Welcome to the Divine Lola: A True Story of Scandal and Celebrity by Cristina Moratรณ, translated by Andrea Rosenberg book tour! Iโm happy to be a part of the tour for this captivating historical-fiction-style biography. Check out my review below!
Synopsis
An enthralling biography about one of the most intriguing women of the Victorian age: the first self-invented international social celebrity.
Lola Montez was one of the most celebrated and notorious women of the nineteenth century. A raven-haired Andalusian who performed her scandalous โSpider Danceโ in the greatest performance halls across Europe, she dazzled and beguiled all who met her with her astonishing beauty, sexuality, and shocking disregard for propriety. But Lola was an impostor, a self-invention. Born Eliza Gilbert, the beautiful Irish wild child escaped a stifling marriage and reimagined herself as Lola the Sevillian flamenco dancer and noblewoman, choosing a life of adventure, fame, sex, and scandal rather than submitting to the strictures of her era.
Lola cast her spell on the European aristocracy and the most famous intellectuals and artists of the time, including Alexandre Dumas, Franz Liszt, and George Sand, and became the obsession of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. She then set out for the New World, arriving in San Francisco at the height of the gold rush, where she lived like a pioneer and performed for rowdy miners before making her way to New York. There, her inevitable downfall was every bit as dramatic as her rise. Yet there was one final reinvention to come for the most defiant woman of the Victorian age. A woman known as a โsavage beautyโ who was idolized, romanticized, vilified, truly known by no one, and a century ahead of her time.
My review
Divine Lola is an interesting mix of historical fiction and biography. The author, Cristina Moratรณ, has done a good job of weaving the two styles together to create a book that captures your attention. The translator, Andrea Rosenberg, has brought the story to life in digestible English thatโs enjoyable to read.
I have to admit before I read Divine Lola Iโd never heard of Lola Montez, and Iโd definitely never heard of Eliza Gilbert (Lolaโs real identity). However, she is absolutely fascinating.
Lola had a difficult relationship with her mother growing up; they were estranged for most of Lolaโs life (her mother lived in India and Lola lived in England) and thereโs an obvious element of rivalry between the two. After her motherโs abysmal treatment of her daughter, itโs unsurprising that Lola elopes with a much older man when sheโs only 16. Unfortunately, Lolaโs marriage doesnโt work out and she ends up divorced and alone. Where many might have thrown in the towel at this point, Lola decides to reinvent herself as a dancer from Seville. Her journey from that point is bumpy to say the leastยญ! She travels around Europe looking to dance in various theatres and operas. And manages to upset quite a few notable people as she does so.
I enjoyed Moratรณโs approach to this book because she didnโt just focus on Lolaโs romantic life, but on Lola as a person. We find out her likes, dislikes, thoughts, what makes her tick. The book gives a huge amount of detail about seemingly unimportant facts, but when you put them all together you get a clearer idea of why Eliza Gilbert became Lola Montez. The way that the author has portrayed Lola isnโt favourable, but I appreciate this honesty. To be a single woman during this historical period, followed by scandal and celebrity, mustnโt have been an easy feat. So, portraying her as a strong and rather ruthless character is completely appropriate. Lola is definitely not a loveable character, but she does lead an interesting lifeโwhich makes for a fascinating biography.
Itโs obvious that the author has put a huge amount of research into Divine Lola. Moratรณ provides excerpts of letters/news reports/etc. about Lola throughout. These excerpts remind you that Lola Montez was a real person, even if her story could be a plotline in Downton Abbey. I imagine the translator must have mirrored the authorโs efforts in terms of research to be able to bring Lola Montezโs story to life in English.
I enjoyed this detailed and entertaining biography of a woman who kept on going, even when things werenโt going in her favour. Lolaโs resilient spirit really jumps off the page, and Iโm more than happy to give this book 3.5 stars.
About the author:
Born in Barcelona in 1961, Cristina Moratรณ is a journalist, reporter, and author dedicated to writing about the lives of great women innovators and explorers that history has overlooked. Her research, tracing the footsteps of these remarkable women, has led her to travel to more than forty countries and has resulted in eight biographies: Viajeras intrรฉpidas y aventureras(Intrepid and Adventurous Women Travelers); Las Reinas de รfrica (African Queens); Las Damas de Oriente (Ladies of the East); Cautiva en Arabia (Arabian Captive); Divas rebeldes (Rebel Divas); Reinas malditas (Tragic Queens); Diosas de Hollywood (Hollywood Goddesses); and Divina Lola (Divine Lola), Cristinaโs first to be translated into English. She is a founding member and the current vice president of the Spanish Geographical Society and belongs to the Royal Geographic Society of London. For more information visit www.cristinamorato.com/home-2.
About the translator:
Andrea Rosenberg is a translator from Spanish and Portuguese. Her full-length translations include novels, graphic narratives, and nonfiction, including works by Manuel Vilas, Tomรกs Gonzรกlez, Inรชs Pedrosa, Aura Xilonen, Juan Gรณmez Bรกrcena, Paco Roca, and Marcelo DโSalete. Two of her translations have won Eisner Awards, and she has been the recipient of awards and grants from the Fulbright Program, the American Literary Translators Association, and the Banff International Literary Translation Centre.
Tour schedule:
Wednesday, September 1st: Books, Cooks, Looks โ excerpt
Friday, September 3rd: Seaside Book Nook โ excerpt
Sunday, September 5th: The Cozy Book Blog โ excerpt
Monday, September 6th: @babygotbooks4life
Wednesday, September 8th: Literary Quicksand
Friday, September 10th: Nurse Bookie and @nurse_bookie
Monday, September 13th: @Bibliotica
Wednesday, September 15th: @aimeedarsreads
Thursday, September 16th: @msanniecathryn
Friday, September 17th: Maryann Writes
Monday, September 20th: @chez_colline
Wednesday, September 22nd: @as_seen_in_life
Thursday, September 23rd: @thebookishalix
Friday, September 24th: @jenniaahava
Monday, September 27th: Eliotโs Eats
Wednesday, September 29th: @books.cats.travel.food
Thursday, September 30th: @rickys_radical_reads
Friday, October 1st: @amanda.the.bookish
Monday, October 4th: Reading is My Remedy
- Book Review: Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - May 21, 2025
- Book Review: Pentimento Mori: An Art History Mystery - March 13, 2025
- Book Review: We Need No Wings - September 23, 2024
4 comments
Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
Thank you for having me, Sara. It was a fascinating read!
I enjoyed this one as well. Fascinating life!
I’m pleased you enjoyed it too! She was certainly a memorable character!