The Florentine Quilt

by Chrissie Bellbrae

Three women connected in time to a medieval quilt and an ancient tale of forbidden love.Australian textile conservator, Theodora Harris, is grieving her grandmother's death when offered an internship to restore a medieval quilt depicting a legend steeped in Celtic folklore. While the hero Tristan is lauded in the design, his true love Isolde's story is missing. Theodora's past is incomplete too.

Theodora’s powerful connection to the quilt brings family secrets to the surface, and as each scene is restored, her attraction to the enigmatic Tristan becomes harder to deny. The threads of long lost love refuse to let her go. But the sacrifice for independence and taking control of her life is walking away from love. Theodora must trust that it doesn't mean forever.

1896: Gifted healer Amelia Treloar sails from the wild Cornish coast to join her husband in the Australian mining town of Walhalla. She should have foreseen the signs when Jago Carrick arrived at her door. A call from the past, like the path forewritten, can never be ignored. Devastating consequences await— knowing is not enough.

1875: Florence Trevelyan is exiled from Queen Victoria's court for following her heart. Idyllic Taormina, in the shadow of Mount Etna, is a haven for those who don't fit society's constraints. Florence finds solace in her beautiful garden and embraces a new life. But she'll never abandon her search to reclaim the one she left behind.

Each woman pays the price for love— and for her differences. Is the missing scene from the Florentine quilt the key to unlocking more than one woman’s forgotten story?


Praise for The Florentine Quilt
‘Breath-taking settings, strong female characters, mystery, intrigue and romance ... The Florentine Quilt has it all, and will keep you up turning the pages long after your usual bedtime.’
- Pamela Cook, author, writing coach and podcaster.

Genres: Historical Fiction

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 22, 2025

About the author

Chrissie Bellbrae’s first stories were crafted playing families with dressmaking patterns at her mother’s feet as the sewing machine hummed in the background. While working in education, she undertook a Fiona McIntosh Masterclass and completed her first historical fiction manuscript. She hasn’t stopped writing since.
Tempted to explore the rabbit holes within her own family history— Chrissie’s narratives transport readers from past to present, and create more significantly interesting lives for her ancestors than they possibly ever lived.
Chrissie acknowledges she lives and writes by salt water on the coast of Wadawurrung Country.
The Florentine Quilt is her debut novel, inspired by a life-long interest in art, textiles and tales her grandmother told her.
Her second novel, The Romanov Secret, was inspired by the serendipitous discovery of a letter inside a script in the archives of a theatre company.

Reviews

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf)]

⭐️4 Stars⭐️
What an enchanting debut novel by Australian author Chrissie Bellbrae, a perfect read for historical fiction lovers. The Florentine Quilt is set in Italy, Cornwell and Melbourne.

The Florentine Quilt is a beautifully written tale woven over multiple timelines connecting three women and a medieval quilt. The women are also connected in an ancient tale of forbidden love.

Australia 2024 - Upcycle boutique owner and textile conservator Theodora Harris is still grieving her grandmother’s death when she finds herself accepted at the OPD (The Opificio) in Florence, Italy on an opportunity to work on restoring a fourteenth-century quilt. Theo has also experienced the unique gift of psychometry throughout her life.

1896 - Herbal Healer Amelia Treloar finally leaves England to join her husband who left for Australia to search for gold and find his fortune at a mining town called Walhalla. Amelia carries a secret.

1875 - Disgraced Florence Trevelyn is exiled from Queen Victoria’s court for falling in love.

I loved how the story evolved and the magical themes of tarot, folklore, Arthurian legend and mystery. The characters are well thought out and intriguing and the research undertaken is incredible.

A huge thanks to the author for a copy of the book to read, a lot of thought was put into the promo pack, I feel very honoured to have received this early copy.

Publication Date 22 Janaury 2025
Publisher Lightning Source Australia

[Craig and Phil]

Thank you to Chrissie for gifting us a copy to read and review.
We have been on the journey with Chrissie with this book for a number of years and to read, touch and absorb these beautiful words is very special and awe inspiring.
A quilt is interlinked by many squares that reveal a story or pattern, similar to the pieces that time stamp a persons journey through life.
Three women face life’s adversity’s head on and do not succumb to the pressures placed on them.
Theodora has the opportunity to restore an ancient quilt in Florence.
The threads from the project unravel threads from her heritage and shines light on the truth that was packed away.
Amelia embarks on a journey to Australia as the country becomes a federated nation.
Love, loss and secrets define her experience but do not defeat her.
Florence had breeding and royal connections but was not immune from heartbreak, loss and adversity.
She was stealthily inspiring.
An element of mythicism, a serve of history, three unique and well written timelines and a story that allows visual translation to adorn the imagination as the reader connects the dots.
If you have been lucky enough to secure an advanced copy of this book I urge you to read and review and share the joy to your followers.

[Nicole West]

What a powerful story of three women in different time spans connected through a medieval quilt.

I loved each female character in this novel by their strength and beliefs, how they followed their dreams, and against all odds love won in the end ❤️

The Florentine Quilt becomes a key to unlocking the secrets of the past and present.

My type of book, I loved it immensely.

[Brooke]

The Florentine Quilt is a deeply emotional and intricately woven tale of three women whose stories, though centuries apart, converge in a medieval quilt.

“When people see what they cannot explain, they find a way to despise it, to make sense of it in their own way.”

In present day Melbourne, Theodora is grieving the death of her Gran. When presented with the opportunity to be involved in the conservation of the Coperta Di Usella quilt in Italy, she must push aside her emotions and travel to the other side of the world. In Cornwall in 1896, Amelia lives a quiet life as a healer. However, when she falls for a patient, her life is turned upside down. 1875 England and Florence is part of Queen Victoria’s court until she is exiled to Italy for following her heart. Each of these women, has been dealt a blow by the hand of fate and paid a high price for love, but perhaps the quilt may hold the key to all of their forgotten stories.

Incorporating the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Isolde, the heartbreaking tale of love, loss and betrayal kept me up chasing that final link. I enjoyed each of these women’s stories and the touches of mysticism that were included. Following the alternating POVs to make the connections was a little like putting together the pieces of a particularly challenging jigsaw puzzle and I was very invested in completing it.

Filled with love, sadness and hope, The Florentine Quilt is a must for historical fiction readers and has left me wanting to learn more about the real life quilts and their history.

[Susan Mackie]

What an astonishing debut! Could not put it down and read the last half when I should have been writing my own manuscript.
The story was meticulously researched, and I thank the author for her endnotes, including her journey to publication.
A story of three women, connected by place, birth, the 'sight' and the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Isolde. Women who contravened convention for love and suffered for their secrets, woven together as carefully as one might stitch a medieval quilt. I could feel the silken threads slipping through my own fingers while the sun in Italy warmed my face and the salty Cornwall air brushed my lips.
A triumph, Chrissie Bellbrae!

[Louise Holmes]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Florentine Quilt. Chrissie Bellbrae writes in such a way that you can't wait to turn the page to see what happens next in the lives of the main characters. I could highly recommend this book - a great read!

[Lynette Steer]

Chrissie Belbrae has absolutely nailed it with her carefully edited first novel. Excellent researching of modern and historic Cornwall, Florence, Walhalla and the folklore of these places. Great historic novel with a good dose of redemptive romance for the heroine, Theodora,

[Pauline Wilson]

An intricately written story with three interweaving timelines. I loved the folklore and mystical elements.

[Ike Levick]

The Florentine Quilt by @chrissiebellbrae

I absolutely loved listening to Chrissie share her writing journey with @claudinetinellis a few months ago at an author talk hosted by none other than the wonderful @betterreadbookshop .

I have such vivid memories of that night—and we also had some thoughtful subsequent bookclub discussions I wanted to share. 📚✨

The story revolves around three women from different time periods and locations:
🧵 Present day – Theodora, from Melbourne to Europe
🧵 1896 – Amelia, from Cornwall to Melbourne via a small mining town (my fave of the three)
🧵 1875 – Florentine, from Queen Victoria’s court to Sicily

Though separated by time and place, these women are deeply connected, making the story rich, layered, and so intriguing. Each woman is both lucky and thoroughly unlucky in love—no matter how they try, their destinies seem prewritten.

Also, Chrissie—your male characters? Swoon-worthy. I loved them all! 💕

Even though Chrissie doesn’t quilt herself, the quilt in the novel is such a beautiful metaphor—linking generations, carrying stories, and reflecting the deep cultural and emotional significance of women’s craft traditions.

The novel blends historical detail - an ode to historical research - with emotional ups and downs, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

Like the lovely @coffeeandpages2021 from my book club, I even looked up the real Tristan and Isolde quilt and included some images here! Not blue, as implied by the gorgeous cover, but white, and equally beguiling. Some parts have been worn bare through touch 🤍

Huge congrats on your debut, Chrissie - I can’t wait to see what’s next from you. 🙌📖

#booktalk #authortalk #amreading #theflorentinequilt #italy #tristanandisolde #storytelling #bookreviewer

[Sue Hopkins]

I loved this novel. Written by a local author, it follows three women from the past, who come together in a modern day character, through Theodora, as she goes to Italy to help mend a medieval quilt, after her grandmother dies. She is blessed with some kind of insight as she senses things before they happen and is powerfully connected to the quilt. Set in 1800s Cornwall, Australia and Italy, something connects all 3 women! Amelia travels from Cornwall to Australia to be with her husband in 1896 and Florence is exiled from Queen Victoria’s court to Italy 1875. When I started the book, the writing js beautiful, and I thought it would be a 4 star book for sure, but ending was slightly flat, hence the 3 star final review. Highly recommend.

[Helen Dermanakis]

Chrissie thank you so very much! An absolutely amazing, wonderful and heartwarming story. I fell in love with each of the three beautiful women and their lives and stories that you created. I read it in less than two days; I couldn’t stop turning the pages. A truly beautifully crafted story from the first written word to the very last. Thank you Chrissie!

[Tania]

If you’re looking for love, mysticism, impeccably researched history and a triple timeline, this enchanting story is for you! 🔮The story is written with fairytale feels and lyrical flair and combines current day issues with mysticism, magical realism and historical fact. It’s emotion charged; steeped in love, sacrifice and women rising above the limitations placed on them by society.

At a glance:
It’s 3 love stories from three women across history who are bound together by the fable of Tristan and Isolde: stitched not only into time but into the pattern of the precious Florentine quilt.

Theodora, the contemporary character, is an Australian textile restorer and pulls the timelines together as she travels from continent to continent for The Quilt and herself. Patterns emerge through Florence‘s story during Queen Victoria‘s reign; a place of courts and favours and tarot cards. Then Amelia‘s challenges in the mining town of Cornwall at first - trying to tame her passions, foresight and reputation as a herbalist before emigrating to Walhalla in Victoria (which is itself connected to the authors ancestry and written with authority). The story all comes together in the most magical of ways.

[Holly Cardamone]

Three heroines. Three timelines. Mythology. Romance. Mystery. Walhalla. Italy! Come at me!

Here’s the blurb, tweaked:

Australian textile conservator, Theodora Harris, is grieving her grandmother's death when offered an internship to restore a medieval quilt. Theodora’s connection to the quilt brings family secrets to the surface, and the threads of long lost love refuse to let her go.
1896: healer Amelia Treloar sails from the wild Cornish coast to join her husband in the Australian mining town of Walhalla. Devastating consequences await.

1875: Florence Trevelyan is exiled from Queen Victoria's court for following her heart. But she'll never abandon her search to reclaim the one she left behind.

Each woman pays the price for love— and for her differences. Is the missing scene from the Florentine quilt the key to unlocking more than one woman’s forgotten story?

I loved this enchanting book that blends so many genres- there’s historical fiction, mystery, romance, legend and magic with tarot. The depth of research is something to behold, and the pacing of the reveals is bang on. The characters are so beautifully drawn and I loved how their stories shifted and evolved. Congrats Chrissie on a fabulous read.

[Deb Keyt]

“The Florentine Quilt” is a glorious debut novel by Chrissie Bellbrae that is eloquently and poetically written and the imagery is delightful.

There is an immediate connection with the beautifully crafted characters as they bring their individual stories to life so vividly. Their secrets, desires, wishes and dreams are perfectly told through Chrissie’s masterful command of words and her passion for storytelling.

Chrissie’s indepth research of every detail was meticulous and the historical and modern day facts draw the reader into the worlds of the three remarkable, strong, fascinating, charismatic and captivating women at the centre of the novel and their special connection to the titular quilt and its many figurative and literal threads.

I laughed and cried and so desperately yearned for Theodora, Amelia and Florence to achieve their heart’s desires.

I wholeheartedly recommend “The Florentine Quilt” to readers who love books that are totally enthralling and one you don’t want to end: it’s filled with romance, love, devotion, history, humour, magic, set backs, despair, hope and bliss.

Bravo Chrissie Bellbrae and I cannot wait for your next novel.

[Emma Babbington]

There are some books that sweep you away with the storytelling, some are plot-driven, others are beautifully written on a line by line basis. The Florentine Quilt has all three.

The story goes back and forth between present day and the 1800s with the three female protagonists from those eras connected by the fable of Tristan and Isolde. Through their sometimes difficult emotional journeys and heartbreaking sacrifices, these women tell their stories and readers will find themselves swept along in this wonderful debut. Be prepared to shed tears and ignore the outside world while you read!

I don't read a lot of historical fiction but this novel might change that...

[Donna O'Keeffe]

The Florentine Quilt is a beautifully crafted novel of historical fiction that weaves together the lives of three remarkable women across different generations. Much like the quilt it’s named after, the story intricately interlaces rich details and heartfelt narratives, creating an immersive reading experience. Bellbrae’s debut book showcases a genuine passion and knowledge of textiles, whilst transporting readers across time through each woman’s journey of love, resilience and family secrets. With its engaging plot and emotional depth, The Florentine Quilt is a captivating tribute to shared history, craft, and the enduring bonds that unite us.

[Robyn Fincher]

I have just finished reading this fabulous debut novel and thoroughly enjoyed enjoyed it from start to finish.
Beautifully crafted, with interwoven stories across generations, showcasing the strength of three courageous women as they navigate their way through challenging times across three different countries. Faced with making difficult and heartbreaking decisions that change the course of their lives, their stories keep you turning the pages until the end. A must read , especially for fans of historical romance.

[Miranda]

What an enchanting, compelling, immersive and beautiful book! A tale about three incredible women connected through time by love and history, masterfully researched and told in multiple timelines. There is a mystical quality to this book that really elevated it for me, as well as Chrissie's talent at writing place. Amelia's story in particular came alive for me, but I found all these women and the challenges they faced so moving and realistic. A wonderful debut—highly recommended!

[Kaye Baillie]

From the beautiful cover design to the very end of this book, I was drawn into the individual stories of three passionate women who faced challenges, fought their desires and remained true to themselves. The scenes are so descriptive and alive. I loved the scenes of gatherings of quilters and their combined efforts to complete intricate and powerful designs and stories.
A really lovely book to get lost in. PS: 'Amelia' was my favourite character.

[Michelle]

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚝 ~ 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚎

💙

Oh Chrissie, this book was just glorious. And this is a big call from someone who doesn't read a lot of historical fiction. I will admit it took me 40 pages to move into the rhythm of the read, books are like a dance, you have to find the pace and listen to the music within the words. And this book sings 🎶

Women's stories have always been misconstrued, forgotten and lost in the course of history. Our lives, our loves and our losses underpin so much of familial history and connection to our past making it so important to find these stories, know them and tell the truth of them.

The research behind this book is incredibly well done and the stories of the three women weave together in moments of connection and shared experiences through the beautiful quilt or coperta. The depth provided to each character and their surroundings helped see everything in my readers mind so clearly. And as someone who spent time in Walhalla Amelia's story particularly came alive for me.

The inclusion of the use of cartomancy, psychics and herbal healing added to the layers of the women's stories.

A beautiful book that I am so lucky to have been able to read.

Thank you Chrissie xx

[Ruth Friend]

A hauntingly good read. I found myself thinking of the characters and their lives in places around the world in between opportunities to read. Beautifully crafted Chrissie!!

[Georgina Luke]

An incredible story of three women from different eras all linked by a medieval quilt. Thank you Chrissie for such a beautiful book! I look forward to your nice story.