The Paris Muse by Louisa Treger

                                          

Hardback: 248 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, 

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2024

Source: The Author.

First Sentence: Prologue, 1975, But why should one always begin at the beginning? No, I am going to tell you about the end.

Review Quote: This absolute jewel of a novel shines a light on the tumultuous relationship between Picasso and Dora Maar. With profundity, grace and compassion, Treger probes the complexities of love, power and creativity. -- Annabel Abbs, author of the international bestseller The Language of Food

Main Characters: Dora Maar and Pablo Picasso

Setting: Paris

My Opinion: 

Louisa Treger is a favourite author of mine, her novels are always so interesting and I enjoy learning about women that have made their mark in history. She has the knack of turning the stories of such women into exceptional stories that blend fact and fiction.

'The Paris Muse' is the fictionalised story of the greatest love affair in art history. Dora Maar was a talented photographic artist, a strong woman whose downfall was falling in love with Pablo Picasso. Their relationship was extremely toxic and despite knowing his unpleasant flaws she was unable to break away from him. Over the years the relationship had a damaging effect on her mental health. A sad and self destructive love affair with a talented but chauvinistic man.

Based on the previous novels by this author that I have read, I had high expectations for 'The Paris Muse' and WOW it did not disappoint. It is an exhilarating read of love, anguish and longing, that I highly recommend to everyone. I just hope that Louisa Treger has many more, in her own words 'trail blazing women' to bring to life in future novels. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Paris, 1936. When Dora Maar, a talented French photographer, painter and poet, is introduced to Pablo Picasso, she is mesmerized by his dark and intense stare. Drawn to his volcanic creativity, it isn't long before she embarks on a passionate relationship with the Spanish artist that sometimes includes sadism and masochism, and ultimately pushes her to the edge.

The Paris Muse is the fictionalized retelling of this disturbing love story, as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression. Set in Paris and the French Riviera, where Dora and Pablo spent their holidays with their glamorous artist friends, it provides a fascinating insight into how Picasso was a genius who side-stepped the rules in his human relationships as he did in his art. Much to Dora's torment, he refused to divorce his wife and conducted affairs with Dora's friends. The Spanish Civil War made him depressed and violent, an angst that culminated in his acclaimed painting 'Guernica', which Dora documented as he painted.

As the encroaching darkness suffocates their relationship - a darkness that escalates once the Second World War begins and the Nazis invade the country - Dora has a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized. 

Atmospheric, intense and moving, The Paris Muse is an astonishing read that ensures that this talented, often overlooked woman who gave her life to Picasso is no longer a footnote.

Previous Reviews: The Dragon Lady   Madwoman

Author Profile:

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.



Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Author's Official Website   Goodreads Author Profile  Amazon Author Page

Twitter Profile.    Instagram Profile  Facebook Profile

Madwoman by Louisa Treger

                                                     

Ebook:  304 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Source: My Kindle

First Sentences: The barge pulled away from shore, pitching and rolling. Some of the patients were whimpering or crying out, but the guards barked at them to shut up.

Review Quote: Treger provides a moving story, particularly powerful in its depiction of Bly's desperate efforts to retain her sanity in the midst of institutional madness. ― SUNDAY TIMES,

Main Characters: Nellie Bly

Setting: Pennsylvania and New York

My Opinion: 

Always interested in reading a fictional account based on a real life character I have really been looking forward to ‘Madwoman.’ What a remarkable story Louisa Treger has created around her heroine, Elizabeth Cochran born in 1864 in Pennsylvania, USA.  Showing tremendous determination as a young woman she manages to successfully get work in, at the time, the male dominated world of journalism. Adopting the pseudonym Nellie Bly she decided to progress her career by moving to New York. 

Once there though she discovers just how hard it is going to be to get herself taken seriously as a female investigative journalist. She comes up with the astonishing idea of getting herself committed to a lunatic asylum, so that she can then write an in-depth expose of the conditions.  It is a horrifying experience and the descriptions of the cruelty and humiliation that the residents endure makes very disturbing and harrowing reading.

What a brave thing this young woman was prepared to do, not just to prove herself as a journalist but to benefit society. The author has presented the story of Nellie Bly in such a manner that you cannot fail to be throughly moved by this absorbing and emotional novel.  Once I finished reading this novel I looked into the historical background, as I knew very little about Nellie Bly. It is obvious that Louisa Treger did very through research and has produced a novel I can highly recommend with her excellent blend of fact and fiction.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Based on a true story, a spellbinding historical novel about the world's first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly.

In 1887, young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take.

But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell's Island. There, she will work undercover to expose the asylum's wretched conditions.

But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will - but will she ever get out?

An extraordinary portrait of a woman ahead of her time, 'Madwoman' is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world.

Previous Review: The Dragon Lady

Author Profile:

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.



Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Author's Official Website   Goodreads Author Profile  Amazon Author Page. 

Twitter Profile

The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger

Hardback: 306 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Source: The publisher in return for an unbiased review.

First Sentence: I've spent a lifetime trying to forget, yet the smallest thing takes me back to the time the Dragon Lady was shot.

Review Quote: A fascinating fictionalised account of the life of Lady Virginia Courtauld... a spirited account of a flamboyant life. (Antonia Senior The Times)

Main Characters: Lady Virginia Courtauld and Stephen Courtauld 

Setting: UK, Italy and Rhodesia

My Opinion: The author has written with great passion this story of Lady Virginia Courtauld. With a mystery at the centre of the narrative, it opens with the shooting of the protagonist Ginie in Rhodesia where she and her husband moved after being ostracised by British society.

Once I finished reading this delightful novel I looked into the historical background, as I knew very little about the Courtauld family. It is obvious that Louisa Treger did very through research and has produced a very readable novel with her excellent blend of fact and fiction.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

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 thirties, and from the secluded Scottish Highlands to segregated Rhodesia in the fifties, 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.

Author Profile:

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.



Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Author's Official Website   Goodreads Author Profile  Amazon Author Page