The Dragon Lady bookcover

The Dragon Lady

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Description

In a period of civil unrest before the War of Liberation, a wealthy and influential couple leave Britain to make a new life in 1950s Rhodesia.

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.

Ostracized 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.

Subtly blending fact and fiction, deeply evocative of time and place in an era of great social change and threaded throughout with intrigue, the novel keeps the reader guessing from the outset who shot the Dragon Lady and why.

Product Details

PublisherBloomsbury Caravel
Publish DateMay 12, 2020
Pages320
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconPaperback / softback
EAN/UPC9781448217403
Dimensions207.8 X 6.2 X 0.8 inches | 0.5 pounds

About the Author

Louisa Treger, a classical violinist, studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher. She subsequently turned to literature, earning a Ph.D. in English at University College London, where she focused on early-twentieth-century women's writing and was awarded the West Scholarship and the Rosa Morison Scholarship “for distinguished work in the study of English Language and Literature”. Louisa's first novel, The Lodger, was published by Macmillan in 2014. She lives in London.

Reviews

A fascinating fictionalised account of the life of Lady Virginia Courtauld... a spirited account of a flamboyant life.” - Antonia Senior, The Times

An intriguing portrait of an unconventional woman.” - The Sunday Times

The Dragon Lady powerfully captures the colonial era in Zimbabwe … Lovers of historical fiction won’t be disappointed.” - New York Journal of Books

Will keep readers spellbound.” - Washington Independent Review of Books

beautifully written, absorbing book “- SD Sykes, Historia Mag

“If you enjoy books that involve both fiction and non-fiction, then I am delighted to highly recommend The Dragon Lady.” - The Last Word Book Review

I fell into the story and got lost in it, and I came out of it wanting to know more about Rhodesia/Zimbabwe history.” - Fairy Bookmother

“Louisa Treger’s latest novel, The Dragon Lady, is a frightening story of miscegenation and racism. This story will keep you turning pages well into a dark night. 5 Stars” - KWBU-FM

"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

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