The world of two Glasgow Girls

Join author Maggie Ritchie in conversation about her latest novel, Daisy Chain, a story of independence, women’s art and female friendship from the early 1900s to the mid-1920s, ranging from Kirkcudbright to Shanghai via Glasgow and back again. Inspired by the eventful and colourful lives of the pioneering women artists the 'Glasgow Girls', Maggie Ritchie has crafted a fascinating novel about two young girls who set off on different paths – one to the Glasgow School of Art and then to China, and the other on an uncertain path as a dancer. Lily Crawford and Jeanie Taylor are from very different backgrounds in Kirkcudbright. They share their ambitions for their futures but they lose touch when Jeanie flees domestic abuse and joins a dance company, while Lily attends The Mack, Glasgow's school of art designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. A chance meeting brings them back together and on to the glamour of 1920s Shanghai, where they must resort to desperate measures to ensure their safety.

About the author

Maggie Ritchie is a journalist who was awarded a grant to do her research for Daisy Chain in Shanghai. Her debut novel, Paris Kiss (2015), won the Curtis Brown Prize, was runner up for the Sceptre Prize and longlisted for the Mslexia First Novel Competition. The German edition has appeared on bestseller charts, and the novel has also been translated into Czech. Her second novel, Looking for Evelyn, (2017), was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for Best Published Novel 2018. Maggie graduated with Distinction from the University of Glasgow’s MLitt in Creative Writing. She grew up in India, Zambia, Spain and Venezuela before settling in Scotland, where she lives with her husband and son.

About the event

There are a few steps to the front door of the building. It is intended to hold the event in a room on the ground floor, but depending on the physical distancing restrictions at the time it may be moved to a larger room on the first floor. Attendees will be advised beforehand if this is the case.

Tickets are free but limited, book here at Eventbrite.