Cambridge-Le Quesnoy Friendship Association’s Heather Wellington, centre, with her husband Alan and the new book’s author,
The story of Le Quesnoy’s liberation via ladder and its connection to Cambridge makes for compelling reading, and a new book written by a New Plymouth chartered accountant and historical fiction fan Tania Roberts breathes new life into the courageous tale.
New Plymouth-based author Tania Roberts with her new book. Photo: Viv Posselt
Roberts was in town for the November launch of ‘Letters of Hope’ at Cambridge Resthaven by the Cambridge-Le Quesnoy Friendship Association’s Heather Wellington.
‘Letters of Hope’ is the first in a trilogy set around the liberation of Le Quesnoy. It tells the tale of a then teenaged Dominique Favier who played hide and seek as a child in the tunnels beneath the town’s fortified walls. During the German occupation, she uses that knowledge to help injured soldiers, refugees and townspeople escape.
The second book, ‘Fields of Faith’, will deal with battlefields and field hospitals outside the walls, and the third in the trilogy, ‘Ladder of Liberty’ will tell the story of Le Quesnoy’s liberation.
Roberts said ‘Letters of Hope’ was her eighth novel written part-time over 15 years. Some of the characters were authentic to their time, others fictional.
“I love telling those stories… particularly where they involve Kiwis who have made a contribution during the wars,” she said. “There are several non-fiction publications around the Le Quesnoy story, but nothing fictional that made this important piece of history come alive, particularly from a women’s perspective.”
Her 2024 visit to Le Quesnoy where she stayed in a grand old house built in the 1800s and conducted extensive research, set the scene for the trilogy. She wanted to tell the story of the desperation of life under German occupation through the eyes of young Dominique and other townspeople trapped inside the walls, forbidden as they were from communicating with outsiders.
Describing herself as a disciplined writer who takes to the keyboard from 8-9am daily, she said once she completed her research, it took six months to write the 82,000 words in this first book.
“I hope it will take readers through the streets and tunnels of Le Quesnoy … give them a sense of life at that terrible time. I want to bring this story alive to a larger audience.”
Cambridge-Le Quesnoy Friendship Association’s Heather Wellington, centre, with her husband Alan and the new book’s author, Tania Roberts. Photo: Viv Posselt
