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Divine Lola: A True Story of Scandal and Celebrity
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 “Spider Dance” 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 “savage beauty” who was idolized, romanticized, vilified, truly known by no one, and a century ahead of her time.
Lola Montez was one of the most celebrated and notorious women of the nineteenth century. A raven-haired Andalusian who performed her scandalous “Spider Dance” 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 “savage beauty” who was idolized, romanticized, vilified, truly known by no one, and a century ahead of her time.
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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About the author
Cristina Morató
29 books321 followersCristina Morató, periodista, reportera, escritora y directora de programas de televisión española, nació en Barcelona en 1961, donde estudió periodismo en la Universidad de Ciencias de la Información de Bellaterra.
Lleva dos décadas recorriendo el mundo con su cámara fotográfica, especialmente América Latina, África y Asia. Ha visitado más de cuarenta países, en los que ha realizado extensos reportajes culturales y antropológicos. Es Miembro Fundador y Vicepresidenta de la Sociedad Geográfica Española. También es miembro de la prestigiosa Royal Geographical Society de Londres. En el 2000 decidió dejar definitivamente la dirección de programas de televisión y dedicarse a viajar y a escribir libros sobre las grandes exploradoras del pasado olvidadas por la Historia.
Hasta el momento ha publicado, con gran éxito de crítica y lectores, los siguientes libros sobre las viajeras del pasado: Viajeras intrépidas y aventureras (2001), Las Reinas de África (2003), Las Damas de Oriente, grandes viajeras por los países árabes (2006) y Cautiva en Arabia (2009), una apasionante biografía sobre una aventurera y espía vasco-francesa que en los años treinta vivió en Siria y trató de llegar a La Meca.
Lleva dos décadas recorriendo el mundo con su cámara fotográfica, especialmente América Latina, África y Asia. Ha visitado más de cuarenta países, en los que ha realizado extensos reportajes culturales y antropológicos. Es Miembro Fundador y Vicepresidenta de la Sociedad Geográfica Española. También es miembro de la prestigiosa Royal Geographical Society de Londres. En el 2000 decidió dejar definitivamente la dirección de programas de televisión y dedicarse a viajar y a escribir libros sobre las grandes exploradoras del pasado olvidadas por la Historia.
Hasta el momento ha publicado, con gran éxito de crítica y lectores, los siguientes libros sobre las viajeras del pasado: Viajeras intrépidas y aventureras (2001), Las Reinas de África (2003), Las Damas de Oriente, grandes viajeras por los países árabes (2006) y Cautiva en Arabia (2009), una apasionante biografía sobre una aventurera y espía vasco-francesa que en los años treinta vivió en Siria y trató de llegar a La Meca.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
October 23, 2021
Beautiful face, explosive temper, violent mood swings and audacity - Divine Lola is for sure a character that won't leave you indifferent. The book tells the story of her adventurous life with emphasis on a romance with king of Bavaria. It's one of those "gossipy historical books" where juicy details are more important than portraying the people involved and because of that it reads a bit like a tabloid - you take the information in but it doesn't stick with you and you can't quite understand what was the motivation. The best part of this book is the depiction of the XIX century world - Lola was traveling a lot and we get a really nice glimpses in how life looked like back then. Unfortunately it also have my personal pet peeves galore - reimagining the dialogs between the historical figures, inserting the descriptions of what certain people thought or how they felt in particular situation without quoting the memoirs, really poor bibliography, flood of pointless adjectives etc etc. It's probably more suitable for people who likes their historical books to be on the verge of being historical fiction.
September 12, 2021
Fascinating life story
I wasn't familiar with Lola Montez and this book told her story so well and, I feel like I knew her.
I wasn't familiar with Lola Montez and this book told her story so well and, I feel like I knew her.
September 8, 2021
I was really looking forward to sinking in to this. But Morato's mixture of biography and historical fiction didn't weave a spell that had me getting lost in the pages.
That being said I liked that the author didn't tar Lola with one brush.
99p on amazon kindle.
That being said I liked that the author didn't tar Lola with one brush.
99p on amazon kindle.
August 20, 2021
A book about someone, like Lola Montez, who lacks redeeming qualities really needs to be scrupulously edited. The author goes on in such detail about every mood swing this woman had, as if to try to justify all her interest and research into Montez, that nearly everyone in her life is reduced to nothing but a passing cameo. The only other human being in this 400+ page book is King Ludwig of Bavaria. Her parents, husbands, lovers, and others are written so paper-thin, we've no idea why they put up with her for more than a day.
August 22, 2021
I had heard of Lola Montez, but didn't know all that much about her. For example, I didn't know she was Irish, not Spanish.
While Morato's mix of biography and historical fiction was not the greatest I have ever read in either genre, I liked the book well enough for being a straight-forward, simple, intorduction to the topic by an author who was not trying to dazzle the reader with bullshit or focus on a particular agenda.
In fact, where I guess that most biographies of Lola Montez - or Eliza Gilbert as was her real name - could have focussed on her history as a famous seductress, Moreto did not really do that. I really appreciated that. Neither did Moreto shy away from telling us all the known facts - as far as I can tell - but she did try to explore what drove Lola to become the person she was.
And that person was self-righteous, couragious, rule-breaking, narcissist who was not able to take any from of criticism and had delusions of grandeur about her own talents and skills.
Yup, she was not a pleasant character to be around. At all.
And yet, I cannot help but also admire that she ran away from the fate of an insignificant, subservient, shamed divorcee that her family had mapped out for her in Leith after her marriage to a British Army Lieutenant (? - I can't remember which rank he was) failed.
It would have taken some brass neck to run away from family members who were supposed to meet her in London on her return from India and shack up with a member of the aristocracy that she met on the boat.
It also would have taken guts to re-invent her own backstory, pretend to all and sundry that she was Spanish, and that her dancing - which apparently she was not even that good at as she had almost no training - was authentic Spanish dancing.
But luckily, cultural appropriation was not a thing that upset people in Lola's day. And the fact that she had scores of admirers wherever she performed - and however badly she performed - just goes to show that people have always paid to see all manner rubbish advertised as "art". And that is also kind of beautiful.
Of course, it may have helped Lola that she bullied, threatened to shoot or evict audiences who didn't agree with her or appreciated her enough.
When Lola heard the applause the musician was receiving, she went onstage and started dancing with her castanets. But once again they rose up against her, and the hall became a battlefield. Benches and seats were destroyed, windowpanes were shattered, and some shouted, “Scoundrel! We’ve been robbed!” The manager begged the musician to continue, and Miska played another piece from his small repertoire. Finally, Lola agreed to finish the program with the “Spider Dance,” just as they’d planned, which only made everything worse. As she tried to defend herself from the imaginary spiders attacking her, she moved over to a bouquet that an admirer had tossed onstage and stomped on it multiple times. People left the hall in droves.
Lola had to return to her hotel under police protection, but the evening was not over. A few hours later, several dozen people showed up outside the hotel armed with cook pots, skillets, and whistles. The artist went to the window wrapped in a silk robe and, raising her pistol, exclaimed, “You cowards, low blackguards, cringing dogs, and lazy fellows! I would not despise a dirty dog so much as I do you!”
While Morato's mix of biography and historical fiction was not the greatest I have ever read in either genre, I liked the book well enough for being a straight-forward, simple, intorduction to the topic by an author who was not trying to dazzle the reader with bullshit or focus on a particular agenda.
In fact, where I guess that most biographies of Lola Montez - or Eliza Gilbert as was her real name - could have focussed on her history as a famous seductress, Moreto did not really do that. I really appreciated that. Neither did Moreto shy away from telling us all the known facts - as far as I can tell - but she did try to explore what drove Lola to become the person she was.
And that person was self-righteous, couragious, rule-breaking, narcissist who was not able to take any from of criticism and had delusions of grandeur about her own talents and skills.
Yup, she was not a pleasant character to be around. At all.
And yet, I cannot help but also admire that she ran away from the fate of an insignificant, subservient, shamed divorcee that her family had mapped out for her in Leith after her marriage to a British Army Lieutenant (? - I can't remember which rank he was) failed.
It would have taken some brass neck to run away from family members who were supposed to meet her in London on her return from India and shack up with a member of the aristocracy that she met on the boat.
It also would have taken guts to re-invent her own backstory, pretend to all and sundry that she was Spanish, and that her dancing - which apparently she was not even that good at as she had almost no training - was authentic Spanish dancing.
But luckily, cultural appropriation was not a thing that upset people in Lola's day. And the fact that she had scores of admirers wherever she performed - and however badly she performed - just goes to show that people have always paid to see all manner rubbish advertised as "art". And that is also kind of beautiful.
Of course, it may have helped Lola that she bullied, threatened to shoot or evict audiences who didn't agree with her or appreciated her enough.
When Lola heard the applause the musician was receiving, she went onstage and started dancing with her castanets. But once again they rose up against her, and the hall became a battlefield. Benches and seats were destroyed, windowpanes were shattered, and some shouted, “Scoundrel! We’ve been robbed!” The manager begged the musician to continue, and Miska played another piece from his small repertoire. Finally, Lola agreed to finish the program with the “Spider Dance,” just as they’d planned, which only made everything worse. As she tried to defend herself from the imaginary spiders attacking her, she moved over to a bouquet that an admirer had tossed onstage and stomped on it multiple times. People left the hall in droves.
Lola had to return to her hotel under police protection, but the evening was not over. A few hours later, several dozen people showed up outside the hotel armed with cook pots, skillets, and whistles. The artist went to the window wrapped in a silk robe and, raising her pistol, exclaimed, “You cowards, low blackguards, cringing dogs, and lazy fellows! I would not despise a dirty dog so much as I do you!”
March 23, 2021
Me gusto mucho conocer la vida de Lola Montes, una mujer muy atrevida que siempre vivió adelantada a su tiempo.
Me encanta como Cristina Morató nos narra su vida de forma imparcial con todo lo bueno y lo malo; permitiendo que nosotros los lectores nos formemos una imagen propia de ella
Me encanta como Cristina Morató nos narra su vida de forma imparcial con todo lo bueno y lo malo; permitiendo que nosotros los lectores nos formemos una imagen propia de ella
August 6, 2021
I did not know anything about this woman at all. If you do not know anything either, don't read the captions under the photographs around page 200 as the will tell you about occurrences that happen later on in the book.
Several times I almost gave up on this book as her life was so repetitive.
Several times I almost gave up on this book as her life was so repetitive.
December 12, 2021
"What Lola wants...Lola gets."
I'm sure you've heard that famous song many times, performed by numerous singers. But there will only ever be one Lola Montez – this feisty dame IS the inspiration behind that catchy tune. (You're humming it, huh? Yeah you are.)
Bella Lola. She was many things: crafty, cunning, manipulative, charming, fiery, intelligent, and DETERMINED to get whatever she set her magnificent blue eyes on. The spotlight in London and Paris—check. Famous friends such as Alexander Dumas and George Sand—check. The King of Bavaria fell in love with her at first sight. As his mistress, Ludwig I provided an extravagant lifestyle for Lola. He abdicated his throne because he could not give her up. He even bestowed her with a title, Countess of Landsfeld. Lola's contribution to this odd love affair? A REVOLUTION!
Captivating read, one that had me researching everything of importance in Lola's life. Books such as this lead me down an endless, curving tunnel courtesy of Google and Wikipedia. Like most of Lola's admirers—and there were many on every continent— I couldn't get enough. I fully grasp the appeal of the notorious, legendary Lola Montez. What a woman!
I'm sure you've heard that famous song many times, performed by numerous singers. But there will only ever be one Lola Montez – this feisty dame IS the inspiration behind that catchy tune. (You're humming it, huh? Yeah you are.)
Bella Lola. She was many things: crafty, cunning, manipulative, charming, fiery, intelligent, and DETERMINED to get whatever she set her magnificent blue eyes on. The spotlight in London and Paris—check. Famous friends such as Alexander Dumas and George Sand—check. The King of Bavaria fell in love with her at first sight. As his mistress, Ludwig I provided an extravagant lifestyle for Lola. He abdicated his throne because he could not give her up. He even bestowed her with a title, Countess of Landsfeld. Lola's contribution to this odd love affair? A REVOLUTION!
Captivating read, one that had me researching everything of importance in Lola's life. Books such as this lead me down an endless, curving tunnel courtesy of Google and Wikipedia. Like most of Lola's admirers—and there were many on every continent— I couldn't get enough. I fully grasp the appeal of the notorious, legendary Lola Montez. What a woman!
January 28, 2020
Muy interesante su historia, aunque al principio me costó agarrarle el gusto.
Lola Montes te cae bien o mal, no te deja indiferente la vida y el carácter que tuvo. Te hacer reír y llorar, te hace querer ayudarla o decirle unas cuantas por la forma de actuar en algunas ocasiones.
Una mujer que se adelantó en su época, porque si existiera en este siglo, estoy segura que tendría grandes números en sus redes sociales
Lola Montes te cae bien o mal, no te deja indiferente la vida y el carácter que tuvo. Te hacer reír y llorar, te hace querer ayudarla o decirle unas cuantas por la forma de actuar en algunas ocasiones.
Una mujer que se adelantó en su época, porque si existiera en este siglo, estoy segura que tendría grandes números en sus redes sociales
September 25, 2021
This couldn't decide if it was a novel or a biography, therefore I can't decide if I like it or not.
September 6, 2019
Entre 3,5 y 4
De Lola Montes sabía poco hasta que Cristina Morató publicó la novela y luego me picó la curiosidad.
Una mujer que llevó un personaje inventado hasta límites máximos, que engañó a miles de personas (que se dejaron engañar fascinadas por su belleza y personalidad más que por su talento, cierto es), mujer que supo salir siempre adelante pese a las trabas. Y todo esto, con una narración que atrapa pese a que a veces, es un poco repetitiva en situaciones
El libro me ha gustado, pese a que la figura de Lola Montes en si misma ( dentro de que admiro su capacidad de salir adelante) no ha casado conmigo y me daban ganas de que alguien la pusiera en su sitio más de una vez.
Muy gracioso es eso del poder de los tópicos sobre las personas. En este caso ese de mujer española/andaluza hermosa, pasional, con carácter, bailaora... Con eso y su imán, una persona conquistó a muchos.
De Lola Montes sabía poco hasta que Cristina Morató publicó la novela y luego me picó la curiosidad.
Una mujer que llevó un personaje inventado hasta límites máximos, que engañó a miles de personas (que se dejaron engañar fascinadas por su belleza y personalidad más que por su talento, cierto es), mujer que supo salir siempre adelante pese a las trabas. Y todo esto, con una narración que atrapa pese a que a veces, es un poco repetitiva en situaciones
El libro me ha gustado, pese a que la figura de Lola Montes en si misma ( dentro de que admiro su capacidad de salir adelante) no ha casado conmigo y me daban ganas de que alguien la pusiera en su sitio más de una vez.
Muy gracioso es eso del poder de los tópicos sobre las personas. En este caso ese de mujer española/andaluza hermosa, pasional, con carácter, bailaora... Con eso y su imán, una persona conquistó a muchos.
November 2, 2021
This took me forever to read because it was not what I expected. Half fiction and half biography? The way they were merged was confusing and muddled any clear story. I wish the author had picked one or the other! This story needed an editor BADLY. This was a beat by beat of her life and was not curated for the reader at all. It reads like the author literally gave us her notes and was not able to make good decisions on what to leave in or take out.
August 11, 2021
Interesting story, but she was such a contemptuous mess that I grew tired of hearing that people let her get away with outrageous behavior. King Ludwig got every thing he desired.
May 8, 2022
What a woman!
I guess that it can be easily said that her relationship with her parents (mostly her mother) shaped her personality. Maybe she pushed boundaries to the limit (and beyond) to test the love of the people around her as she never felt loved by her mother. Maybe she acted out of spite to show her mother she could be whatever she wanted to be.
I like to think that she played with all her lovers to show them she, a woman, was the one in control in a men’s world. The way she had the king under her thumb even in matters of State was incredible.
She was definitely a woman who was born in the wrong century! But honestly she did great!
Also, if I put myself in the shoes of any of the people close to her and analyze the situation from a safe point of view how terrible it was for someone to be hated by so many people for trying to get what she wanted… she wanted a name, she wanted to be protected and she needed to fight for it while - if she was born male - she would not had to.
I hated Thomas from the get go. Not only because he was an abusive a-hole who took advantage of her and ruined her, but because - when she decided to re-invent herself - he went after her to destroy her just to get a divorce. He could have pretend she was dead and move on with his disgusting life, but he felt like he didn’t hurt her enough. Disgusting.
Ludwig was a fun one for me… I will always think of him when people say Woman should not govern because they are too emotional. I loved the fact he wrote all these letters and never sent them. Just like when you type a text when you are all mad and you don’t send it… minus the “…” bubble.
I gave it 3 stars because I would have preferred to read it in a novel format, but still I was glad the author gave all the details in her narration because I definitely needed to know more.
Again… WHAT A WOMAN!
I guess that it can be easily said that her relationship with her parents (mostly her mother) shaped her personality. Maybe she pushed boundaries to the limit (and beyond) to test the love of the people around her as she never felt loved by her mother. Maybe she acted out of spite to show her mother she could be whatever she wanted to be.
I like to think that she played with all her lovers to show them she, a woman, was the one in control in a men’s world. The way she had the king under her thumb even in matters of State was incredible.
She was definitely a woman who was born in the wrong century! But honestly she did great!
Also, if I put myself in the shoes of any of the people close to her and analyze the situation from a safe point of view how terrible it was for someone to be hated by so many people for trying to get what she wanted… she wanted a name, she wanted to be protected and she needed to fight for it while - if she was born male - she would not had to.
I hated Thomas from the get go. Not only because he was an abusive a-hole who took advantage of her and ruined her, but because - when she decided to re-invent herself - he went after her to destroy her just to get a divorce. He could have pretend she was dead and move on with his disgusting life, but he felt like he didn’t hurt her enough. Disgusting.
Ludwig was a fun one for me… I will always think of him when people say Woman should not govern because they are too emotional. I loved the fact he wrote all these letters and never sent them. Just like when you type a text when you are all mad and you don’t send it… minus the “…” bubble.
I gave it 3 stars because I would have preferred to read it in a novel format, but still I was glad the author gave all the details in her narration because I definitely needed to know more.
Again… WHAT A WOMAN!
November 8, 2021
I'm free I'm free.
I want to give the author a chance that some of it was lost in the translation? But WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ?
Had it not come in my writer's subscription box and been part of my book club this book would have never fallen into my hands.
Nothing close to the historical fiction Henry's Wives get.
I can say that I was very impressed by Lola's redemption angle in the last um 20 pages. And leave it to me to never give up on a book even if I want to pull my hair and teeth out rather than continue reading it but once I start I always finish so I suppose that was my tiny reward?
I did also find some human pity for her lost lovers. That had to be harsh. Being the object of so many mens affection then the ones she actually loves and losing them. All except the king. Apparently he is going to live forever.
I guess I will check out other reviews to see what people think of it but I just- Historical Fiction is my jam typically. Yet this one I had a really really hard time with it. Was Ludwig really THAT enchanted by her?
The visitor she got on her death bed though? Bitch NO.
I'd almost give a half a star extra for that part.
I want to give the author a chance that some of it was lost in the translation? But WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ?
Had it not come in my writer's subscription box and been part of my book club this book would have never fallen into my hands.
Nothing close to the historical fiction Henry's Wives get.
I can say that I was very impressed by Lola's redemption angle in the last um 20 pages. And leave it to me to never give up on a book even if I want to pull my hair and teeth out rather than continue reading it but once I start I always finish so I suppose that was my tiny reward?
I did also find some human pity for her lost lovers. That had to be harsh. Being the object of so many mens affection then the ones she actually loves and losing them. All except the king. Apparently he is going to live forever.
I guess I will check out other reviews to see what people think of it but I just- Historical Fiction is my jam typically. Yet this one I had a really really hard time with it. Was Ludwig really THAT enchanted by her?
The visitor she got on her death bed though? Bitch NO.
I'd almost give a half a star extra for that part.
November 17, 2023
I had never heard of Lola Montez until I ran across this book last month. I pretty much thought celebrities becoming famous for being famous was a 20th/21st Century invention, but Lola Montez perfected the art in the mid 1800s. She was beautiful, but she was Irish, not Spanish as she claimed. She was a mediocre dancer, but she could wiggle like Charro and shock was her stock in trade. She collected husbands and lovers faster than Elizabeth Taylor did. She fascinated Europe, the UK, America and Australia. And she did all this with very little talent. Just a pretty face and a lot of chutzpah! I guess these people are always among us.
September 5, 2023
Divine Fraud
In 1820, Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert was born into a remote corner of Northern Ireland to a fifteen year old mother and a British army officer. Her military family would travel to India where her father would die before he ever settled at his new post, and her mother would remarry another officer. India would leave a vivid impression on the young woman who was never really wanted by her mother, and was sent to Scotland at the age of ten to be raised by her stepfather’s parents.
Elizabeth was never called anything but Lola, and even in Scotland she tended to be outspoken and more than a little wild. Even when she was sent to expensive private girl’s schools, Lola was more rambunctious. Yet Lola grew into a great beauty and her mother planned to marry her to a much older man. When a young soldier offers to marry Lola to save her from that fate, she elopes with him and ends up back in India.
Lola had an unhappy marriage which she fled and reinvented herself as Lola Montez, a flamenco dancer with a vivid backstory. She would go on to have affairs with some of the most famous and richest men in the world, even though she wasn’t a spectacular dancer. Lola’s skill was her charm and ability to use her beauty to her best advantage.
This is one of the best written biographies in that it flows well while still maintaining the factual accuracy of Lola’s very interesting life.
In 1820, Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert was born into a remote corner of Northern Ireland to a fifteen year old mother and a British army officer. Her military family would travel to India where her father would die before he ever settled at his new post, and her mother would remarry another officer. India would leave a vivid impression on the young woman who was never really wanted by her mother, and was sent to Scotland at the age of ten to be raised by her stepfather’s parents.
Elizabeth was never called anything but Lola, and even in Scotland she tended to be outspoken and more than a little wild. Even when she was sent to expensive private girl’s schools, Lola was more rambunctious. Yet Lola grew into a great beauty and her mother planned to marry her to a much older man. When a young soldier offers to marry Lola to save her from that fate, she elopes with him and ends up back in India.
Lola had an unhappy marriage which she fled and reinvented herself as Lola Montez, a flamenco dancer with a vivid backstory. She would go on to have affairs with some of the most famous and richest men in the world, even though she wasn’t a spectacular dancer. Lola’s skill was her charm and ability to use her beauty to her best advantage.
This is one of the best written biographies in that it flows well while still maintaining the factual accuracy of Lola’s very interesting life.
August 21, 2021
I got this book free with Amazon First Reads and chose it because I thought it would be interesting to read about someone who was in "high society" but an imposter. I was interested to see how different it was from today. It seemed to me despite people blaming the social media of today for how people "in the news" get treated, nothing has changed. I did find the book interesting in parts but it did seem to go on lurching from one failed relationship to another and that part became quite boring. Sometimes I even found myself reading about one of Lola's lovers and thinking "who is he?". It was quite amazing how she just reinvented herself and told a pack of lies and people just fell for it. I also found it quite mind blowing that so many men were completely under her spell for her beauty. I also found it very difficult to relate to her, although I admired her determination and courage in a man's world - she just came across as a selfish, money grabbing, attention seeking person. She actually reminded me a bit of her mother, whom she despised so much. However, she did realise the harm she had done as she got older and tried to change. She did have an awful childhood and was treated very badly but I can only think of the saying - there is a reason for her behaviour but it is not an excuse.
September 5, 2021
Great historical character, regular biography
I have enjoyed reading about the life of Lola Montez. The firs time I heard about her was through a podcast, LA Tortulia, years ago and from then, I liked the character. So when this biography appeared in my monthly first reads, I didn't think about it and downloaded.
It is well research, however, the fake and continues dialogues put me off constantly, hence my three star rating. They are fake, forced and they didn't light the reading as the are intent to, just the opposite. I would have rather have the real letters in the book when chronologically were mentioned, as a real voice of the true historical characters. Or more articles from the newspapers.
Overall is a good biography of the historical events. And portrayed an interesting character, with a lot of shadows and a few lights. Lola had a Narcissistic personality disorder as I ever encounter one (which I have), and is obvious each time her real words or personality were revealed through the book. Still, a very interesting character, not well known to the public.
I have enjoyed reading about the life of Lola Montez. The firs time I heard about her was through a podcast, LA Tortulia, years ago and from then, I liked the character. So when this biography appeared in my monthly first reads, I didn't think about it and downloaded.
It is well research, however, the fake and continues dialogues put me off constantly, hence my three star rating. They are fake, forced and they didn't light the reading as the are intent to, just the opposite. I would have rather have the real letters in the book when chronologically were mentioned, as a real voice of the true historical characters. Or more articles from the newspapers.
Overall is a good biography of the historical events. And portrayed an interesting character, with a lot of shadows and a few lights. Lola had a Narcissistic personality disorder as I ever encounter one (which I have), and is obvious each time her real words or personality were revealed through the book. Still, a very interesting character, not well known to the public.
June 5, 2022
The book is written ok though the mixture of biography and historical fiction is a bit of a whiplash. In some places I think Lola was given too much credit since what is reported is a very abusive woman.
She comes off as a woman who used men to put her in a position she wants to be in and get the attention she wants to get. She doesn't think twice about abusing these men when she doesn't get her way and uses the same techniques on the public when it suits her. She really comes across as only caring about herself, I'm convinced the parts where Ms. Morato inserts Lola's concerns for others are either fiction or contrived to further Lola's aims. It is very evident that Lola cares about Lola and only Lola, everyone else is there to serve Lola's needs and wishes no matter the cost to them.
She comes off as a woman who used men to put her in a position she wants to be in and get the attention she wants to get. She doesn't think twice about abusing these men when she doesn't get her way and uses the same techniques on the public when it suits her. She really comes across as only caring about herself, I'm convinced the parts where Ms. Morato inserts Lola's concerns for others are either fiction or contrived to further Lola's aims. It is very evident that Lola cares about Lola and only Lola, everyone else is there to serve Lola's needs and wishes no matter the cost to them.
February 3, 2019
Qué pensaría hoy el mundo, de una Lola... no sería escándalo, sería influencer.
Durante las páginas del libro la vas a juzgar, te vas a reír, la vas a odiar un poco, luego vas a querer enderezarle la vida. Indiferente no te vas a quedar.
No sé si fue feliz, pero fue auténtica.
Qué vida, Lola. Sí, sos divina. Yo sí aplaudo.
No sé si a los hombres les parezca una vida entretenida, pero ni a Lola ni a mí nos importa lo que ellos crean.
Bravo Lola, embustera, ambiciosa. Bravo.
Durante las páginas del libro la vas a juzgar, te vas a reír, la vas a odiar un poco, luego vas a querer enderezarle la vida. Indiferente no te vas a quedar.
No sé si fue feliz, pero fue auténtica.
Qué vida, Lola. Sí, sos divina. Yo sí aplaudo.
No sé si a los hombres les parezca una vida entretenida, pero ni a Lola ni a mí nos importa lo que ellos crean.
Bravo Lola, embustera, ambiciosa. Bravo.
Read
December 1, 2021DNF. I tried, I really did. Got about halfway through even and just couldn’t. So boring. So many superfluous details.
August 23, 2022
3.5 stars
I had never heard of Lola Montez prior to receiving this book for Christmas from my mom. I loved learning about her life (and oh what a wild life it was!). Lola was a fascinating and frustrating character. She lived as the shadow queen of Bavaria AND as a pioneer in a cabin in newly settled California (with a pet grizzly cub?!?). She traveled India as a child, then the courts of Europe as a fraud, then Australia as a dancer/actress, and finally New England as an orator. Along the way she got in scandal after scandal, earned fortunes and lost them, and constantly reinvented herself/hustled until the bitter end. An icon and a legend.
I had never heard of Lola Montez prior to receiving this book for Christmas from my mom. I loved learning about her life (and oh what a wild life it was!). Lola was a fascinating and frustrating character. She lived as the shadow queen of Bavaria AND as a pioneer in a cabin in newly settled California (with a pet grizzly cub?!?). She traveled India as a child, then the courts of Europe as a fraud, then Australia as a dancer/actress, and finally New England as an orator. Along the way she got in scandal after scandal, earned fortunes and lost them, and constantly reinvented herself/hustled until the bitter end. An icon and a legend.
Read
February 6, 2023No stars, because I don’t want to taint the writer - the writing itself is fine.
But Lola is insufferable.
She’s a terrible person who shows no growth, just greed and entitlement.
I’m stopping halfway through.
I was looking forward to a story of a woman living a big life. But Alexander Chee did it better with Queen of the Night - based on real women in the 19th century. Try that instead, unless you really want to know everything about Lola.
But Lola is insufferable.
She’s a terrible person who shows no growth, just greed and entitlement.
I’m stopping halfway through.
I was looking forward to a story of a woman living a big life. But Alexander Chee did it better with Queen of the Night - based on real women in the 19th century. Try that instead, unless you really want to know everything about Lola.
May 25, 2024
Rest in peace Lola Montez, you would have loved podcasts and hot girl walks and Caroline Calloway
August 14, 2022
I almost didn't finish this. Well I actually skimmed through over half of the book. Repetive description of events that took place in her life.
November 14, 2021
I cannot help but admire the sheer audacity, power of reinvention, tempestuousness, and grit of Eliza Rosanna Gilbert (more famously known as Lola Montez). What staggers me more is how people, even with the glaring facts before them, succumbed to the preposterousness of her fabricated stories and from reviews, her mediocre shows. Astounding that in the mid-1800s, she travelled far and wide - India, Europe, US, Australia. I marvel that she even staged a show in my Adelaide, which at that time had a population of just over 2,000. Lola married thrice and had a throng of admirers which included King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Franz Liszt. She passed away before she turned 40 years old but what an action-packed life she lived!
March 9, 2021
La historia de Lola Montes, que no conocía, me generó mucha curiosidad. Una mujer embustera y vanidosa. Supo encandilar con su belleza a muchos hombres importantes, y su vida estuvo marcada por el escándalo. Con una personalidad desafiante y transgresora, nacida fuera de época, logró hacerse conocida y tener muchos admiradores, a pesar de sus grandes críticos y gente que la odiaba.
Hay mucha investigación de la autora, y me gustó mucho su narrativa llevadera y entretenida. Se los recomiendo.
Hay mucha investigación de la autora, y me gustó mucho su narrativa llevadera y entretenida. Se los recomiendo.
May 7, 2021
Este es un libro que no me atrapo, lo termine porque no me gusta dejarlos a medias, se me hizo muy denso. Lola una mujer que no usaba su nombre ni su procedencia, una mujer que existió en el siglo XIX y que como otras que ya me han tocado en otros libros no era para su época. A pesar de todo lo que le pasaba no entendía y seguía con su mismo comportamiento.
October 16, 2024
I found this book on my kindle--something I bought? a gift? I didn't know where it came from, but I decided to read it--- Before I started, I read some of the reviews, and came across some awful ones that said that Lola, the titular character, was awful, had no redeeming qualities, and was a waste of time. I could not disagree more!
I had never heard of Lola Montes, but I found her absolutely fascinating. She was born to a beautiful but indifferent Irish mother who didn't seem to love her, and a British Navy officer who died of Cholera shortly after relocating his family to India. Her mother quickly remarried, and her stepfather treated her kindly, but for some reason, Lola was never satisfied with the life everyone seemed to want her to live. During the Victorian era, women had few personal liberties and had their behavior strictly monitored. Lola (who had the name Eliza Gilbert at the time) was continuously rebelling and disappointing her mother. She would not be tamed, and didn't care about societal conventions. She scandalized the British people of India, and her family tried to fix her so as not to lose status. She would be sent off to live with relatives, or to boarding school, but it made no difference. To escape her strict and loveless mother, she impulsively married young, which was a mistake. She ran away from her husband, moved herself to France, and recreated herself-- taking the identity of a Spanish Dancer, Lola Montes.
The book describes her life in Europe, where she has numerous affairs, falls in and out of love, and and survives as a kind of courtesan-- being kept by a number of different men--- She had a fierce temper-- and when she got a bad review or when she was challenged, she could become mean and violent-- lashing out with whips and her fists and throwing things. She became. notorious for her outbursts. I could see during this section why people would judge her harshly. She was petulant and immature and she used people---but I kept trying to see past it. She was damaged-- she was angry----she was beautiful---she was creative--- and she managed to link herself to many of the talented artists and writers of the day. She burnt a lot of bridges along the way, and had to keep moving when it became too dangerous for her to stay in one place.
Her most famous relationship was with King Ludwig I of Bavaria. That ended spectacularly badly--and she keeps going.
Her time in California, and then Australia was the most interesting to me---- In these places, she changes and comes into her own--
I ended feeling so much admiration for her-- a smart, creative, opportunistic woman who was a surviver and an adventurer and very much always striving to control her own fate. As I read, I also looked her up in some history channel resources--- I still found her fascinating---
I'm glad I read this---- and I'm glad I didn't listen to those first reviews. Yes--she was deeply flawed--but she was a survivor-- and she had a rough beginning. I think I need to keep reading about her.
I had never heard of Lola Montes, but I found her absolutely fascinating. She was born to a beautiful but indifferent Irish mother who didn't seem to love her, and a British Navy officer who died of Cholera shortly after relocating his family to India. Her mother quickly remarried, and her stepfather treated her kindly, but for some reason, Lola was never satisfied with the life everyone seemed to want her to live. During the Victorian era, women had few personal liberties and had their behavior strictly monitored. Lola (who had the name Eliza Gilbert at the time) was continuously rebelling and disappointing her mother. She would not be tamed, and didn't care about societal conventions. She scandalized the British people of India, and her family tried to fix her so as not to lose status. She would be sent off to live with relatives, or to boarding school, but it made no difference. To escape her strict and loveless mother, she impulsively married young, which was a mistake. She ran away from her husband, moved herself to France, and recreated herself-- taking the identity of a Spanish Dancer, Lola Montes.
The book describes her life in Europe, where she has numerous affairs, falls in and out of love, and and survives as a kind of courtesan-- being kept by a number of different men--- She had a fierce temper-- and when she got a bad review or when she was challenged, she could become mean and violent-- lashing out with whips and her fists and throwing things. She became. notorious for her outbursts. I could see during this section why people would judge her harshly. She was petulant and immature and she used people---but I kept trying to see past it. She was damaged-- she was angry----she was beautiful---she was creative--- and she managed to link herself to many of the talented artists and writers of the day. She burnt a lot of bridges along the way, and had to keep moving when it became too dangerous for her to stay in one place.
Her most famous relationship was with King Ludwig I of Bavaria. That ended spectacularly badly--and she keeps going.
Her time in California, and then Australia was the most interesting to me---- In these places, she changes and comes into her own--
I ended feeling so much admiration for her-- a smart, creative, opportunistic woman who was a surviver and an adventurer and very much always striving to control her own fate. As I read, I also looked her up in some history channel resources--- I still found her fascinating---
I'm glad I read this---- and I'm glad I didn't listen to those first reviews. Yes--she was deeply flawed--but she was a survivor-- and she had a rough beginning. I think I need to keep reading about her.
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