At Last, I'd Touched A Real Part Of Judy Garland's Life

As a lifelong devotee, novelist Susie Boyt was thrilled to own something personal to the legendary star, which she still treasures to this day

I have loved Judy Garland all my life, for her tremendous heart, her wit, her glamour and her voice that portrays pure, unadulterated feeling.

In June 2006 I found myself in New York on a Judy Garland-flavoured mission, nearly eight months pregnant. I walked across town from my hotel to the Union Square Café in a cream lace peasant dress, bearing a big bouquet, balanced on my belly like a runaway shotgun bride.

I sat down, kicked off my high shoes and a waiter brought me a delectable-looking breadbasket. I had arranged to meet a distinguished collector of Judy’s things who’d emailed me, detecting a kindred spirit, after I’d sung her praises in my newspaper column.