Accomplished author’s first historical fiction novel explores complicated, tumultous life of Talitha and Paul GettyFree Access

The Harbor Light Newspaper greatly supports the literary community and from time to time contributing writer Emily Meier brings author interviews to our weekly pages.

Jane Green is the author of 21 novels published in over 25 languages, including 18 New York Times Best Sellers. Currently, there are over ten million of her books in print worldwide.

She has been part of the ABC News team covering royal weddings, has had her own radio show on BBC Radio London, and has made regular appearances on TV and radio.

She contributes to a number of newspapers and magazines, and is a graduate of the International Culinary Institute in New York. She has also published a cookbook, various short stories, and is a regular storyteller for The Moth. Her first story for The Moth, “Greener Grass”, was video taped and subsequently went viral on Facebook, with over three million views.

She grew up in the United Kingdom but now lives with her family in the states.

I was lucky enough to talk to Jane in anticipation of her new novel, Sister Stardust, which hits shelves April 5.

Sister Stardust is her first historical fiction novel. It explores the complicated and tumultuous life of Talitha and Paul Getty through the eyes of fictional character, Claire, who is on the cusp of adulthood in the late 1960s. Claire finds herself seduced by the glamor and freedom of this unprecedented time. Ultimately Claire is faced with the darker side of this exploration of free love, as she witnesses the Getty’s and their famous friends dance between the lines of real life and excess in their exotic Moroccan hideaway.

Jane and I ended up talking for hours about everything from Morocco and the tidbits about rock stars that didn’t make it into the book to friends, travel, and her upcoming creative side projects. She already has another book idea that was inspired by some of her research for this book. And while she shared the details, I’ve edited our chat for print, and so as not to give away some of her secrets.

Jane’s English accent and inviting tone draw a person in as a willing confidant happy to follow her train of thought as it weaves through time and subject matter. Her voice is friendly and melodious, made to tell stories both on and off the page. At one point during our chat, she tells me she is trying to follow the meows of one of her cats, who she believes may be stuck somewhere in her house. Our conversation continues as she searches–opens doors, peers into nooks and crannies, feels around in some of the dark corners, and laughs at the absurdity of it all. Our conversation is much like the search for the cat, it covers a lot of ground but unfolds organically, sometimes moving forward and then backtracking for another look, all the while knowing that time is of the essence. I prepared questions for our chat and while we touched on most, I ultimately followed Jane’s voice and let her weave us through the stories behind this book and her own creative and fascinating life.

EMILY MEIER: I read that you’ve had a fascination with Talitha since the Vogue photo shoot she did with her husband, Paul Getty. But how did this interest in her style and life turn into this book? Have you always been reading about her? Or did this book idea come to you first, and then you drove into the real research?

JANE GREEN: I’ve always known who she was without knowing much about her. I’ve always looked her up, certainly for as long as the internet has been around. I Google her an awful lot and have done so for years. But she always remained a bit of a mystery. Probably in part because of the Getty family connection. And also in part, because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death.

When I turned 50, I threw a Moroccan 70s Talitha inspired birthday party and this was before I even thought about writing this book.

When I joined Harper Collins, I did the deal based on one idea. But then, my editor said, ‘Have you ever thought about writing historical fiction?’ And I started to say well, I don’t think I have a World War II novel in me. That’s immediately where my mind went because there have been so many huge historical novels set in World War II.

But I said, ‘There is one story I’d love to tell even though I don’t know the full story’. I said I wasn’t sure if it would count as historical because it takes place in the 60s. Is that historical? I started to tell him about what I knew of Talitha and he just loved it.

Then, I had to figure out how I was going to find more about her life. I realized very quickly that If I was going to write about her world, I had to understand what it felt like, how they got there, and who she really was.

So then came the research. It was overwhelming. And also the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. Because there is so little written about her, I had to come at it sideways and research everyone in her circle. Often it was the more peripheral people who’d written books and articles, or been interviewed, that had the nuggets and diamonds that I found.

EM: So it was like a treasure hunt?

JG: It really was like a treasure hunt. And the satisfaction and delight of stumbling upon information about her was really fantastic. It was nine months of heavy research and enormous highs every time I found out anything more about her.

EM: How did you know when you had done enough research to do her justice enough to write the book?

JG: Had I wanted to write from her perspective, I don’t think I would’ve ever been able to do that, or felt confident enough to attempt that. I really didn’t know what the story was as I was researching. I loved the idea of having a Gasby-esque narrator who is something of an observer, who can stand on the outside and watch the happenings. And that’s where Claire came from. And then, more of the story came from researching the Rolling Stones. I knew about them but not much, as I hadn’t been a particularly big fan. But I realized they spent quite a lot of time with Talitha and Paul Getty, particularly Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull.

So that took me down these side routes and deep dives into the Rolling Stones, and into Brian Jones (original leader of the Rolling Stones) who I’d known nothing about really.

Growing up and listening to my parents talk, I’d heard about him. But I always got Brian Jones and Keith Moon mixed up. I knew they’d both died. And I knew they’d both died tragically. But I could never remember which one was with which band.

I became completely fascinated with Brian Jones. He was another figure who was so deeply damaged.

And, in so many ways, you look at people like that, even in modern times–Princess Diana. You look at these troubled people who’ve had enormous trauma in their past with no way to resolve it or work through it, and it does rather feel like the tragic ending is the only likely outcome.

So, Brian Jones ended up inspiring a lot of the book–the love triangle between Brian Jones and Anita Pallenberg, who were together for a number of years before she fell in love with Keith Richards.

EM: So the Rolling Stones were a very big part of your research.

JG: Enormous. Enormous. I mean, I wasn’t there and I’ve only read so much. But it’s about finding the spirit of the time and their relationships.

EM: It was such an interesting time. There is this mix of unexplored freedom, free love, and lightheartedness to the 60s and 70s that is also mixed with the darker more tragic stories and characters of the time. Those that pushed too far beyond the boundaries.

JG: Yes, I think the thing that I was really struck by, but had never thought about before I started writing this book, was that it was the first time in history that people had this kind of freedom. The first time in history where there really were rock stars. They just didn’t exist in the same way before. I mean,

there was Elvis perhaps. But these global icons who played contemporary music for young people, that was new.

And the other thing I found interesting was this shift in the class system. I’ve always been fascinated by the difference in the class system of England and America. And this is something that really struck me about the 60s. Britain, which is so obsessed with class, the classes never mix, for the first time had a meritocracy. These working class boys were becoming photographers and rock stars. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who were these middle class boys, were suddenly rubbing shoulders with lords and ladies who were desperate to be friends with them. And that had never happened before, this mixing of the classes.

And then the pill was made widely available to all in the UK in 1967 and that added to the experience of liberation and freedom.

People had so much freedom without any idea where the boundaries were.

EM: And this, the generation following the Greatest Generation. It seems like a great rebellion. It was the first time rock stars not only influenced music but also fashion, lifestyle, and decor.

JG: Yes, I think that’s absolutely right. And certainly true in the UK. In the UK, America was always held up as the brightest and best, the most colorful. Whereas we, in the UK, were recovering from WWII, from rations. The whole of the UK felt like it was living in black and white, and not just television. Everything felt drab and dreary. People didn’t have money, they didn’t shop. Shopping was not a sport. You didn’t shop for pleasure. And all of a sudden, it burst into color with all the changes of the 60s. It changed the whole of the United Kingdom, which went on to influence the world. Suddenly England was where it was at, and where everyone wanted to be.

EM: A time of explosive change. And so many icons came out of that time. Where were you in all of this research when you felt the story for the book come together?

JG: I knew, as I often do going into a novel, the rough arc of the story. I knew she was going to get to Marrakech. I knew she was going to fall under Talitha’s spell–because everyone fell under her spell. Talitha was frequently described as an enchantress. She was one of those magical, sparkling, vivacious personalities in public with her friends. In private, I think she suffered from debilitating depression, certainly after she had her son in ‘68.

So, I knew I had Claire. And I knew Talitha would cast the spell over Claire. And I knew something had to happen in Marrakech.

I wanted to show, as I try and do in all my books, that we never know what goes on behind closed doors. And that nothing is ever quite what it seems.

Here we have Paul Getty, the son of the richest man in the world, living in this exquisite palace, throwing these hedonistic parties with fashion magazines covering them.

Talitha was this style icon who truly invented boho chic. She was the first. And yet, behind closed doors, it became clear the more I read, that it was devolving into something really dark.

I knew something would happen to Claire that would make her have to grow up, wise up, and realize that none of it was real. And that there was a very dark side to this kind of lifestyle.

EM: How did you decide to root the timeline of this book with the prologue that sets up the story as one in which Claire is looking back from an adult perspective?

JG: That’s so interesting. This is actually one of the first interviews I’ve done for this book. So I haven’t thought about the whole process and how the story came together in this way.

I haven’t read a huge amount of historical fiction. But one of the books that’s stayed with me was Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. I love the way she jumps from present to past. I thought that was a clever mechanism for the book.

I knew that my characters in the present were going to be somehow heavily influenced by the past.

This book truly unfolded as I researched, which was kind of a joy. It was very different from the way I wrote my last book, which was plotted chapter by chapter and almost paragraph by paragraph. I really loved the freedom of this book.

I even wrote down the soundtrack to this one. I tend to write while listening to classical music. Or with nothing, noise canceling headphones.

But I really did write this book with the Rolling Stones and other music of the 60s as the soundtrack that put me in that space.

EM: What was your process like for writing this book?

JG: I did most of the research here in Connecticut. Then, at some point we decided to move to London for a year. And I thought that would be brilliant for research. I had a long list of people I was hoping to sit down with and talk to about Talitha and this time.

And then there was lockdown. And we weren’t allowed to go out. And we have six kids, five of whom were in America. And after Europe closed its borders, we thought we should get back.

But I wrote the whole thing while I was in the UK. I think it helped. It was the English spirit I needed. I loved it. And I don’t think I could’ve written it in quite the same way had I written it here.

In some ways, it was much easier to write this book because I had so much material at my fingertips.

I started off as a journalist, a feature writer. I like gathering information, which I haven’t had to do for about 25 years.

EM: Do you procrastinate? Fall down that research rabbit hole?

JG: My writing changed enormously during COVID. I found it very, very hard to write.

But I’ve always been disciplined about writing Monday through Friday during daytime hours, which leaves me with nighttime and weekends to read. So even as I was writing I’d still be reading, or on Google trying to find more photos of Talitha. She overtook my life for that year.

I actually think I may be more obsessive than disciplined. I mean, I was a woman obsessed, which I tend to be with a project.

I’m pretty binary. I’m all or nothing. And when I go down the rabbit holes, whatever those rabbit holes may be, I need to learn everything I can about whatever it is. And I will do nothing but that for a period of time. And then it’s over and I won’t think about it again.

Although that hasn’t been true of Talitha, interestingly. I mean she has interested me throughout my life and my obsession with her has only grown. I think I may be stuck with her for life.

EM: I know with this book you were reading a lot about Talitha. But with other books you’ve written, do you avoid certain genres while writing? What do you read if you get stuck?

JG: When I write fiction, I try not to read anything that would influence me. I tend to gravitate towards nonfiction. And when I get stuck in the writing it usually means I don’t know enough about the character. Or, that I am stuck in my life right at that moment. I find stepping out of my comfort zone, having new experiences, always stimulates creativity.

EM: Are there certain authors or books that you always come back to and keep on your bookshelves?

JG: Yes, is the simple answer to that. My favorite book of all time still, which has been my favorite book for about 35 years, is a book called, Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido. I have probably read that book more than any other. But the other books I’ve read and reread are the Tales of the City series by Armistead Maupin. I read them all when they first came out and fell madly in love with them. They remain some of my favorites.

I will say now, I dip into Marianne Faithfull’s memoir over and over, which I completely adored. I knew almost nothing about her, only to discover she’d written this amazing book. She’s so smart and has a clear eye when it comes to Mick Jagger and that time. It’s very raw and honest.

EM: Seems a good one to reread as your next book will be dealing with this same time frame perhaps?

JG: Exactly right. And in fact, I’ve got a line of caftans and jewelry coming out that were inspired by Talitha, writing this book, and the 60s and 70s style.

EM: How did this come about?

JG: I’ve always been inspired by the style of that time. And writing this book inspired me to start painting. I started doing sketches of all my characters.

And then, there is that famous photo of Talitha on the rooftop. She’s wearing a traditional Moroccan wedding caftan, which is heavily embroidered and really beautiful.

I painted the pattern and then had it printed on silk chiffon to make caftans.

I’ve partnered with friends in the fashion business. So it’s all female led. female owned, and produced.

I was also inspired by Talitha’s jewelry. She wore serpent rings on all her fingers. I designed a serpent pendant which is inspired by her and a pendant from Tiffany that my father gave to my mother. I always loved it.

You know, I became a writer because I was a reader. And I became a reader because I was a child who didn’t fit in, a child who never felt good enough.

I have a very glamorous mother. I think I was entranced by what I perceived to be the glamor of her life, their life.

EM: And yet you have this confidence to explore these other outlets of creativity, making caftans, painting, making jewelry. Where does that come from, do you think?

JG: I think it may just be my way of creating. Whether it be decorating a house or painting, I have to have another outlet other than writing. It’s like meditation for me. In fact, when I am working with my hands, it’s the only time I sit still. There’s something about painting or any creative activity that settles my mind, stops the squirrels running on their wheels in my head. Writing does it too. But if I’m not writing, I need another way to still the squirrels.

EM: Do you worry at all when you’re writing about real people who are still alive or have families that are still around?

JG: Yes, I worried while writing Sister Stardust. I am, at heart, a people pleaser. It’s actually why I was a bit of a crappy journalist.

I once interviewed Hugh Grant for Parade magazine over lunch. And we had lots and lots of wine. And he ended up revealing some things. I wasn’t a journalist anymore. I was writing my own books at that time. But I remember listening to the tapes from the interview and thinking, ‘Well I know he wouldn’t want the world knowing this, that was just too much wine. And I’m not going to put that in because it would upset him’–which makes me rubbish as a journalist.

I have no idea whether the Gettys know about this book, quite possibly not.

But I was very aware that descendants are alive. And I wrote this as a love letter to Talitha, a love letter to Morocco. It was a love letter to the 60s. I tried to write it with great care.

Sister Stardust will be available wherever books are sold, April 5.

Jane’s caftan and jewelry collection will also be available then.

She is currently working on a project “in the podcast realm” in conjunction with a new story, to be announced soon.

For more information about Jane, her latest projects, and upcoming book tour, visit her website: www.janegreen.com or find her on Instagram where there is also a link to the novel’s soundtrack.