The Dragon Lady - June book club

Fiction based on real people. A mixture of romance, crime and history which for me didn't work. Well written but sorry to say I didn't enjoy this book.

Thank you for my copy of the The Dragon Lady which is such a well researched book. It is a fascinating story from the beginning to the end. I will never see La Rochelle but shall certainly venture to Eltham Palace. Both come alive for us through the author's vivid description. A wonderful and insightful read and well worth doing your own search on the internet to find out more about the Courtaulds' lives together.

Not my usual read but enjoyed it especially realising it was partly fact and fiction

I so wanted to enjoy this book so I could give it a glowing review but I am afraid that I didn't enjoy it at all.
It just wasn't written in a way that I could really get into and I found that I just gave up in the end.
Sorry.

Loved the book. I used to live in Rhodesia so really resonated with me

What a lot of research must have been involved, then to tie it together into a thrilling book of fact and fiction- so well written.

I'm right in thinking its a fictional account using the facts of her life arnt I?

I've tried to find a bio about Lady Courtauld but I've come up empty, does anyone know if there is one?

For some reason I couldn’t help visualising Stieg Larsson’s girl with the dragon tattoo all through reading this book. So my question is why the dragon opposed to other mythical creatures?

I'm still reading this book, so haven't got to all it's secrets yet.! Thank you for such a striking looking book cover. I'm trying to get used to the " to-ing-and-fro-ing" of the dates & to the people in it . Although not my usual choice of book, it's good to have a change. I look forward to finishing the book, & will then pass it on to a friend. ( it will become well-read ).!! My question is, how much & what/which, is fact, & how much & what/which is fiction.?

Granny lock...Virginia Courtauld had a dragon tattooed on her leg from hip to ankle, before she was a Courtauld I think!

I have really enjoyed this book , well worth reading. Is there going to be another?

Thank you for my book
One of the best books I have read in a while.
Beautifully written you imagine being there

I was intrigued by the cover & title of the book and looked forward to reading it but after all the to-ing and fro-ing of the first few chapters put it aside for a couple of weeks as it didn't flow and I lost interest. Went back to it, however, and from Part 3 thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book. It was easy to picture the people & places from the author's descriptive writing. Obviously much research went into this book which made me want to find out more about the fascinating Virginia Courtauld. Presumably the abortion & shooting were fiction?

Firstly, thank you for the book, it was a pleasure to receive such a lovely looking and quality item.
This was a very good book choice for me as I like to read fiction but with a historical background so that by the time I finish it, I have learned something new about the era, the people, politics, etc. The Courtaulds history combined with the Rhodesian political background and racism issues were fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, it was well written in descriptive English and very carefully researched. The reader can clearly imagine being there from the description. The story was fairly light but enjoyable, the characters were convincing. I loved the setting and could feel the atmosphere of the place at that time. I would ideally have liked a little more emphasis and detail on the political issues but that is just me. With the title being Dragon Lady, it was a bit disappointing not to find out the rationale for the tattoo! A great read, I shall get the previous book – the Lodger.

From the start I loved this book. Like some reviewers, but unlike others, I enjoyed the short sharp chapters, with changes of place and time. Perhaps because it suits how I read at the moment- usually just enough time to complete a chapter.
Easy to read but with depth, it made me want to find out more about conditions for all in Rhodesia at that time, and more about Victoria and the family.
Thank you for this brilliant book. Louisa, will you be writing another book in the same style, and how did you come across the story?

I'm loving this book. (Don't have to leave a question because I bought my copy on kindle)

I really thought I was going to love this book, but I'm afraid it just didn't engage me. I've kept going with it as I know what an immense amount of hard work goes in to the writing and making of a book and I was reluctant to leave a negative review.

Mopsx4

Thank you for my copy of The Dragon Lady. I have just finished reading it. It was a very enjoyable informative read . I liked the ‘short’ chapters giving different characters perspectives although at first I did wonder how I would keep up with them- this actually posed no problem. I thought it was a good portrayal of an ex pat life ( lived abroad when young so experienced some of this)and the class system at that time. Louise Treger must have done a lot of research about the life of the Courtaulds. Would recommend this book and will now pass the book on for others to enjoy.
Question- what gave you the inspiration to tackle this subject?

Thank you! I am delighted you enjoyed The Dragon Lady.

As I mentioned in the Afterword, my inspiration was a question from a friend: ‘Have you seen Zimbabwe’s secret Monet?’ The painting was allegedly hidden in the vaults of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe to keep it safe from
Robert Mugabe, who was then President.

I have family in Southern Africa, and on a trip to Harare, I managed to access a few of the ‘secret’ paintings. There was no Monet, but I did see works by Renoir and Durer among others, donated to the Gallery by Sir Stephen Courtauld and his wife, Virginia. My curiosity was piqued and I began to research Stephen and Virginia. The more I found out, the more intrigued I became and I decided that I needed to tell their story.

For mbody

Q - Well written and informative- quite rattled along. How did the author find out about all the detail, it’s as though she lived it?

A - Researching The Dragon Lady was a hugely enjoyable and exciting adventure. A particular highlight was travelling to the Courtaulds’ house in Zimbabwe, where I slept in Virginia’s bedroom, which made me feel close to
her living, breathing presence. I also spent time at Eltham Palace - in the archives and walking around soaking up the atmosphere. A cousin, George Courtauld, gave me access to letters and photographs, and shared his own memories of Stephen and Virginia with me. The British Museum had valuable material, and I read all I could about the period in which the book is set.

By the time I started writing, Virginia and Stephen were as alive in my head as my family and friends

For Heatherjw

Q - It is a clever weaving of historical fact, and fiction but makes for a very informative and enjoyable read. My question for Louisa is whether she will now explore further periods in the Courtaulds' lives as there is obviously a rich vein of historical resources to explore?

A - This is a great question. When I was writing The Dragon Lady, I felt that the Courtaulds’ lives could have filled several volumes. I am also fascinated by a cousin of Stephen’s called Elizabeth Courtauld, who was a front line doctor in Sarajevo. So although my next novel is about a completely different subject, I wouldn’t rule out a return to the Courtaulds!

For marmight

Q - A beautifullywritten, informative, exciting story with a mystery running throughout. I felt as if I were really there both in the UK and Rhodesia, experiencing all the different twists & turns of the story. The mix of fact and fiction is interesting- I wonder what reaction, if any, there has been from the Courtauld family?

A - Thank you, I am so glad you enjoyed it!

George Courtauld, a cousin of Stephen’s wrote: ‘I was idle all yesterday, so read the whole book and liked it very much. Congratulations on a subtle and clever combination of fact and fiction. Also I learned a lot.’

For Harris27

Q - How much research has she done to achieve a really good read?

A - I did quite a bit of research from a variety of sources!

The highlight was staying at the Courtaulds’ house in Zimbabwe and sleeping in Ginie’s bedroom. The Museum and Library in Mutare were treasure troves of information. In the UK, I visited Eltham Palace several times and listened to ‘An Oral History of the Courtaulds at Eltham Palace’ at the British Museum.

George Courtauld, Stephen’s cousin, gave me access to family letters and photographs. And I read everything I could about Europe and Rhodesia at the time the novel was set.

For Yvonne1954

Q - A beautifully written, rich and descriptive book about a real-life person. A fascinating haunting story. It kept me guessing all the way through!Thank you for giving me the joy of reading this book ;-)What were the early influences on your writing and how do they manifest in your work?

A - Thank you so much for that lovely feedback!

I have always admired and been influenced by Doris Lessing’s writing, and
have long wished to write about Africa as vividly as she did. Another early influence was Charlotte Bronte, especially Villette. Lucy’s nighttime walk in the park in a state of drug-induced hallucination is a piece writing that has always stayed with me – it’s such a beautiful and strange piece of poetic fiction. And I loved the way that Charlotte Bronte’s protagonists rebelled against the
conventions 19th-century women were bound to.