The Dragon Lady | By Louisa Treger | Publisher: Bloomsbury Caravel | ISBN: 9781448217458
‘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.
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 1930s, and from the secluded Scottish Highlands to segregated Rhodesia in the 1950s, 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?
Deeply evocative of time and place, The Dragon Lady subtly blends fact and fiction to paint the portrait of an extraordinary woman in an era of great social and cultural change.
But Deliver Us from Evil | By Lauri Kubuitsile | Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa | ISBN: 9781485903826
But Deliver Us from Evil tells the story of two young women whose lives converge at a crucial juncture. The story opens in 1870 when Nthebolang’s father is unjustly accused of being a witch and sentenced to death. After he has been ritually thrown off a high cliff, Nthebolang and her mother are forced to flee.
Beatrice, a fair-skinned Koranna girl, has lost her parents to captors in ongoing conflicts with the white settlers. When she moves to the small village of Nstweng, she meets Nthebolang and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Here, a tightly menacing tale plays out. When Nthebolang’s lover is accused of witchcraft, it seems as if her childhood is repeating itself all over again. Will she be able to save him, or will he meet the same fate as her father? And is Beatrice a friend in whom Nthebolang should place her trust, or not?
A moving work of historical fiction by the author of The Scattering.
The Moon: A celebration of our celestial neighbour | Edited by Melanie Vandenbrouck, Megan Barford, Louise Devoy and Richard Dunn | Publisher: Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers | ISBN: 9780008282462
Marking the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s ‘small step’, this beautiful book explores people’s fascination with our only natural satellite. Published to coincide with Royal Museums Greenwich’s exhibition The Moon, immerse yourself in contemporary essays and fascinating images wrapped in a sleek design.
Edited by the exhibition’s curators, Melanie Vandenbrouck, Megan Barford, Louise Devoy and Richard Dunn, this book illuminates how art and science meet in our profound connection with the Moon. It features authors from a variety of disciplines, including cultural historians, curators, a scientist, a poet and a space law expert, among others.
Divided into four sections, the first, ‘A Constant Companion’, explores why we started to observe the Moon. ‘Through the Lens’ reveals advancements in technology for observing details not visible with a naked eye. 50 years after man set foot on the moon, ‘Destination Moon’ explores how the moon was represented before humankind’s first landing. The final section ‘For All Mankind?’ reflects on how our relationship with our closest cosmic companion continues to evolve.
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