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The Dragon Lady
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?
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?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2019
28 people are currently reading
1597 people want to read
About the author
Louisa Treger
6 books105 followersBorn in London, Louisa Treger began her career as a classical violinist. She studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music, and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher.
Louisa subsequently turned to literature, gaining a First Class degree and a PhD in English at University College London, where she focused on early twentieth century women’s writing.
Married with three children, she lives in London.
Louisa subsequently turned to literature, gaining a First Class degree and a PhD in English at University College London, where she focused on early twentieth century women’s writing.
Married with three children, she lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
August 10, 2019
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.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
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.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
August 23, 2019
In her lush Rhodesian garden in the 1950s, Lady Virginia Courtauld was mysteriously shot. This begins a tale of intrigue, romance, and history centered around this event. Ginie Courtauld had been an outcast many times in her life, but someone has escalated actions beyond ostracizing into a more dangerous realm.
Ginie’s life has taken her from the Italian Riviera to the reconstruction of Eltham Palace until her family and history as a foreign divorcée leaves her longing for a new start. Stephen and Ginie set out to create a new life in Rhodesia but find leaving post-war Britain has not solved their issues. Now, the couple finds themselves amidst tense race relations and political conflicts in an unfamiliar place.
Weaving fact and fiction together, The Dragon Lady tells the story of a vivacious and enigmatic woman’s life. Spanning four decades, this novel vividly depicts the characters and their motivations as well as the setting. Louisa Treger delivers an absorbing read which tackles big issues including race, love, injustice, and the status quo.
Ginie’s life has taken her from the Italian Riviera to the reconstruction of Eltham Palace until her family and history as a foreign divorcée leaves her longing for a new start. Stephen and Ginie set out to create a new life in Rhodesia but find leaving post-war Britain has not solved their issues. Now, the couple finds themselves amidst tense race relations and political conflicts in an unfamiliar place.
Weaving fact and fiction together, The Dragon Lady tells the story of a vivacious and enigmatic woman’s life. Spanning four decades, this novel vividly depicts the characters and their motivations as well as the setting. Louisa Treger delivers an absorbing read which tackles big issues including race, love, injustice, and the status quo.
August 1, 2020
The Courtauld Gallery in London is my favorite art museum so when I read the summary of THE DRAGON LADY and realized that it was about Virginia Courtauld, I started it immediately. The book centers around “Ginie” Courtauld, her husband Stephen, and their time in Rhodesia before the colony succeeded with its independence quest and became Zimbabwe. Ginie was an independent, free-thinking woman who opted to push for the necessary social changes she knew should happen even when those views made her incredibly unpopular with her peers. THE DRAGON LADY moves forward and backward in time with ease, and Treger effectively uses multiple perspectives to tell Ginie’s story.
While I loved reading about Ginie and her storied life, my two favorite parts of the book were side notes to Ginie’s story. I loved the tidbits about Sam Courtauld’s (Stephen’s elder brother) art collection which eventually becomes the core portion of the Courtauld Gallery’s collection including a mentions of Manet’s “A Bar at the Folies-Bergere” and the portions of the story about Rhodesia’s quest for independence including an actual meeting the Courtaulds had with Robert Mugabe prior to his ascent to power.
Historical fiction has the power to transport a reader to another time and place while highlighting important, often lesser-known historical events. THE DRAGON LADY succeeds and captures events about which I had only a minimal awareness, and I thoroughly enjoyed filling in those gaps and learning about Rhodesia in the 1950s. I can’t say enough good things about this book - it is a fascinating and informative read.
Listen to my podcast at https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com for fun author interviews. For more book reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro....
While I loved reading about Ginie and her storied life, my two favorite parts of the book were side notes to Ginie’s story. I loved the tidbits about Sam Courtauld’s (Stephen’s elder brother) art collection which eventually becomes the core portion of the Courtauld Gallery’s collection including a mentions of Manet’s “A Bar at the Folies-Bergere” and the portions of the story about Rhodesia’s quest for independence including an actual meeting the Courtaulds had with Robert Mugabe prior to his ascent to power.
Historical fiction has the power to transport a reader to another time and place while highlighting important, often lesser-known historical events. THE DRAGON LADY succeeds and captures events about which I had only a minimal awareness, and I thoroughly enjoyed filling in those gaps and learning about Rhodesia in the 1950s. I can’t say enough good things about this book - it is a fascinating and informative read.
Listen to my podcast at https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com for fun author interviews. For more book reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro....
February 28, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Until I was partway through this book I never realised that it was based on real-life people. Lady Virginia Courtauld (Ginie) and her husband Stephan. Yes, you can probably see from the last line of the synopsis where is states ‘blends fact and fiction to paint the portrait of an extraordinary woman’ but I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually read that last bit. Note to self, read the whole synopsis in future.
Even once I had realised it was based on real people I then had to Google them as unfortunately, I’d never heard of them. The real-life Ginie was more flamboyant and rebellious than the book paints her as, if you don’t know her do Google her, her life is well worth a read.
The book opens in the 1990s with a woman called Catherine recounting the day she witnesses Ginie get shot, we are then transported back to 1950s Rhodesia, Africa, today it is called Zimbabwe, with the Courtauld’s first arriving in Rhodesia. There is a lot of speculation with the residents about Ginie and what type of woman she is, especially as she has a large tattoo of a snake down the side of her leg from thigh to ankle and her liberal views.
The book is split into five sections, each a different period of time and place and is told from various points of view, Catherine’s, Ginie’s , and Stephen’s.
As well as Ginie and her exotic lifestyle and the shooting of her, there is also quite a lot on apartheid, racism, slavery, etc within the book too. I felt that this was handled well, especially given the era the book is set within.
The book is mesmerising and blended fact and fiction so perfectly that without knowing Ginie’s true story you wouldn’t be able to tell which parts of her life were made up and which were indeed true.
I found this book a breath of fresh air, especially given the fact that I’m not much of a historical fiction lover nor a multi-POV reader but there was something about this book, quite possible this extraordinary woman, that kept me reading as well as the engaging writing that had me turning the pages at speed wanting to find out everything about her life and absorb the story fully.
Until I was partway through this book I never realised that it was based on real-life people. Lady Virginia Courtauld (Ginie) and her husband Stephan. Yes, you can probably see from the last line of the synopsis where is states ‘blends fact and fiction to paint the portrait of an extraordinary woman’ but I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually read that last bit. Note to self, read the whole synopsis in future.
Even once I had realised it was based on real people I then had to Google them as unfortunately, I’d never heard of them. The real-life Ginie was more flamboyant and rebellious than the book paints her as, if you don’t know her do Google her, her life is well worth a read.
The book opens in the 1990s with a woman called Catherine recounting the day she witnesses Ginie get shot, we are then transported back to 1950s Rhodesia, Africa, today it is called Zimbabwe, with the Courtauld’s first arriving in Rhodesia. There is a lot of speculation with the residents about Ginie and what type of woman she is, especially as she has a large tattoo of a snake down the side of her leg from thigh to ankle and her liberal views.
The book is split into five sections, each a different period of time and place and is told from various points of view, Catherine’s, Ginie’s , and Stephen’s.
As well as Ginie and her exotic lifestyle and the shooting of her, there is also quite a lot on apartheid, racism, slavery, etc within the book too. I felt that this was handled well, especially given the era the book is set within.
The book is mesmerising and blended fact and fiction so perfectly that without knowing Ginie’s true story you wouldn’t be able to tell which parts of her life were made up and which were indeed true.
I found this book a breath of fresh air, especially given the fact that I’m not much of a historical fiction lover nor a multi-POV reader but there was something about this book, quite possible this extraordinary woman, that kept me reading as well as the engaging writing that had me turning the pages at speed wanting to find out everything about her life and absorb the story fully.
January 1, 2019
The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger is the fictionalised history of the extraordinary life of Lady Virginia (Ginie) Courtauld over the course of thirty years, from the 1920’s until the 1950’s. During this time, along with her beloved second husband Stephen, Ginie was a great supporter of the arts, and also a philanthropist who believed in equality for her fellow men, whatever the colour of their skins.
Treger skilfully weaves a tantalising mystery around some fascinating real-life events, with the settings moving from Europe to the glories of Rhodesia. However, it is in the African chapters that the novel truly sings, with the most beautiful renditions of the country’s scenery and wildlife, none of which can obscure the undercurrent of political change and menace of the times.
More personally, this is the story of a woman’s heartfelt need to belong. Ginie is the outsider who, though charming and very beautiful, was never quite accepted in any of the countries or lives she inhabited. Often spurned by society’s great and good despite her husband’s wealth and title, Ginie exudes an air of scandal, as demonstrated by the snake tattoo that winds itself around one leg - with the truth of its origins never known due to Ginie’s inclination to tell a different story every time she’s asked about it.
But there are also other truths that both Ginie and Stephen keep locked in their hearts - his are connected with the horrors that took place during the First World war - hers with the mistake of an early love affair, the outcome of which continues to haunt her through the years to come.
The painful secret of Ginie’s loss is elegantly echoed in the ghost of a child who haunts the grounds of the couple’s Rhodesian home and gardens. Yet more mirrors are glimpsed in the storyline of Catherine, an adolescent girl, who is another outsider experiencing unease and social insecurity, as well as observing the jealousies and bigotry that lead to the novel’s climax.
The prose of this novel is lyrical, vivid and compelling, whether describing the settings, the characters, or the suspenseful intrigue of the story’s plot. It comes as no surprise to learn of Treger’s deep love for Africa, which, in her own words, is flowing through her blood and marrow.
Treger skilfully weaves a tantalising mystery around some fascinating real-life events, with the settings moving from Europe to the glories of Rhodesia. However, it is in the African chapters that the novel truly sings, with the most beautiful renditions of the country’s scenery and wildlife, none of which can obscure the undercurrent of political change and menace of the times.
More personally, this is the story of a woman’s heartfelt need to belong. Ginie is the outsider who, though charming and very beautiful, was never quite accepted in any of the countries or lives she inhabited. Often spurned by society’s great and good despite her husband’s wealth and title, Ginie exudes an air of scandal, as demonstrated by the snake tattoo that winds itself around one leg - with the truth of its origins never known due to Ginie’s inclination to tell a different story every time she’s asked about it.
But there are also other truths that both Ginie and Stephen keep locked in their hearts - his are connected with the horrors that took place during the First World war - hers with the mistake of an early love affair, the outcome of which continues to haunt her through the years to come.
The painful secret of Ginie’s loss is elegantly echoed in the ghost of a child who haunts the grounds of the couple’s Rhodesian home and gardens. Yet more mirrors are glimpsed in the storyline of Catherine, an adolescent girl, who is another outsider experiencing unease and social insecurity, as well as observing the jealousies and bigotry that lead to the novel’s climax.
The prose of this novel is lyrical, vivid and compelling, whether describing the settings, the characters, or the suspenseful intrigue of the story’s plot. It comes as no surprise to learn of Treger’s deep love for Africa, which, in her own words, is flowing through her blood and marrow.
June 3, 2019
I do wish bubble-bath books stayed away from 'big' topics like 1950s Rhodesia and apartheid-in-all-but-name if all they can do is wring their hands and whimper about why can't people just get on nicely...
Watch out for clichés too: 'he wasn't classically handsome', 'it seemed as if she and Stephen were the only people in the room', 'brown eyes a man could drown in' - yikes!
Watch out for clichés too: 'he wasn't classically handsome', 'it seemed as if she and Stephen were the only people in the room', 'brown eyes a man could drown in' - yikes!
June 13, 2019
Novel set mainly in RHODESIA
4.5*
This is the story of Stephen and Ginie Courtauld and is a mix of fiction and fact. The surname may be familiar as Stephen’s older brother Sam was one of the founders in 1932 of the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, housing a collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art (and, renowned for their course on art conservation).
As a couple in the 1930s, Stephen and Ginie renovated Eltham Palace with great panache and innovation – a blend of modern and old as the building had its roots in the early 1300s. The story however focuses mainly on their time in Rhodesia, in the 1950s (and briefly London, the Italian Riviera and Scotland). Rhodesia then was a time when colonial grip was weakening and the locals were in foment. The title refers to a risqué but rather alluring tattoo that Ginie had on her leg, a colourful snake that could be glimpsed by those who chose to look. Titillating and daring for the times.
The novel depicts a couple with money and humanity, who chose to go against the tide. They espoused the cause of the local populace who were abused and down-trodden and who lived for the most part in poverty. Amongst the white community their endeavours were certainly unpopular and the couple began to receive written threats. Mugabe was one of the visitors to their home “La Rochelle”.
Ginie is depicted as a vivacious and eccentric woman who couldn’t quite slide herself into society. She was after all a divorcée (way back she married into an Italian family) and that was a distinct negative in many aspects; not of course to mention the colourful tattoo. A few encounters with royalty still didn’t raise the couple’s status and so they focussed more fully on their work with the locals in Rhodesia.
They never had children and behind that lies a story. A little lemur called Jongy was Ginie’s constant companion and perhaps surrogate child.
This is an engrossing story of an era and of two striking people who were movers and shakers. It is clear that the author has relished piecing together what she can of the couple’s real story – which is quite elusive in the archives – adding a real touch of glamour, upheaval and sadness that makes this a very readable and immersive story.
The element that didn’t quite work so well for me was Catherine’s story, which was needed to flesh out aspects of the narrative. It made the thoughtful, central story feel just a little fractured. But no matter, this will be a popular read and I very much enjoyed it. It’s a fascinating story. Recommended.
4.5*
This is the story of Stephen and Ginie Courtauld and is a mix of fiction and fact. The surname may be familiar as Stephen’s older brother Sam was one of the founders in 1932 of the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, housing a collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art (and, renowned for their course on art conservation).
As a couple in the 1930s, Stephen and Ginie renovated Eltham Palace with great panache and innovation – a blend of modern and old as the building had its roots in the early 1300s. The story however focuses mainly on their time in Rhodesia, in the 1950s (and briefly London, the Italian Riviera and Scotland). Rhodesia then was a time when colonial grip was weakening and the locals were in foment. The title refers to a risqué but rather alluring tattoo that Ginie had on her leg, a colourful snake that could be glimpsed by those who chose to look. Titillating and daring for the times.
The novel depicts a couple with money and humanity, who chose to go against the tide. They espoused the cause of the local populace who were abused and down-trodden and who lived for the most part in poverty. Amongst the white community their endeavours were certainly unpopular and the couple began to receive written threats. Mugabe was one of the visitors to their home “La Rochelle”.
Ginie is depicted as a vivacious and eccentric woman who couldn’t quite slide herself into society. She was after all a divorcée (way back she married into an Italian family) and that was a distinct negative in many aspects; not of course to mention the colourful tattoo. A few encounters with royalty still didn’t raise the couple’s status and so they focussed more fully on their work with the locals in Rhodesia.
They never had children and behind that lies a story. A little lemur called Jongy was Ginie’s constant companion and perhaps surrogate child.
This is an engrossing story of an era and of two striking people who were movers and shakers. It is clear that the author has relished piecing together what she can of the couple’s real story – which is quite elusive in the archives – adding a real touch of glamour, upheaval and sadness that makes this a very readable and immersive story.
The element that didn’t quite work so well for me was Catherine’s story, which was needed to flesh out aspects of the narrative. It made the thoughtful, central story feel just a little fractured. But no matter, this will be a popular read and I very much enjoyed it. It’s a fascinating story. Recommended.
December 21, 2019
There is so much to love about this book, it’s hard to know where to start. The backbone is the extraordinary character of Lady Virginia Courtauld, known to all as Ginie, a woman who keeps a pet lemur and has a snake tattoo twisting up one leg. Louisa Treger has stuck to the historical facts in describing her remarkable life, but fleshed out the woman so vividly that you feel as if you inhabit her skin. She was a perpetual outsider, with a difficult family background, scorned by English society for being a divorcee, and hated by white Rhodesians for her progressive attitudes. Ginie is wounded by all the slurs and slights, and she has secrets she keeps even from her adoring husband Stephen, but she remains a woman of vision and principle, in many ways outside her time.
Most of the narrative takes place in 1950s Rhodesia as the demands for independence from British rule are becoming more strident, and Louisa Treger builds the sense of danger brilliantly. White Rhodesians fear ‘the blacks’ and strive to keep them in ‘their place’; Africa itself is a hostile environment for the white-skinned, who sweat profusely in its heavy heat; and there are predators and prey in the brush, each doing what they must to survive.
It’s hard to make a perfectly formed story from a real life but Louisa Treger does it brilliantly. She starts with the dramatic shooting of Ginie on her veranda, and leads us through the story of her life, from her point of view and that of a young white girl called Catherine who is a witness to the shooting. Who did it and why? The writing is glorious, the research impeccable, but neither detract from the multi-layered, compelling portrait of Ginie, which will haunt you long after you finish reading.
Most of the narrative takes place in 1950s Rhodesia as the demands for independence from British rule are becoming more strident, and Louisa Treger builds the sense of danger brilliantly. White Rhodesians fear ‘the blacks’ and strive to keep them in ‘their place’; Africa itself is a hostile environment for the white-skinned, who sweat profusely in its heavy heat; and there are predators and prey in the brush, each doing what they must to survive.
It’s hard to make a perfectly formed story from a real life but Louisa Treger does it brilliantly. She starts with the dramatic shooting of Ginie on her veranda, and leads us through the story of her life, from her point of view and that of a young white girl called Catherine who is a witness to the shooting. Who did it and why? The writing is glorious, the research impeccable, but neither detract from the multi-layered, compelling portrait of Ginie, which will haunt you long after you finish reading.
January 1, 2019
'I've spent a lifetime trying to forget, yet the smallest thing takes me back to the time the Dragon Lady was shot.'
What a journey this book was! I read it on my dull bus journey to work and back, and it took me all over the world. I lived, breathed and felt Rhodesia most of all, a place I've never been but now feel I have.
Lady Virginia Courtauld lived an extraordinary life, and Louisa Treger brought this life passionately to life, cleverly blending fact and fiction, history and imagaintion, as is her forte. We never find out the full truth behind the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg - or do we? - but we know she was ostraciced by society for being a foreign divorcée, and that she tried to forge a new life in Rhodesia, only to find that being a progressive liberal during segregation proved mortally dangerous.
The language is gentle and addictive, and the story uncoils beautifully snakelike. Treger has a way of making you feel like she's whispering the story to you, and that the one you hear is yours alone.
So, who shot the glorious Dragon Lady? Well, that is something I didn't see coming...
I highly recommend this novel.
What a journey this book was! I read it on my dull bus journey to work and back, and it took me all over the world. I lived, breathed and felt Rhodesia most of all, a place I've never been but now feel I have.
Lady Virginia Courtauld lived an extraordinary life, and Louisa Treger brought this life passionately to life, cleverly blending fact and fiction, history and imagaintion, as is her forte. We never find out the full truth behind the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg - or do we? - but we know she was ostraciced by society for being a foreign divorcée, and that she tried to forge a new life in Rhodesia, only to find that being a progressive liberal during segregation proved mortally dangerous.
The language is gentle and addictive, and the story uncoils beautifully snakelike. Treger has a way of making you feel like she's whispering the story to you, and that the one you hear is yours alone.
So, who shot the glorious Dragon Lady? Well, that is something I didn't see coming...
I highly recommend this novel.
March 7, 2021
Reading this book at times felt like I was watching an episode of the Crown. It is a historical fiction book infused with romance, drama, war, crime and intrigue. The main protagonist is Virginia, affectionately known as Ginie. The title is derived from the eye catching tattoo on Ginie’s leg, which is an imprint of her rather decadent past. The narrative opens with Ginie being shot outside her home and then the story unfolds, taking us back to how it all began at the turn of the 20th century.
Ginie is born into privilege, her father being a wealthy Genovese shipping merchant. We meet Ginie at eighteen at the cusp of marriage to Paulo Spinalo, an Italian count. Following the demise of her first marriage, Ginie uses her feminine wiles to lure millionaire, Stephen Coulthard, into marriage. They become a formidable pair trying to navigate London society together, from their ostentatious base, Eltham Palace which was revamped by the Coulthards in 1933. They are however ostracised because of Ginie’s foreign origins and by virtue of being a divorcee.
Being sidelined stirs compassion in the pair who then relocate to Rhodesia in the 50s and forge a new life there. The Coulthards enjoy a lavish life at their prime residence, La Rochelle, which harboured political figures like Mugabe, Sithole and Chitepo at a time when it was politically incorrect to do so. While the Coulthards are empathetic towards the locals, their benevolence is not enough to lift the yoke of oppression suffered by the disenfranchised African population.
It is during their stay in Rhodesia where they earn the enmity of the local white community because of their “liberalism” and grandiose living. And so unravels the plot to decimate Ginie. All this is set against the background of the initial stirring of the liberation struggle movement in the 50s.
Treger does a wonderful job of reconstructing two historical figures that little is known of but they played an integral role in Rhodesian history. However the flaw of the book is the author’s inability to distinguish between Shona and Zulu. This is illustrated in the names and in Zulu phrases and words which are used which is inconsistent with the era or the African populace of that part of Rhodesia she is describing.
Ginie is born into privilege, her father being a wealthy Genovese shipping merchant. We meet Ginie at eighteen at the cusp of marriage to Paulo Spinalo, an Italian count. Following the demise of her first marriage, Ginie uses her feminine wiles to lure millionaire, Stephen Coulthard, into marriage. They become a formidable pair trying to navigate London society together, from their ostentatious base, Eltham Palace which was revamped by the Coulthards in 1933. They are however ostracised because of Ginie’s foreign origins and by virtue of being a divorcee.
Being sidelined stirs compassion in the pair who then relocate to Rhodesia in the 50s and forge a new life there. The Coulthards enjoy a lavish life at their prime residence, La Rochelle, which harboured political figures like Mugabe, Sithole and Chitepo at a time when it was politically incorrect to do so. While the Coulthards are empathetic towards the locals, their benevolence is not enough to lift the yoke of oppression suffered by the disenfranchised African population.
It is during their stay in Rhodesia where they earn the enmity of the local white community because of their “liberalism” and grandiose living. And so unravels the plot to decimate Ginie. All this is set against the background of the initial stirring of the liberation struggle movement in the 50s.
Treger does a wonderful job of reconstructing two historical figures that little is known of but they played an integral role in Rhodesian history. However the flaw of the book is the author’s inability to distinguish between Shona and Zulu. This is illustrated in the names and in Zulu phrases and words which are used which is inconsistent with the era or the African populace of that part of Rhodesia she is describing.
September 11, 2019
A very special thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. #TheDragonLady #NetGalley
The Dragon Lady is a fictionalized biography that explores the life of Lady Virginia (Ginie) Courtauld and her second husband, Sir Stephen Courtauld with emphasis on their time in Rhodesia in the 1950’s. It also gives the first person view of Catherine, who in the first chapter of the book reflects back to the time when she witnessed Ginie, a/k/aThe Dragon Lady, being shot while speaking to Catherine’s father, Mark, a naturalist and forestry consultant in Rhodesia.
Ginie Courtauld is a difficult personality. Her mother, Rosa, openly disliked her for being spirited and excessive. Her father, Riccardo was more loving. Her mother was thrilled when Gini was to be married to Paulo Spinola, who came from an aristocratic Italian family in Genoa. As a young woman, Gini lied to and omitted giving important facts about herself to both of her husbands prior to marriage. These lies caused the failure of her marriage to Paulo. She waited until years after being married to Stephen to finally be truthful. By then, Stephen was so full devoted to her, it did not matter.
Gini longed for social status, and spent a great deal of effort in trying to achieve her place in the elite class. As a divorcee, she was never fully accepted in England. She took each social rejection to heart. “The anguish of loss never left Ginie. Pain had settled in and fused with her DNA.” Ginie was outspoken and brash. She loved being mysterious and told many a different story about the origins of her snake tattoo, which eventually led to her being called The Dragon Lady. She had such great hopes for achieving a new social prominence in Rhodesia, but again was met with scorn for her belief that the Africans were being treated unfairly by the white majority, who were racists and elitists. While she worked hard to better the lives of those in her community, it felt like it was always being done with an expectation that others should be extremely grateful and glorify her. She felt miserable all the time because she didn’t get the respect she demanded.
Stephen Courtauld was the more likeable one of the Courtaulds. He came from an extremely wealthy London family, but did not work because he suffered from PTSD after World War I. He was a lover of art, fine architecture, botany, music and theater. Stephen’s actions, especially in Rhodesia, seemed truly philanthropic. Despite threatening letters ; physical harm to his personal property, and endless social shunning, Stephen continued doing what he believed right. He was awarded his knighthood for his work and leadership in the establishment of the Rhodes National Gallery, for an outstanding contribution to the civic life of the community and for wide-ranging philanthropy. Instead of seeking social status, Stephen desired social conscience.
The character of Catherine is used to show the consequences that Gini’s actions had on those who surround her. The results at time were terrible, and Gini was always mindless of how she set things into motion.
It is obvious that the author, Louisa Treger, meticulously researched the Courtaulds. She was able to bring to light the social norms of European elite in the 1910’s - 1940’s. The readers get to experience the grandeur of the Courtauld's homes. She transports the readers through Italy, England, Scotland and then fully immerses us in 1950’s Rhodesia. My one small complaint is that the chapter headings are given in broad decade terms, such as “Ginie, London, 1920s or Stephen, Rhodesia, 1950’s”. I would have prefered the heading to give more specific years. For example “Stephen, Rhodesia, 1958”, which was the year he was knighted. That would have made it seem more biographical and less fictionalized to me.
I recommend this book to any one who loves historical fiction, especially the sub-category of fictionalized biography.
Please follow my reviews at www.kerrinsbookreviews.com where I not only review books, but recommend recipes that follow the theme of the book.
The Dragon Lady is a fictionalized biography that explores the life of Lady Virginia (Ginie) Courtauld and her second husband, Sir Stephen Courtauld with emphasis on their time in Rhodesia in the 1950’s. It also gives the first person view of Catherine, who in the first chapter of the book reflects back to the time when she witnessed Ginie, a/k/aThe Dragon Lady, being shot while speaking to Catherine’s father, Mark, a naturalist and forestry consultant in Rhodesia.
Ginie Courtauld is a difficult personality. Her mother, Rosa, openly disliked her for being spirited and excessive. Her father, Riccardo was more loving. Her mother was thrilled when Gini was to be married to Paulo Spinola, who came from an aristocratic Italian family in Genoa. As a young woman, Gini lied to and omitted giving important facts about herself to both of her husbands prior to marriage. These lies caused the failure of her marriage to Paulo. She waited until years after being married to Stephen to finally be truthful. By then, Stephen was so full devoted to her, it did not matter.
Gini longed for social status, and spent a great deal of effort in trying to achieve her place in the elite class. As a divorcee, she was never fully accepted in England. She took each social rejection to heart. “The anguish of loss never left Ginie. Pain had settled in and fused with her DNA.” Ginie was outspoken and brash. She loved being mysterious and told many a different story about the origins of her snake tattoo, which eventually led to her being called The Dragon Lady. She had such great hopes for achieving a new social prominence in Rhodesia, but again was met with scorn for her belief that the Africans were being treated unfairly by the white majority, who were racists and elitists. While she worked hard to better the lives of those in her community, it felt like it was always being done with an expectation that others should be extremely grateful and glorify her. She felt miserable all the time because she didn’t get the respect she demanded.
Stephen Courtauld was the more likeable one of the Courtaulds. He came from an extremely wealthy London family, but did not work because he suffered from PTSD after World War I. He was a lover of art, fine architecture, botany, music and theater. Stephen’s actions, especially in Rhodesia, seemed truly philanthropic. Despite threatening letters ; physical harm to his personal property, and endless social shunning, Stephen continued doing what he believed right. He was awarded his knighthood for his work and leadership in the establishment of the Rhodes National Gallery, for an outstanding contribution to the civic life of the community and for wide-ranging philanthropy. Instead of seeking social status, Stephen desired social conscience.
The character of Catherine is used to show the consequences that Gini’s actions had on those who surround her. The results at time were terrible, and Gini was always mindless of how she set things into motion.
It is obvious that the author, Louisa Treger, meticulously researched the Courtaulds. She was able to bring to light the social norms of European elite in the 1910’s - 1940’s. The readers get to experience the grandeur of the Courtauld's homes. She transports the readers through Italy, England, Scotland and then fully immerses us in 1950’s Rhodesia. My one small complaint is that the chapter headings are given in broad decade terms, such as “Ginie, London, 1920s or Stephen, Rhodesia, 1950’s”. I would have prefered the heading to give more specific years. For example “Stephen, Rhodesia, 1958”, which was the year he was knighted. That would have made it seem more biographical and less fictionalized to me.
I recommend this book to any one who loves historical fiction, especially the sub-category of fictionalized biography.
Please follow my reviews at www.kerrinsbookreviews.com where I not only review books, but recommend recipes that follow the theme of the book.
May 24, 2020
Really excellent read! A complex character study focused on Virginia (Ginie) Courtauld, and sometimes told by a young girl named Catherine. There is an element of mystery to it, in the overall story, but also as to why Ginie has a tattoo of a snake running up her leg. This tattoo is why she was called the Dragon Lady.
February 13, 2019
This is a wonderful book! The writing is so rich and descriptive I felt totally immersed in this novel and in Rhodesia. Louisa Treger cleverly blends fact and fiction to tell us Lady Virginia Courtauld's story. She is a fascinating character, forced to leave society for being a foreign divorcee and trying to make a new life for herself in Rhodesia. I knew nothing about Virginia Courtauld before reading The Dragon Lady but the history, and what she achieved is amazing. I felt the author really brought all this to life, and as well as a wonderful, emotive, sometimes shocking story I felt I learned something.
Evocative, imaginative with a mystery at its heart. This book really does have everything. I couldn't wait to find out who shot The Dragon Lady, but at the same time it was so beautifully written that I didn't want it to end. Highly recommended.
Evocative, imaginative with a mystery at its heart. This book really does have everything. I couldn't wait to find out who shot The Dragon Lady, but at the same time it was so beautifully written that I didn't want it to end. Highly recommended.
June 28, 2019
A sumptuous and scintillating story that has a wonderful mix of fiction and fact and allows you as a reader to get a fascinating glimpse at the lives of some extraordinary characters set over a number of years.
The Courtaulds did some amazing things in their lifetime so it was so interesting to get this part of their lives looked at more closely, especially the time they spent in Rhodesia and to see the turmoil that was around then - both socially and personally for them to deal with, just because they had a more liberal outlook on the world.
The story starts with Catherine in the 1990's looking back at the time she first encountered the 'Dragon Lady' - a reference to Lady Virginia Courtauld who had become infamous for the rather outlandish tattoo on her leg. Very unbecoming for a lady of that time! But did she care?! Nope!
And with her husband Stephen, Lady Ginie had a life worth reading about! This story looks back at how they met, the standing they took in society, the royalty and famous people they became friends with, and what caused them to end up in Rhodesia in the first place. I loved the ever changing timelines which gave you insights into their lives at different points - so much history to look back on and changes in society for them to have witnessed.
Their time in London before moving abroad, meant time spent rebuilding Eltham Palace and the labour of love that became for them both and I've loved looking at things online since, seeing the impact they had on it and just imagining them living there along with their pet lemur!
But the story really comes alive when the author describes their time in Rhodesia - their exotic lifestyle in exquisite surroundings are vividly described and brought to life. How they tried to fit in with the other English families around at the time who stuffy, prejudiced views on the locals, and how the Courtaulds were just so different and were harrassed and threatened for trying to do the right thing and being inclusive. Many people would have crumbled under the provocation but they stayed true to their beliefs in very unpredictable times.
I raced through this book as I just became so wrapped up in the lives of these remarkable people and found the whole story beautifully written and a wonderful piece of historical fiction, mixed with romance and crime! A little bit of something for everyone!!
My thanks to the author for the copy in return for a fair and honest review.
The Courtaulds did some amazing things in their lifetime so it was so interesting to get this part of their lives looked at more closely, especially the time they spent in Rhodesia and to see the turmoil that was around then - both socially and personally for them to deal with, just because they had a more liberal outlook on the world.
The story starts with Catherine in the 1990's looking back at the time she first encountered the 'Dragon Lady' - a reference to Lady Virginia Courtauld who had become infamous for the rather outlandish tattoo on her leg. Very unbecoming for a lady of that time! But did she care?! Nope!
And with her husband Stephen, Lady Ginie had a life worth reading about! This story looks back at how they met, the standing they took in society, the royalty and famous people they became friends with, and what caused them to end up in Rhodesia in the first place. I loved the ever changing timelines which gave you insights into their lives at different points - so much history to look back on and changes in society for them to have witnessed.
Their time in London before moving abroad, meant time spent rebuilding Eltham Palace and the labour of love that became for them both and I've loved looking at things online since, seeing the impact they had on it and just imagining them living there along with their pet lemur!
But the story really comes alive when the author describes their time in Rhodesia - their exotic lifestyle in exquisite surroundings are vividly described and brought to life. How they tried to fit in with the other English families around at the time who stuffy, prejudiced views on the locals, and how the Courtaulds were just so different and were harrassed and threatened for trying to do the right thing and being inclusive. Many people would have crumbled under the provocation but they stayed true to their beliefs in very unpredictable times.
I raced through this book as I just became so wrapped up in the lives of these remarkable people and found the whole story beautifully written and a wonderful piece of historical fiction, mixed with romance and crime! A little bit of something for everyone!!
My thanks to the author for the copy in return for a fair and honest review.
June 19, 2019
You might not yet have discovered this book, but you’ll certainly notice it on the table at your local bookshop – that cover is just wonderful, rich and sumptuous, and quite perfect for the story that nestles between its covers. I’ll admit that Lady Virginia “Ginie” Courtauld wasn’t a familiar name to me – although the surname was – and on-line information is a little sketchy but immensely intriguing (like me, you might be interested in the rather spare factual detail on Wikipedia, under the entry for her husband Stephen – and the author has written a fascinating piece for The Telegraph).
In this book, the author takes the documented fact of Ginie’s personal story – her first failed marriage, her determination to find another that can secure her a place in society, the couple’s lives in England and Scotland, then their life of philanthropy and involvement in social and cultural change in 1950s Rhodesia – and builds around them a quite wonderful story. “An extraordinary woman” really does sum her up, but we also gain a real insight into her character and personality – her flamboyance and confidence undermined by personal insecurity, her desperate (and touching) need for social acceptance, an intriguing combination of eccentricity and vulnerability.
While the book primarily focuses on their time in Rhodesia, the complex social and political situation in which they became so deeply involved, and an imagined series of events that drive the story, I did particularly enjoy the 1930s story – the glimpses of the family relationships, the renovation of Eltham Palace, the development of the medieval hall, the establishment and love of the gardens, the introduction of pet lemur Jongy (but so much more than a pet) and his living arrangements.
I loved the way historical fact was combined with imagined reality. I really have no idea whether Queen Elizabeth or Wallace Simpson were ever guests at Eltham Palace, but those encounters, imagined or otherwise, are so wonderfully handled: the first emphasising the social gulf it proved so difficult to cross, the latter providing interesting parallels between the ambitions of both women. The Courtauld’s lives introduce us to a world of immense wealth and privilege, and the author’s brings that world vividly to life with an impressive depth of detail that only serves to make it more real. The war brings about changes in their lives – the leaving of Eltham Palace after a dramatic incident bringing the threat rather close to home, an uncomfortable time in Scotland, then the chance decision to leave for Rhodesia.
When the book’s narrative moves to Rhodesia, the facts take rather more of a back seat, and the work of fiction does rather take over – but nicely set in the context of their unusual (and perhaps culturally naive) approach to their black servants, their specific positive actions (the workshop, the farm school, the theatre), and their support for the changes in Rhodesia’s political future. Unsurprisingly, their very different approach brings enemies and threats, and Ginie experiences more ostracisation for the society and recognition she craves, but for wholly different reasons. The opening chapter reveals that Ginie is shot in her garden, and the Rhodesian scenes slowly build up to return to that point, with steadily mounting tension and an oppressive atmosphere of dread and foreboding (and a small touch of signs and the supernatural), as the finger of guilt moves and fails to settle.
The book’s structure is an interesting one – the first part focuses on the 1950s, the second returns to Ginie’s life in the 1920s (and earlier): the narrative then moves back to 1950s Rhodesia, the fourth part focussing on their life in England, the longest fifth a more linear journey through the 50s to the story’s conclusion. It works well, with no navigation issues, although I’ll admit I was less keen on the occasional chapters narrated by Catherine, a neighbour’s daughter: although necessary to the story’s conclusion, and an interesting take on a child’s perspective, they did sometimes disrupt my total immersion a little.
A word though about the writing, and no-one could fail to be struck by the book’s descriptions – the gardens at La Rochelle, the sumptuous interiors at Eltham, the desolate scenery of Scotland – and the way they’re a feast for the senses. The detail in the dramatic moments is striking too – and sometimes the moments of greatest impact have that ability to sear their imagery in a way that makes them difficult to forget, however shocking or graphic. But it’s not all sumptuous description, the author’s excellent in her portrayal of more intimate moments too – the sharing of secrets, the small exchanges, the private moments.
Quite a book – and I have to say how very much I enjoyed it. I also learned a little – about the Courtaulds themselves, but particularly about the troubled past of the future Zimbabwe. And I have the utmost admiration that the author took the bones of a fascinating life story, researched the background so impeccably, embroidered on it, drew you into the history and made it live, then turned the whole into such an enthralling story. Highly recommended – and quite possibly one of my books of the year.
In this book, the author takes the documented fact of Ginie’s personal story – her first failed marriage, her determination to find another that can secure her a place in society, the couple’s lives in England and Scotland, then their life of philanthropy and involvement in social and cultural change in 1950s Rhodesia – and builds around them a quite wonderful story. “An extraordinary woman” really does sum her up, but we also gain a real insight into her character and personality – her flamboyance and confidence undermined by personal insecurity, her desperate (and touching) need for social acceptance, an intriguing combination of eccentricity and vulnerability.
While the book primarily focuses on their time in Rhodesia, the complex social and political situation in which they became so deeply involved, and an imagined series of events that drive the story, I did particularly enjoy the 1930s story – the glimpses of the family relationships, the renovation of Eltham Palace, the development of the medieval hall, the establishment and love of the gardens, the introduction of pet lemur Jongy (but so much more than a pet) and his living arrangements.
I loved the way historical fact was combined with imagined reality. I really have no idea whether Queen Elizabeth or Wallace Simpson were ever guests at Eltham Palace, but those encounters, imagined or otherwise, are so wonderfully handled: the first emphasising the social gulf it proved so difficult to cross, the latter providing interesting parallels between the ambitions of both women. The Courtauld’s lives introduce us to a world of immense wealth and privilege, and the author’s brings that world vividly to life with an impressive depth of detail that only serves to make it more real. The war brings about changes in their lives – the leaving of Eltham Palace after a dramatic incident bringing the threat rather close to home, an uncomfortable time in Scotland, then the chance decision to leave for Rhodesia.
When the book’s narrative moves to Rhodesia, the facts take rather more of a back seat, and the work of fiction does rather take over – but nicely set in the context of their unusual (and perhaps culturally naive) approach to their black servants, their specific positive actions (the workshop, the farm school, the theatre), and their support for the changes in Rhodesia’s political future. Unsurprisingly, their very different approach brings enemies and threats, and Ginie experiences more ostracisation for the society and recognition she craves, but for wholly different reasons. The opening chapter reveals that Ginie is shot in her garden, and the Rhodesian scenes slowly build up to return to that point, with steadily mounting tension and an oppressive atmosphere of dread and foreboding (and a small touch of signs and the supernatural), as the finger of guilt moves and fails to settle.
The book’s structure is an interesting one – the first part focuses on the 1950s, the second returns to Ginie’s life in the 1920s (and earlier): the narrative then moves back to 1950s Rhodesia, the fourth part focussing on their life in England, the longest fifth a more linear journey through the 50s to the story’s conclusion. It works well, with no navigation issues, although I’ll admit I was less keen on the occasional chapters narrated by Catherine, a neighbour’s daughter: although necessary to the story’s conclusion, and an interesting take on a child’s perspective, they did sometimes disrupt my total immersion a little.
A word though about the writing, and no-one could fail to be struck by the book’s descriptions – the gardens at La Rochelle, the sumptuous interiors at Eltham, the desolate scenery of Scotland – and the way they’re a feast for the senses. The detail in the dramatic moments is striking too – and sometimes the moments of greatest impact have that ability to sear their imagery in a way that makes them difficult to forget, however shocking or graphic. But it’s not all sumptuous description, the author’s excellent in her portrayal of more intimate moments too – the sharing of secrets, the small exchanges, the private moments.
Quite a book – and I have to say how very much I enjoyed it. I also learned a little – about the Courtaulds themselves, but particularly about the troubled past of the future Zimbabwe. And I have the utmost admiration that the author took the bones of a fascinating life story, researched the background so impeccably, embroidered on it, drew you into the history and made it live, then turned the whole into such an enthralling story. Highly recommended – and quite possibly one of my books of the year.
December 3, 2019
“I’ve spent a lifetime trying to forget, yet the smallest things take me back to the time the Dragon Lady was shot…”
Rebellious, that was the word Virginia Peirano’s mother would have used to describe her. Not even a convent education could curb Virginia’s recalcitrant nature. When she was a teenager, Virginia had a large snake tattooed down the front of her leg. Virginia never told anyone what possessed her to do it although she liked to make up wonderful stories about the reasons why she had done something so irresponsible.
Virginia’s marriage into the wealthy Spinola family should have brought contentment. Only it did not. Instead, it brought scandal. The Vatican eventually annulled their marriage. Virginia was now a divorcée, and although she married the very wealthy and decorated war hero, Major Stephen Courtauld, Virginia would never quite fit in. Not in Italy. Not in London. Not in Africa.
However, there was something about Virginia. Something that drew men towards her. Perhaps it was her quest for adventure or her deep and generous nature. One thing was for sure, this rebellious marchioness was not the kind of woman one could easily forget.
From the romance of the Italian Rivera, the beau monde of London society, the restoration of Eltham Palace, to the sheer beauty of La Rochelle Estate in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger is the compelling account of Lady Virginia Courtauld’s remarkable life.
Treger writes with a great deal of empathy towards historical controversy and a keen eye for what makes historical fiction great. Treger has chosen her muse well, Virginia Courtauld’s story is one of success in a world where a king is forced to choose between his crown and the woman he loves, and the natives of a country have to fight to be treated as equals because of the colour of their skin. Like the scintillating Virginia, Treger’s writing could never be referred to as dull. Treger writes with a compelling style and a very impressive narrative that made this book impossible to put down.
I adored the characterisation of Virginia. Virginia is a woman who is born to a world that is ordered and has a sense of the proper. Virginia is like Wallis Simpson, a gallant spirit, who is occasionally shaken but never gives up her fight to be accepted and treated as an equal. When Virginia sees with her own eyes how the natives of Rhodesia were treated, there was no wonder that she wanted to help them any way she could, for she knows what it is like to be discriminated against.
This book touches on the terrible suffering caused by white supremacy in Rhodesia, and also the effects that this had, not only on the native population but also on the white settlers. The treatment of Mary, one of Virginia and Stephen’s servants, was incredibly effective in demonstrating the corruption of the government and the legal system during this era.
The amount of research that has gone into this book has to be commended. I knew next to nothing about the Courtaulds, but after reading The Dragon Lady, I felt compelled to learn more abut this remarkable couple. When I looked at photographs of Eltham Palace and the La Rochelle Estate, it was as if I had seen these images before. And, of course, I have, for their descriptions were so elegantly described in The Dragon Lady that I would have recognised them without the captions under the pictures. Treger has not only brought the Courtaulds back to life, but she has breathed life into the buildings and the time her novel is set in as well. Treger’s portrayal of Africa was rich and vibrant. I could feel the heat of the midday sun, and I could hear the chatter of the monkeys in the trees. Wonderfully descriptive and totally mesmerising.
The story is written with a great deal of imagination and energy. Treger’s elegant turn of phrase makes this book utterly irresistible and immensely readable. I enjoyed every word and every sentence. The Dragon Lady is a treat that no historical fiction fans will want to miss out on.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
July 7, 2019
The Dragon Lady is a fictionalised account of the life of Virginia Peirano who later became Lady Virginia (Ginie) Courtauld. Ginie was born in 1895, the daughter of a Romanian shipping merchant. As a teenager, she had a snake tattooed on her leg from ankle to thigh, the inspiration for the book's title. Having had a disastrous marriage to an Italian Count annulled by the Vatican, Ginie met Stephen Courtauld and married him in 1923. During their time in London, Stephen and Ginie renovated Eltham Palace, an ex-royal residence, and bought Jongy, a ring-tailed lemur who travelled with them when they moved to Zimbabwe, or Rhodesia as it was known in the 1950's. The Dragon Lady focuses mainly on the Courtauld's time in Zimbabwe: the development of their estate La Rochelle, their philanthropic work and their support of racial equality. In the book, the Courtauld's are deeply unpopular with their ex-pat British neighbours and the target of a campaign to drive them out of Africa. Encompassing the 1st and 2nd World Wars and the fledgling campaign for Zimbabwean independence, the author captures a large swathe of twentieth century history through the lives of this fascinating couple. I was searching the internet for more information about Ginie and Stephen and would love to read a biography of Ginie in particular.
February 2, 2019
Reading Louisa Treger’s remarkable The Dragon Lady I could almost feel the breeze on the veranda and hear the clink of glasses and chatter of insects in Ginnie’s exotic Rhodesian garden. The novel is a tale of colonial life in what was once Rhodesia, and the author tells it with ravishing bravura. It is the 1950s when Ginie and her husband Stephen set up their estate in Africa and strive to improve conditions for the local people, thereby earning the scorn of the white population. On one level it is a story of those wanting to do good bringing about unfortunate consequences, as it is clear from the opening scene that Ginie will be shot in her beloved garden.
Why this happens in part stems from Ginie’s flamboyant personality. In a feat of social ambition, she propels herself from her relatively modest Italian-Romanian background, to become the adored wife of wealthy philanthropist Stephen Courtauld. She is a sympathetic and complex character – though vampish and desperate for the acceptance that eludes her, Ginie is artistic, generous and well-meaning. She has painful secrets that eat away at her happiness, and throws her energies into her beloved pets and projects. Despite their seeming limitless wealth the Courtaulds appear to be rootless and unlucky. Just as their star seems to be rising their new friends, the future King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, go into exile.
Cleverly, we see Ginie’s luxurious life at close quarters and also through the point of view of Catherine, a neighbour’s young daughter. Catherine’s view is an insight into less glamorous expat life in Africa – the unending loneliness, boredom and the packed away clothes symbolizing exile from life at ‘home’. Like the author, my own mother was born in the so-called ‘colonies’, in her case the former Dutch East Indies of Java. There is so much I recognised: the sense of ‘otherness’ in the midst of luxury, the isolation and moral unease.
Outstanding scenes feature vignettes of real people as varied as the present Queen Elizabeth II and Robert Mugabe. Nationalism stirs the local population and their treatment by the white minority is at times deeply shocking.
Louisa Treger has written a ravishing book that evokes a lost, morally troubled world, where old and new values clash. At its centre, Virginia Courtauld is an alluring character who mixes glamour and tragedy in a uniquely readable and thought-provoking way.
Why this happens in part stems from Ginie’s flamboyant personality. In a feat of social ambition, she propels herself from her relatively modest Italian-Romanian background, to become the adored wife of wealthy philanthropist Stephen Courtauld. She is a sympathetic and complex character – though vampish and desperate for the acceptance that eludes her, Ginie is artistic, generous and well-meaning. She has painful secrets that eat away at her happiness, and throws her energies into her beloved pets and projects. Despite their seeming limitless wealth the Courtaulds appear to be rootless and unlucky. Just as their star seems to be rising their new friends, the future King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, go into exile.
Cleverly, we see Ginie’s luxurious life at close quarters and also through the point of view of Catherine, a neighbour’s young daughter. Catherine’s view is an insight into less glamorous expat life in Africa – the unending loneliness, boredom and the packed away clothes symbolizing exile from life at ‘home’. Like the author, my own mother was born in the so-called ‘colonies’, in her case the former Dutch East Indies of Java. There is so much I recognised: the sense of ‘otherness’ in the midst of luxury, the isolation and moral unease.
Outstanding scenes feature vignettes of real people as varied as the present Queen Elizabeth II and Robert Mugabe. Nationalism stirs the local population and their treatment by the white minority is at times deeply shocking.
Louisa Treger has written a ravishing book that evokes a lost, morally troubled world, where old and new values clash. At its centre, Virginia Courtauld is an alluring character who mixes glamour and tragedy in a uniquely readable and thought-provoking way.
June 18, 2019
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I think The Dragon Lady is one of those novels which tries to be too many different things at once, and therefore ends up not exploring each of its themes to their full potential. Telling the life story of liberal activist Lady Virginia Courtauld, this book attempted to be a biography, crime novel and romance all at once – and sadly, this combination didn’t quite work for me.
Before picking up this book, I had never heard of Ginie Courtauld, so I was eager to learn more about this fascinating woman who defied the social customs of her time in more ways than deciding to get a shocking tattoo of a snake on her leg. During her time in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the 1950s, she and her husband fought for racial equality despite their liberal views making them unpopular amongst their European peers.
Although we get told about Ginie and Stephen’s activism throughout the novel, I never felt as though I was given the opportunity to truly discover what Ginie was thinking and feeling as the various events took place. The timeline skipped around a lot, especially during the first half of the book, and I found that this stopped me from truly getting into the story, since I’d just be getting to know one set of characters only to find myself pulled away to a completely different time and place.
A definite strength of Louisa Treger’s writing, though, is her descriptive prose. I especially liked the parts of the novel set in Rhodesia; I could literally feel the stifling heat as I read, and could vividly picture the vibrant gardens surrounding Ginie and Stephen’s home. I’m not normally one to particularly notice descriptive writing, but in this case it definitely helped bring the setting to life, and was one of my favourite things about the book.
The Dragon Lady transported me to a place and period of history I previously had no knowledge of, which I always enjoy when reading historical fiction. Unfortunately the characters fell a little flat for me, though. It might have been the jumping around in the beginning, but I never quite managed to connect to the characters, giving this more the feel of a factual biography rather than a gripping novel.
Read more of my reviews at Sepia Tinted Window.
I think The Dragon Lady is one of those novels which tries to be too many different things at once, and therefore ends up not exploring each of its themes to their full potential. Telling the life story of liberal activist Lady Virginia Courtauld, this book attempted to be a biography, crime novel and romance all at once – and sadly, this combination didn’t quite work for me.
Before picking up this book, I had never heard of Ginie Courtauld, so I was eager to learn more about this fascinating woman who defied the social customs of her time in more ways than deciding to get a shocking tattoo of a snake on her leg. During her time in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the 1950s, she and her husband fought for racial equality despite their liberal views making them unpopular amongst their European peers.
Although we get told about Ginie and Stephen’s activism throughout the novel, I never felt as though I was given the opportunity to truly discover what Ginie was thinking and feeling as the various events took place. The timeline skipped around a lot, especially during the first half of the book, and I found that this stopped me from truly getting into the story, since I’d just be getting to know one set of characters only to find myself pulled away to a completely different time and place.
A definite strength of Louisa Treger’s writing, though, is her descriptive prose. I especially liked the parts of the novel set in Rhodesia; I could literally feel the stifling heat as I read, and could vividly picture the vibrant gardens surrounding Ginie and Stephen’s home. I’m not normally one to particularly notice descriptive writing, but in this case it definitely helped bring the setting to life, and was one of my favourite things about the book.
The Dragon Lady transported me to a place and period of history I previously had no knowledge of, which I always enjoy when reading historical fiction. Unfortunately the characters fell a little flat for me, though. It might have been the jumping around in the beginning, but I never quite managed to connect to the characters, giving this more the feel of a factual biography rather than a gripping novel.
Read more of my reviews at Sepia Tinted Window.
April 30, 2019
Readers will enjoy this stimulating novel based on a real life couple, the fabulously wealthy and mysterious Courtaulds, who defied the well entrenched social norms of British colonialism in South Africa Rhodesia during the 1950s and 1960s. The author has developed a sensitive background and story on what motivated this couple, particularly Virginia, to step out and confront the standard and rampant prejudice of those times. Recommended for public library collections and book clubs.
June 27, 2019
Five stars for this superbly wrought story of love, strife and forgiveness.
The love story of Sir Stephen Courtauld and the vivacious, beautiful and recently divorced Virginia, ‘Ginie’, emerges through their early married life during WWII in the seclusion of rural Scotland and at their magnificent country house Eltham Palace in a Britain that still shunned divorce. Seeking to escape the judgmental confines of post-war Britain, Stephan and Ginie move to what they hope is the freedom of Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia. But Rhodesia in the 1950s was a country on the point of great cultural and social change, precariously teetering on the edge of political unrest. The liberal Courtaulds find themselves in a narrow, deeply prejudiced white society where the indigenous people are enslaved in poverty and oppression. Their attempts to help the native population emerge from under their white oppressors was met with a dismissive scorn among the white Rhodesian farmers that escalated to violence particularly toward the unconventional Ginie.
Louisa Treger handles the claustrophobic prejudice of white Rhodesia with her customary deft prose. Her descriptions of the beauties of the African country, the sensitive but deeply candid Ginie Courtauld and her benign, philanthropist husband Stephen lift us above the hatred of a society that is determined to uphold segregation. Superbly researched this is a beautifully told story about a time in recent African history that is even more relevant today as our world struggles to accept racial difference.
The love story of Sir Stephen Courtauld and the vivacious, beautiful and recently divorced Virginia, ‘Ginie’, emerges through their early married life during WWII in the seclusion of rural Scotland and at their magnificent country house Eltham Palace in a Britain that still shunned divorce. Seeking to escape the judgmental confines of post-war Britain, Stephan and Ginie move to what they hope is the freedom of Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia. But Rhodesia in the 1950s was a country on the point of great cultural and social change, precariously teetering on the edge of political unrest. The liberal Courtaulds find themselves in a narrow, deeply prejudiced white society where the indigenous people are enslaved in poverty and oppression. Their attempts to help the native population emerge from under their white oppressors was met with a dismissive scorn among the white Rhodesian farmers that escalated to violence particularly toward the unconventional Ginie.
Louisa Treger handles the claustrophobic prejudice of white Rhodesia with her customary deft prose. Her descriptions of the beauties of the African country, the sensitive but deeply candid Ginie Courtauld and her benign, philanthropist husband Stephen lift us above the hatred of a society that is determined to uphold segregation. Superbly researched this is a beautifully told story about a time in recent African history that is even more relevant today as our world struggles to accept racial difference.
August 6, 2019
This nonlinear historical fiction novel tells the fascinating story of Lady Virginia “Ginie” Courtland; an extraordinary woman whose life took her from Italy, art deco inspired Eltham Palace in the 1930's to 1950's Rhodesia. Ginie’s colorful, boundary-breaking life is told with lyrical prose and an evocative sense of time and place.
Ginie and her second husband Sir Stephan move to Africa after finding that Ginie’s divorcee status will not allow her to be accepted into the titled society of 1920’s Great Britain. In Rhodesia, the couple turn to philanthropic endeavors while also trying to bring equality between the African and white populations. The two built a theater which they insisted be desegregated and also contributed to the building of the Rhodes National Gallery (now the National Gallery of Zimbabwe), to which they contributed many great works of art.
This was a fascinating story of a woman I was unfamiliar with. Her life and her achievements were enthralling and I found myself looking for more information about her. She was a woman ahead of her time, even down to the tattoo she had on her leg (thus the title). Refusing to adhere to the societal constraints of her time, Ginie followed her beliefs and her conscience often making enemies of those in her own class. I highly recommend this novel to fans of historical or biographic fiction as well as to fans of women’s fiction. This will be a great addition to your monthly book club lists.
Thank you to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for the e-ARC.
Ginie and her second husband Sir Stephan move to Africa after finding that Ginie’s divorcee status will not allow her to be accepted into the titled society of 1920’s Great Britain. In Rhodesia, the couple turn to philanthropic endeavors while also trying to bring equality between the African and white populations. The two built a theater which they insisted be desegregated and also contributed to the building of the Rhodes National Gallery (now the National Gallery of Zimbabwe), to which they contributed many great works of art.
This was a fascinating story of a woman I was unfamiliar with. Her life and her achievements were enthralling and I found myself looking for more information about her. She was a woman ahead of her time, even down to the tattoo she had on her leg (thus the title). Refusing to adhere to the societal constraints of her time, Ginie followed her beliefs and her conscience often making enemies of those in her own class. I highly recommend this novel to fans of historical or biographic fiction as well as to fans of women’s fiction. This will be a great addition to your monthly book club lists.
Thank you to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for the e-ARC.
January 7, 2019
A haunting, evocative novel that explores what it is to be an outsider with its portrayal of a truly remarkable woman. Louisa Treger vividly brings to life both the historical characters of Virginia (Ginie) and Stephen Courtauld, and life in 1950s Rhodesia, in a deeply moving blend of fact and fiction that is intimately personal while painting a broader picture of a divided society.
The novel begins with the shooting of Ginie Courtauld, known as the Dragon Lady because of her mysterious tattoo. The mystery of her death is a taut, compelling thread throughout, but the novel is much more, movingly portraying the life of the Courtaulds in Rhodesia, and the events that took them there. When Ginie marries Stephen Courtauld, she dreams of being accepted into the London society he moves in, but her background is a barrier to acceptance. They hope that a move to the beautiful estate of La Rochelle in Rhodesia will bring them a sense of belonging, but they find a country riven by division between the African population and the white settlers.
As the Courtaulds make numerous efforts to secure a fairer life, for their own employees and for the wider African community, they begin to receive threatening letters and once again find themselves outsiders in their society. Growing tension also highlights the secrets they keep from each other – their mutual revelation was a particularly moving scene to me. By contrasting the hardships and suffering faced by the Africans in Rhodesia with the personal losses and hurts of Ginie and Stephen, and their respective responses – growing political awareness among the African community, and the sponsoring of public works by the Courtaulds – The Dragon Lady explores how grief and tragedy can be experienced on many levels, each equally valid to the person suffering them, and how privilege is not always a blessing, but can be used for good.
As with Dorothy Richardson in her excellent debut, The Lodger, Louisa Treger takes a historical figure and weaves a compelling and thought-provoking story around her life, which I thoroughly recommend.
The novel begins with the shooting of Ginie Courtauld, known as the Dragon Lady because of her mysterious tattoo. The mystery of her death is a taut, compelling thread throughout, but the novel is much more, movingly portraying the life of the Courtaulds in Rhodesia, and the events that took them there. When Ginie marries Stephen Courtauld, she dreams of being accepted into the London society he moves in, but her background is a barrier to acceptance. They hope that a move to the beautiful estate of La Rochelle in Rhodesia will bring them a sense of belonging, but they find a country riven by division between the African population and the white settlers.
As the Courtaulds make numerous efforts to secure a fairer life, for their own employees and for the wider African community, they begin to receive threatening letters and once again find themselves outsiders in their society. Growing tension also highlights the secrets they keep from each other – their mutual revelation was a particularly moving scene to me. By contrasting the hardships and suffering faced by the Africans in Rhodesia with the personal losses and hurts of Ginie and Stephen, and their respective responses – growing political awareness among the African community, and the sponsoring of public works by the Courtaulds – The Dragon Lady explores how grief and tragedy can be experienced on many levels, each equally valid to the person suffering them, and how privilege is not always a blessing, but can be used for good.
As with Dorothy Richardson in her excellent debut, The Lodger, Louisa Treger takes a historical figure and weaves a compelling and thought-provoking story around her life, which I thoroughly recommend.
November 20, 2020
The Dragon Lady is a variation on the theme of White Mischief in Kenya. I struggle to choose between 4 and 5 stars - what I'd really like to give this book is 4,5. I'm surprised that I did not know the story of La Rochelle (or perhaps I simply forgot it). This work of historical fiction takes place in one of my favourite parts of Zimbabwe - close to Mutare, in the mountainous region bordering Mozambique. The Dragon Lady reminds me of the woman from whom I borrowed this book. That's a compliment. The book also brings back many memories of my time in that country shortly after independence. Different names, same characters.
January 2, 2021
Louisa Treger’s The Dragon Lady is about the Ginie Courtald’s life as the “lady with the dragon tattoo.” Set in Rhodesia, current day Zimbabwe, in the early 20th century, Ginie and her husband Stephen find themselves to be find themselves to be relative social outcasts as they each think and behave differently than society deems acceptable. Ginie has a dragon tattooed the length of her body and creates varying stories about her tattoo, and she is also a divorcee with an annulled marriage that further adds to the speculation about her private life. Stephen is an advocate for the arts and advocates for improved treatment of the native population.
This novel is a blend of fact and fiction. Its central character is Lady Virginia Courtauld, called the Dragon Lady because of the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg. The story begins with Virginia (“Ginie”) being shot in her garden in Rhodesia in the 1950s, and then jumps back in time to different stages of her life: meeting Stephen Courtauld; what they did during the war; and how they became involved in the struggle for black rights. As well as moving around in time and space, the events are also viewed through the perspective of Catherine, a teenage girl who is witness to the dramatic shooting. (more on https://herbookishobsession.wordpress...)
This novel is a blend of fact and fiction. Its central character is Lady Virginia Courtauld, called the Dragon Lady because of the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg. The story begins with Virginia (“Ginie”) being shot in her garden in Rhodesia in the 1950s, and then jumps back in time to different stages of her life: meeting Stephen Courtauld; what they did during the war; and how they became involved in the struggle for black rights. As well as moving around in time and space, the events are also viewed through the perspective of Catherine, a teenage girl who is witness to the dramatic shooting. (more on https://herbookishobsession.wordpress...)
January 1, 2019
I was delighted to receive an advance copy of Louisa Treger's new novel from Bloombury, having loved The Lodger. The Dragon Lady is a gorgeous book, a beautifully written meld of fact and fiction. Louisa Treger gets right into the heart of Rhodesian ex-pat society, with it's petty snobbery, racism and casual cruelty. Ginnie and Simon Courtauld try their best to do right by the indigenous population and to find meaning in their own lives, but are thwarted by their white neighbours who resent the interference in the status quo and the threat it means to their comfortable and privileged way of life. Things boil over with horrific results. A very good read!
September 13, 2019
The Dragon Lady is an impressive piece of historical fiction, winding us through the amazing and ahead-of-the-time life and perspectives of Virginia Courtauld. Louisa Treger has melded fact with fiction impeccably, and the language, detail, and mood of this book make it a perfect companion to the story of Virginia Courtauld. The Dragon Lady is a reminder of how the past ghosts the present, and is a testament that fiction done well can make history relevant and alive for modern readers. A superb read.
August 30, 2019
Wow! What a fabulous book! It's based on true events, but the author has made a great story! Takes place in South Africa which makes it wild and mysterious for anyone who has never visited. This book truly takes the reader on a trip to South Africa! Writing is amazing, story is incredible and the author paints a beautiful picture of this beautiful land! Something for everyone in this book! Enjoyed it so much! Impossible to put down, so I read it in one night. Don't miss it! One of the best books I've read this year!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own!
December 30, 2022
Not what I expected.
This is the first thing I want to say about this book and not in a good way.
What sold it to me was the cover, to be completely honest, and this part of the back cover: "From the glamorous Italian Riviera in the roaring twenties to the Art Deco glory of Eltham Palace in the thirties, from the secluded Scottish Highlands to sultry, segregated Rhodesia in the fifties, The Dragon Lady tells the story of the extraordinary life of Lady Virginia Courtauld, so-called for the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg."
From this I was expecting a vibrant and scandalous tale of the Dragon Lady's life, something glamorous and decadent, but I was disappointed.
It's not a bad book per se, even if the writing style is a bit boring from time to time, I won't event comment about the historycal accuracy since I don't know much about it, it's just bland.
My bad for falling in love with a cover once more.
This is the first thing I want to say about this book and not in a good way.
What sold it to me was the cover, to be completely honest, and this part of the back cover: "From the glamorous Italian Riviera in the roaring twenties to the Art Deco glory of Eltham Palace in the thirties, from the secluded Scottish Highlands to sultry, segregated Rhodesia in the fifties, The Dragon Lady tells the story of the extraordinary life of Lady Virginia Courtauld, so-called for the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg."
From this I was expecting a vibrant and scandalous tale of the Dragon Lady's life, something glamorous and decadent, but I was disappointed.
It's not a bad book per se, even if the writing style is a bit boring from time to time, I won't event comment about the historycal accuracy since I don't know much about it, it's just bland.
My bad for falling in love with a cover once more.
December 16, 2019
The story - loosely based on facts - is too cliché and superficial for my taste. The Courtauld‘s alleged support of the native population‘s dream of independence does not seem credible and is highly contrasted by the couple‘s luxurious lifestyle and admiration for the Royals.
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