Ratings2
Average rating3.5
A sweeping novel set in war-torn 1928 China, with a star-crossed love story at its center.In a city full of thieves and Communists, danger and death, spirited young Lydia Ivanova has lived a hard life. Always looking over her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old must steal to feed herself and her mother, Valentina, who numbered among the Russian elite until Bolsheviks murdered most of them, including her husband. As exiles, Lydia and Valentina have learned to survive in a foreign land.Often, Lydia steals away to meet with the handsome young freedom fighter Chang An Lo. But they face danger: Chiang Kai Shek's troops are headed toward Junchow to kill Reds like Chang, who has in his possession the jewels of a tsarina, meant as a gift for the despot's wife. The young pair's all-consuming love can only bring shame and peril upon them, from both sides. Those in power will do anything to quell it. But Lydia and Chang are powerless to end it.
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Russian Concubine is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2007 with contributions by Kate Furnivall.
Reviews with the most likes.
Not a book I'd have chosen myself. I was given the book to read by a volunteer at school. The cover and the title are quite provocative. The actual story is much less so.
This book tells the story of a woman who left Russia during the Russian Revolution and found refuge in China with her daughter. It was definitely a page turner; Furnivall knows how to tell a story.