20190804_160752.jpgToday I have a review of The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger, publishing via Bloomsbury on August 13, 2019. A big thank you to Kathleen Carter Communications for the complimentary copy.

My Thoughts:

Historical fiction fans, you are going to want to have this book on your radar. Fans of beautiful storytelling, you’ll be captivated too. 

The Dragon Lady is the story of Lady Virginia, Ginie, Courtauld, and the beginning opens when she’s been shot in her garden in 1950s Rhodesia. Ginie IS the dragon lady, so called because of the tattoo she has on her leg. 

The book takes place in multiple glamorous settings and across time and events, including the Italian Rivera, the Scottish Highlands, and Eltham Palace. Immense change happens during this time. 

Ginie is a larger-than-life character and knows no boundaries. As a divorcee, she is shunned by society. She moves to Rhodesia with her new husband and finds danger because of her progressive beliefs. She does not hold back, and many dislike her. Who could have killed her? 

Oh my goodness, did I ever admire Ginie! What a woman ahead of her time. I loved the atmospheric writing. The author transports the reader to each of these exotic locales with ease. The sense of time was precise as well. I loved the tidbits about art, and I learned so much about Rhodesia’s history, especially its desire for independence.  

Overall, this book is steeped in culture, history, and intrigue, with a star of a main character, and I loved every bit! 

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

About the Book:

‘A daring blend of romance, crime and history, and an intelligent exposé of the inherent injustice and consequences of all forms of oppression’ Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions

Opening with the shooting of Lady Virginia ‘Ginie’ Courtauld in her tranquil garden in 1950s Rhodesia, The Dragon Lady tells Ginie’s extraordinary story, so called for the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg. From the glamorous Italian Riviera before the Great War to the Art Deco glory of Eltham Palace in the thirties, and from the secluded Scottish Highlands to segregated Rhodesia in the fifties, the narrative spans enormous cultural and social change. Lady Virginia Courtauld was a boundary-breaking, colourful and unconventional person who rejected the submissive role women were expected to play.

Ostracised by society for being a foreign divorcée at the time of Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson, Ginie and her second husband ,Stephen Courtauld, leave the confines of post-war Britain to forge a new life in Rhodesia, only to find that being progressive liberals during segregation proves mortally dangerous. Many people had reason to dislike Ginie, but who had reason enough to pull the trigger?

Deeply evocative of time and place, The Dragon Lady subtly blends fact and fiction to paint the portrait of an extraordinary woman in an era of great social and cultural change.

Have you read The Dragon Lady, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR