Paul French, Her Lotus Year

China, The Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson.

New York Times bestselling author, Paul French, who specialises in the history of 20th century China, joins us to examine a controversial and revealing period in the early life of the legendary Wallis Simpson. French will reveal the untold story of what really happened to Wallis during that year in China, dispelling many of the myths and gossip surrounding it.

This event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by Paul.

Sunday 29th June, 12,00pm
Venue: Layer Marney Tower, Near Colchester, CO5 9US
Tickets: £14 (includes entrance to Layer Marney Tower and gardens)
Box Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948

This event is part of our History Books day at Layer Marney Tower. Built as a statement house by Henry, 1st Lord Marney, Henry VIII’s Lord Privy Seal, in the 1520s, Layer Marney Tower is one of the jewels in the Essex ‘crown’. And, as such, the perfect venue for The History Books.

Make a day of it. Explore the UK’s tallest Tudor Gatehouse and stunning gardens for free with your Essex Book Festival ticket.

Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/the-history-books-2025/.

The History Books Ticket Deal – £14 per event or all 3 events for £36
Discount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked:

12.00pm – Paul French, Her Lotus Year
2.00pm – S.J. Parris, Traitor’s Legacy
4.00pm – Gareth Russell, Queen James

Her Lotus Year: China, The Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson by Paul French

New York Times bestselling author, Paul French who specialises in the history of 20 th century China, examines a controversial and revealing period in the early life of the legendary Wallis Simpson, to tell the untold story of a woman too often maligned by history.

‘Paul French has discovered a side of Wallis Simpson that few, if any, will ever have known existed. From connoisseur to intrepid adventurer, Simpson would have made her mark wherever she ended up in the world.’ – Amanda Foreman

In her memoirs, Wallis Simpson described her time in China as her ‘Lotus Year’, referring to Homer’s Lotus Eaters, a group living in a state of dreamy forgetfulness, never to return home. That year, however, was also used to damn Wallis in the eyes of the British establishment. Determined to ‘save’ the monarchy, the British government’s ‘China Dossier’ of Wallis’s rumoured and immoral activities in the Far East portrayed her as sordid, debauched, influenced by foreign agents and unfit to marry a king.

For the first time, Paul French, tells the true story of what really happened to Wallis during that year, dispelling many of the myths and gossip surrounding it.

Order a copy of Her Lotus Year by Paul French from the Essex Book Festival online bookshop at bookshop.org

Paul French

Photo of Paul French credit Sue Anne Tay

Paul French was born in London and lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. He received the Mystery Writers’ of America Edgar award for Best Fact Crime and a Crime Writers’ Association (UK) Dagger award for non-fiction. His most recent book City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir, received much praise with The Economist writing, ‘…in Mr French the city has its champion storyteller.’ Both Midnight in Peking and City of Devils are currently in development for film. He lives in central London.