Martha Hall Kelly
MARTHA HALL KELLY is the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls, Lost Roses, and Sunflower Sisters. Her books have sold more than two million copies and been translated in fifty countries. She lives in Connecticut and New York City.
Martha’s debut novel Lilac Girls, became a New York Times bestseller the week it was published in 2016 and then went on to sell over two million copies and publish in 50 countries. The novel is based on the true story of 72 Polish women who were imprisoned and experimented on at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp and how Caroline Ferriday, an American philanthropist brought them to the U.S. for rehabilitation and the trip of a lifetime.
Martha Hall Kelly was featured in Once Upon a Book Club in the July 2016 Adult box for her novel, Lilac Girls. The box hint was "Lilacs". Her novel The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club was also featured in June 2025 in the annual Summer Reading box.
A Conversation with Martha Hall Kelly
In November 2016, Martha Hall Kelly sat down with Lora and Bev from unlockingconnecticut.com to discuss her novel, Lilac Girls. We are honored to share that conversation with our readers here. Enjoy!
For our readers, can you give a synopsis of the book in 10 words or less?
Martha Hall Kelly (MHK): A story of forgiveness based on a true story.
What did you do before you became a writer?
MHK: I was a copywriter. I used to write for major advertising agencies. I’d write 30 second TV commercials. I stopped when I had my third child. Then, when I went up to the Bellamy-Ferriday house and discovered that story…I still wasn’t a writer and didn’t intend on being a writer…and that’s what led to my becoming a writer.
Working on anything currently?
MHK: Yes, two prequels that Random House just acquired! One takes place in WW1 and features Caroline’s mother and two Russian characters. And the third book is a pre-prequel and that takes place in the Civil War and uses the same structure. It features Caroline’s grandmother who was an incredible woman and nursed soldiers on the Gettysburg battlefield. She was also a staunch abolitionist.
Historical fiction is your thing! A lot of research must go into your books, were you always into history?
MHK: Somewhat. I didn’t like it in school. It was always about dates and battles, and equipment. I love old homes, and that’s why I came up to the house. I love learning about history through people’s lifestyles.
Did you have a favorite character to write? Was one easier to write than the other?
MHK: I found Zuzanna easy to write. She was one of my favorite characters. She was just so lovely. I based both of the characters of Kasia and Zuzanna on my daughters. Kasia was very responsible and wise and had good resourcefulness and intuition and Zuzanna was so loving and had such a positive attitude.
Any thoughts towards turning the book into a movie?
MHK: It’s so funny before it even became a book, my husband and I would go to dinner and talk about casting and who would be who. It was fun and it would also help me, by bringing the characters alive. In my office, I had photographs everywhere of the characters. Like Judy Dench was Eliza and Kate Winslet was Matka. But no, no one has optioned it…yet.
Who would you cast for Caroline?
MHK: Cate Blanchet…or Nicole Kidman..or Mary from Downton Abbey.
We especially loved the parts of the story that took place in Bethlehem; like when the post office has its only other big influx of mail other than what they have at Christmas. Caroline has managed to get the Rabbit’s story in the public eye and people from around the country were sending letters and donations. Did that happen?
MHK: Yes, that’s true. The post office used to be right across from Caroline’s house. So she could just walk right across the street. When I interviewed her gardener he told me some great stories about Caroline. She had a tense relationship with the postmaster because if they got her mail wrong, she’d tell him in no uncertain terms how upset she was.
A special thank you to unlockingconnecticut.com for posting this interview.
A Conversation with Martha Hall Kelly
In June 2025, author Martha Hall Kelly responded to a set of discussion questions included in our Summer Reading Book Club Kit to discuss The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club. Her responses are available here for those who were not able to receive this box. Enjoy!
In your author’s note, you mention that the characters and the story for this novel are inspired by your own family! What was your favorite part of writing this novel?
Martha Hall Kelly (MHK): Only when I decided to base the book on my mother’s family, the Smiths, who settled on Martha’s Vineyard in 1891, did the characters spring to life for me. I loved bringing my favorite people like my mom and her friends and my sweet Grandmother Smith to life. They lived a difficult life out on the Vineyard in the middle of the war and it felt good to share their story of how they overcame so many obstacles with such grace.
We loved your note about your parents and their book tradition at Christmas. Do you think your mother’s love of books played a role in your becoming an author?
MHK: Definitely! My daughter was just telling me that she won a competition for naming the most books correctly from emojis, at a baby shower, and she attributed that to me reading to her so much growing up. But that tradition came from my mother who read to us as children, without fail for an hour each night. (She timed it with a kitchen timer!) She loved reading so much I think it was a treat for her to read aloud to us. We’re from New England, so we got lots of E.B. White, thank goodness! My mother also called me “the writer in the family” so I think sometimes people become what they’re expected to become. I was always so proud that she considered me the writer among us all.
Is there anything you didn’t mention about this novel in your author’s note that you would like to share with us?
MHK: It’s a long author’s note but there’s a lot of background to share! I would only add that I really wanted to write a book that takes the reader back to a lovely time when life was simpler, and our country was together in our view of the world and our mission within it.
What is one of your favorite novels?
MHK: Such a hard choice! It’s a tie between John Irving’s The Cider House Rules (the perfect book in my mind and I re-read it often) and Good Times, Bad Times by James Kirkwood, which I read when I was in college, and it inspired me to write my own book one day. I think of it often in my own writing.
What is something you love to do when you are not writing?
MHK: In my down time I love thrifting. My grown children enjoy it too and it’s so much fun to do together. Lately it’s mid-century modern barware for our more modern house in Florida and vintage clothing too. We always find some hidden gem in our travels!
Featured Books
Lilac Girls
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of three women during World War II. Based on real events, it follows the lives of an American socialite, a Polish teenager, and a German doctor as their paths intersect at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Featured in July 2016.
The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club
Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women in this spectacular novel inspired by true events. Featured in Summer Reading 2025.
