Kirjahaku

In this gripping true-life memoir, Patrice Chaplin returns to the ancient city of secrets, Girona - its magnetism and enchantment never to be forgotten. It was in Girona that she first encountered the hidden Society, preserved since antiquity, that influenced such illustrious figures as Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Otto Rahn and Howard Hughes - and even the cryptical priest of Rennes-le-Chateau, Berenger Sauniere. What mystery is protected by this esoteric society? In the spirit of her books The City of Secrets and The Portal, Patrice continues her search to solve the enigmas of Girona. When the Society appears to offer her its secret - on the basis that she becomes its custodian and remains in Catalonia - she is faced with a decision that will change her life forever. Sensing danger, she must anticipate the intentions of those around her. Knowledge is not only power, but also the best way to survive. Drawn into a series of adventures, she is taken to holy sites, isolated castles and ancient graves said to be linked to religious figures from the distant past. Finally, Patrice is led to a secret chapel in an isolated place: the domain of the Stone Cradle. Once touched, she is told, one would always return, even in dreams. This is a place of multidimensional reality, but also of peril - a portal to the unknown. What is its purpose? In The Stone Cradle, the culmination of her work, Patrice Chaplin discovers the secret of Girona and glimpses the truth beyond everyday reality.

According to ancient scripture, Lucifer was cast out of heaven as a result of his disobedience, gaining freedom for mankind in the process. In Spain, local legends tell that the fallen archangel appeared in an earthly body, thousands of years ago. As the Child of Light, he was rocked on a mysterious stone cradle by a woman from the East. Seeking to uncover secrets held for centuries, Patrice Chaplin’s research into her book The Stone Cradle evolved naturally into Lucifer by Moonlight. From the material she discovered, the rebellious archangel surfaced into the modern day – treading his way down dark streets, forever trying to make sense of his destiny. In London, he is seen as a man of exquisite taste and blinding charisma, habitually breaking hearts. Alternatively, as Lucie Fur he is a high class hooker, walking the streets of Kentish Town whilst trying to avoid his old enemy, the Elysium Fox from Thebes. Chaplin – celebrated novelist and memoirist – takes us to the timeless Stone Cradle, where the old red-headed trickster, absorbing beams from the moon to feed his brilliance, lies waiting for his obligatory earthly reappearance. But could things turn out differently this time? Might his veneration of children and unexpected care for others change his fate? As Lucifer returns to the Stone Cradle with his dying friend, the morning light reveals the glories of Venus, the place for which he yearns. Will there be atonement – or even redemption – for the tired archangel’s past misdeeds? Illustrated with colour pictures by Melissa Scott-Miller, this imaginative new work is a thought-provoking fable for our time.

Three women arrive in Girona, North East Spain, to attend a New Age workshop based on the mysteries of that ancient city. They have never met before. What do they have in common? They discover that they are all grandmothers who know little about psychic or spiritual worlds. What do they want? To keep a good face on things; `things' being quite a lot of difficult issues... What do they really want? Life change? Reclaiming their dreams? What do they get? The Holy Grail. And all they were looking for was a way out of sudden old age... Following her classic Girona trilogy - The City of Secrets, The Portal and The Stone Cradle - Patrice Chaplin returns to the enchanted city for a new adventure. Many decades have passed since, as a teenage traveller seeking a Bohemian lifestyle, she stepped across the threshold of the iron bridge and into the hallowed old city. Now in her later years, she finds herself unexpectedly with two other women of a certain age. In the midst of changing lives, they are each seeking freedom, meaning and truth. What they encounter initially is confusion, chaos and misunderstanding. But will they discover the thing that can reconcile themselves to each other, to their lives and to themselves? ‘So fresh, sharp and full of terrific lines – I loved it… Patrice has put the Grail, Girona and her own wonderful gift for characterisation to such perfect use.’ – Miranda Seymour, author (In Byron’s Wake, Mary Shelley, etc.); ‘It’s just a the most wonderful piece of work. Congratulations Patrice. Highly recommended Get a copy!’ – Malcolm Bruce, musician (son of Cream legend Jack Bruce)

It is 1955 and a fifteen-year-old girl, seeking adventure, escapes the greyness of post-war London for the cobbles, sunshine and romance of an ancient Catalan city. When she falls in love with the place she also falls for its charismatic leader. As the years pass and the girl becomes a woman, she returns again and again to Girona and to her lover, the enigmatic José Tarres. She meets captivating characters and hears about visions, a strangely wealthy priest, a fabulous garden owned by a Frenchwoman… Cast as the detective in her own story, she finds herself caught up in a world she barely knew existed. The rich priest was none other than the Abbé Saunière of Rennes-le-Château, and the mysteries surrounding him are at the very heart of the modern Grail legend – the stuff of bestselling novels and movies, historical analysis and esoteric intrigue. The people she has known for so many years, including José, belong to a secret society that guards Saunière’s legacy. Now they ask her to be their messenger. It is time, they say, to present some of their closely guarded secrets to the world. The astonishing result is City of Secrets. Patrice Chaplin’s modern classic is a page-turning, true-life adventure, rich with photographs, remarkable letters and antique documents. This new edition features an Afterword in which Patrice reviews the impact of the book’s publication on her life, on Girona and its mysteries.

When Patrice Chaplin left Kentish Town for Hollywood she did not envisage the extent of the excitement of the lives of its biggest stars, but she quickly found herself in its fold. And when Lauren Bacall and Alan Ladd Jr wanted to turn Patrice Chaplin's book into a film, many expected her to jump at the chance, but she didn't... In this series of vignettes, established novelist Patrice Chaplin takes us through some extraordinary moments in time. Her time. From spider spotting by the swimming pool with Jack Nicholson and plotting ways to get him to take off his glasses, to food shopping for Marlon Brando's fridge, to meeting Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Welles, this is a mini-memoir of an enthralling and bygone world of Hollywood.