I had high hopes for this novel because I love stories about actual adventurous women, but I didn't get into this character. Lola's life was a train wreck of her own manufacturing. Every time she was in a good situation (except one tragic love affair) she managed to screw it up with temper tantrums and an unbelievable blindness to other's feelings or the politics of the times. The book might have been saved by more skillful writing. The story is told in third person with the result I felt distant--almost detached--from the characters and therefore cared little about their fates. First person or a close third person would have enhanced this book considerably. I can like and root for flawed characters--in fact I prefer them--but they have to be skillfully drawn. That said, the author seemed to have done her homework and this clearly was a labor of love. If she had written a strait biography this would be a 3-4 star book, but it was just OK as a novel. ( )