13 November 2014
A Downton Abbey actress will be in Jersey next week to launch a new audio book about the Occupation. Local author Marianne Le Boutillier and actress Cathy Sara will be at Jersey Library on Saturday 22 November at 2:30pm to launch the new audio book The King Behind The Picture.
The novel follows the five year story of a young Jersey boy and his family, from the unsettling arrival of the German occupying forces through to the liberation of Jersey on 09 May 1945.
Michael Ginns MBE, a respected Occupation historian, said “This narrative illustrates perfectly the vast difference between town dweller and country dwellers. The entire five years of the Occupation was a hard grind for everyone, not least mothers, who would sacrifice their own food for the benefit of their children and go hungry themselves. The story is a good, accurate snapshot of the life of children during that time.”
Marianne Le Boutillier, the author of the book, was born and raised in Jersey, trained as a teacher and after many years in England, returned to the Island in 2006. She combines her interest in local history with writing for children. She also visits schools, where she shares her extensive knowledge about the daily life of children who lived through the German Occupation of Jersey.
Cathy Sara, who read the audio version of the book, is a professional actress and winner of the BBC Carleton Hobbs Radio Drama Award. Her radio roles include Lucy Honeychurch in Room with a View, Lauren Walsh in The Archers and Phillida Trant in Rumpole of The Bailey. Television roles include Mrs Drake in Downton Abbey, Mrs Mulligan in Breathless and Mrs Jerome in the film The Woman in Black.
gov.je