War, women and Charleston

Vanessa lived at Charleston farmhouse with other members of the Bloombsbury Group and her sister was the celebrated novelist Virginia Woolf, who lived not far away at Rodmell.

William Nicholson, scriptwriter for the films Gladiator and Shadowlands and more recently Les Miserables and Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom, will be reading from his latest gripping novel, Reckless.

The plot is set during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and follows the glamorous lives of two young people living in the shadow of impending nuclear war.

William’s wife, Virginia, will be giving guests at the Supper Club the inside track on Charleston, which receives more than 20,000 visitors a year.

Virginia, who is a trustee of Charleston, will also be discussing her non-fiction book, Millions Like Us, which tracks the lives of women between 1941 and 1951.

The Book Lovers’ Supper Club meets about every two months in The Barn in Ditchling.

A Middle Eastern-style supper by Brighton caterers Sultans Delight and a free glass of wine is followed by a talk, reading and conversation with well-known authors and the chance for members of the audience to ask their own questions.

The Nicholsons will be at the next Supper Club between 6.45pm and 9.30pm at The Barn, Ditchling Village Green on February 4. Tickets cost £20 each from Brighton Dome Ticket Office on 01273 709709.

You can also collect tickets from The Post Office in Ditchling, or The Mint House, Hurstpierpoint.