Before I Let You Go

Read the first chapter of The French Photographer here.

Be one of the first to read The French Photographer. Email marketing@hachette.com.au with ‘The French Photographer’ in the subject line for your chance to secure one of five copies.