A Long Time Ago

An Edwardian family party on an Irish holiday is disrupted by a seductive prima donna

Elissa Koebel’s memoir is as scandalous and self-absorbed as its writer, but for Hope, it is more than just the latest salacious read. The chapter ‘A Summer in Ireland’ tells of an episode that Hope remembers well, when the younger, beautiful and unconventional Koebel arrived to disrupt a family holiday. But back then, Hope could not guess that her own fascination with Elissa was echoed by her father. Letters from the time reveal yet another side of the story – but which version of the story is the truth?