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.

Born 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.

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