The Dragon Lady - June book club

Dear GN
Please let Louisa know how much her comments are appreciated
For me, receiving feedback from the authors is one of the best things about taking part in the GN Book Club.
All the more disappointing though when authors don't respond: e.g. still waiting to hear back from the authors of the February and April books The Suspect and The Heart beats in Secret...?

For Dannydog1

Q - From the start I loved this book.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?

A - Thank you so much for this wonderful feedback!

Yes, my next book continues the theme of boundary-breaking women who
lived by their own rules. It’s about Nellie Bly (1864-1922), America’s first female investigative journalist. She faked insanity convincingly enough to be locked up in the Asylum for the Insane on Blackwell’s Island off the coast of
New York, and when she got out, she exposed the terrible conditions.

I came across the story because my best friend asked, ‘Have you heard of Nellie Bly? She’s the sort of woman you write about.’ I Googled Nellie Bly and was instantly hooked!

For maisie46

Q - 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?

A - Yes, though they were linked to facts. Ginie couldn’t have children and nobody knew the reason why. I needed to make up a reason for my storyline. The Courtaulds were shunned and threatened by their white neighbours because of their liberal views.

For gillgran

Q - My question is, how much & what/which, is fact, & how much &what/which is fiction?

A - The Dragon Lady broadly follows the known biographical facts of the Courtaulds’ lives, especially in the English and European sections. Their private thoughts and conversations are my invention, but I always stayed as true to their personalities as I could. In Rhodesia, there was far less biographical information available, so there is more fiction. Nevertheless, fact forms the backbone: everything the Courtaulds did to help Rhodesia was true, including meeting Mugabe and other politicians, and it really did bring them into conflict with their white neighbours. The child’s unmarked grave is real and so is the sad and spooky atmosphere hanging around it.

For grannyscott

Q - I didn’t expect to enjoy this book but I did. The research must have been very thorough as it took me straight to Rhodesia. What a woman! How do you go about such research particularly as it needs to be of the time?

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 shared his memories of Stephen and Ginie with me. And I read everything I could about Europe and Rhodesia at the time the novel was set.

For mbody

Q - A beautifully written book, now halfway through, mixed thoughts, I like the short chapters give me time to take in each one. How long did it take the author to find out all the details?

A - I researched the story for the better part of a year before I started writing. And while I was writing, I carried on reading everything I could about Rhodesia and Europe during the period The Dragon Lady was set.

For nanabanana1

Q - What a lovely looking book, I really enjoyed the story and the obvious research that has been done by the author. Virginia Courtauld must have been a very fascinating and strong woman. My question is has the author any plans for another book along these lines i.e a fiction/nonfiction about another not very well known but fascinating historical figure?I very much hope so.

A - I am delighted you enjoyed The Dragon Lady! My next book is another historical novel based on the life of a real person and it continues the theme of boundary-breaking women who lived by their own rules. It’s about Nellie Bly
(1864-1922), America’s first female investigative journalist. She faked insanity convincingly enough to be locked up in the Asylum for the Insane on Blackwell’s Island off the coast of New York, and when she got out, she exposed the terrible conditions.

For aspella

Q - My question is why didn't you write a non-fiction book about Ginie?

A - I love the form of fictionalised biography because there’s an interesting framework of facts on which to hang the narrative, yet at the same time, the fictional aspect gives me enough wiggle room to imagine and create. I’m
particularly interested in the emotional lives of my characters, and to explore this aspect, I wanted to make use of the extra licence fiction affords. Also, detailed biographical information about the Courtaulds’ lives in Rhodesia was simply not available.

For ranorman45

Q - I loved reading about the Courtauld family and what life could have been like in Africa at these times of great change, it was quite thought provoking for me. I wonder if the author or her family have ever experienced life as an expat or just where she went to for research in this subject.

A - My mother’s family have lived in South Africa since the beginning of the twentieth century. And I spent time with my grandparents in Durban as a young child. I also went on a research trip to Zimbabwe a few years ago and I
read all I could about Rhodesia in the 1950s.

For GeminiJen

Q - It’s clear that the author undertook a great deal of research to bring to light the fascinating life of Virginia Courtauld. It was beautifully written and a pleasure to read. I should be interested in hearing from the author how she approaches the intermingling of fact and fiction: for instance, given that events are fairly recent, with characters in the novel still alive today.

A - I look at the factual information as a skeleton on which to hang my story.

Fiction gives me licence to imagine myself into the characters’ private thoughts, to invent conversations and details which animate their conflicts and draw out themes I find interesting. At the same time, I try and stay as true to
their personalities as I can. In other words, the outline of the plot is already there and within that framework, I create my own image of real people.

For itsmyfirstrodeo

Q - My question is, how much of an embellishment was Jongy and did his sorry fate play out as in the book?

A - Jongy was real. His personality, his incredible quarters at Eltham Palace, his travels with the Courtaulds, and his closeness to Ginie are taken from real life. His fate was my embellishment.

For reelashosser

Q - Is it documented that Ginie had an abortion in her youth? I would have thought that this would have been kept very much secret in those days, so is this another example of skin and tissue?

A - No, the abortion isn’t documented. What is documented is that Ginie couldn’t have children and that nobody knew the reason why. I needed to make up a reason for my storyline.

For GranEd

Q - A beautifully written combination of fact and fiction.I liked the short chapters which made it an easy read.I wondered if the author has any connections to the Courtauld family as the finer details are impressive?(I also loved the rich colours and design of the book cover).

A - Thank you! I love the cover too – Bloomsbury really did me proud!

I have no connection to the Courtaulds. I found them fascinating and did a lot of research about them, including a trip to Zimbabwe, where I slept in Ginie’s bedroom at La Rochelle. I was also given access to family letters by a
Courtauld cousin. All of this helped me grow close to Stephen and Virginia in my imagination.

For ayse

Q - The descriptions of the renovation and later bombing of Eltham palace were riveting showing how ancient and modern can be married to produce sensational architecture.I’d like to know why current authors write between periods rather than recount a story chronologically.

A - I am glad you enjoyed the descriptions of Eltham Palace! I can’t speak for all authors, but the reason I structured the book the way I did was that I wanted to foreground the Rhodesian story. My mother was born in South Africa and I have always wanted to write about that part of the world. It then made sense to recount the earlier parts of the Courtaulds’ lives as flashbacks, bookended
by the Rhodesian sections.

For Mapleleaf

Q - I wonder if Louisa intends writing another book following on from this one about the couple, or has she got another philanthropist she is interested in following up and writing a story based around them, using the same style of fact interspersed with fiction?I do hope something is in the pipeline.

A - As I said to another Gransnet Book Club member, I felt while I was writing The Dragon Lady that the Courtaulds’ lives could have filled several volumes. So I wouldn’t rule out writing another book about them!

But my next novel continues my theme of strong women who live by their own rules. It’s about Nellie Bly (1864-1922), America’s first female investigative journalist. She grew up without privilege or education, knowing that her greatest asset was the force of her own will. My novel will focus on her stay in the infamous Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island, off New York. Rumours of
abuse were rife, but no one had dared investigate it until Nellie managed to fake insanity and get herself committed in order to write an undercover story.

Nellie’s reportage brought her fame and led to a grand jury investigation and financial increase in the Department of Public Charities and Corrections.

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.

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 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 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 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

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.

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.

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

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?