Extraordinary Women

'Everybody's immoral in Sirene. It's the air. Can't help it, poor dears.' In 1914, bored of wartime Lucerne, the beautiful, cross-dressing Rosalba Donsante escapes to the island of Sirene to seek out new conquests, followed by her long-suffering English lover, Aurora. But even Aurora's patience is tested to the limit when Rosalba sets her sights upon a new target, leaving a trail of broken hearts in her wake. Extraordinary Women (first published in 1928) is the second of Compton Mackenzie's satirical novels set on the island of Capri (fictionalised as Sirene), a tolerant island that was a haven for impoverished retirees, hedonistic exiles and gossips alike.