The Jade Lily
by Kirsty Manning
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Good Condition
- ISBN 10
- 1760876178
- ISBN 13
- 9781760876173
- Seller
-
Picton, New South Wales, Australia
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
2018. Edition Unstated. Softcover. Good Condition. In 2016, fleeing London with a broken heart, Alexandra returns to Australia to be with her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm, when her grandfather is dying. With only weeks left together, her grandparents begin to reveal the family mysteries they have kept for more than half a century. In 1939, two young girls meet in Shanghai, the 'Paris of the East': beautiful local Li and Viennese refugee Romy form a fierce a fierce friendship. But the deepening shadows of WW II fall over the women as Li & Romy slip between the city's glamorous French Concession & the desperate Shanghai Ghetto. Eventually, they are forced separate ways as Romy doubts Li's loyalties..." Trade Paperback. Size: 180mm - 250mm. 443 pages. Covers have some shelf-wear as well as some bumping to corners and extremities. There are some reading creases on the front cover running close to the spine,. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: 1-2 kilos. Category: Fiction; ISBN: 1760876178. ISBN/EAN: 9781760876173. Inventory No: 19003. . 9781760876173
Reviews
On May 15 2018, a reader said:
The Jade Lily is the second novel by Australian author, Kirsty Manning. Alexandra Laird had rushed home from London to be with her grandparents in Melbourne. Opa was dying, and she needed to be with him in his last hours, and to be there for Oma. Her husband's imminent death brought to mind all the memories that Romy Cohen (nee Bernfeld) had been suppressing. Shanghai, and their years there as Jewish refugees loomed large in her thoughts.
Once Wilhelm has passed, and the proper Jewish mourning rites observed, Romy urges Alexandra to go back to work. Her job as a commodities trader gives her the opportunity to transfer to Shanghai, and she hopes she can use her free time to track down her mother's family. Alexandra had already known as a young orphan that her mother, Sophia Shu was Chinese, and had been brought to Australia by Romy. Now, with their grief still raw, is hardly the time to ask her Oma about it, so Alexandra makes her own enquiries. And tries not to get too distracted by Zhang, the charming garden designer sharing her building.
Manning tells her story using a split narrative: Romy's story begins with her family's escape from Vienna; Alexandra's narrative is set in 2016. These are supplemented with letters and diary entries. Manning's characters are multi-faceted and, mostly, appealing, although sometimes their behavior is disappointing or puzzling. Certainly, the most charming character of all is the city of Shanghai itself. Manning's evocative descriptions will fill the reader's imagination with the sights, sounds and smells of the place, the food and the people.
The depth of Manning's research is apparent on every page, and she kindly lists some resources for those readers who are bound to want to know more about the Jewish refugees accepted by Shanghai during World War Two, about the Japanese occupation, and about Traditional Chinese Medicine. She captures the era well, and the mystery of Sophia's origins will keep readers captivated, even if the reason for the secrecy is less than convincing. Enthralling historical fiction.
With thanks to Allen&Unwin; for this copy to read and review.
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Bong Bong Books (AU)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 19003
- Title
- The Jade Lily
- Author
- Kirsty Manning
- Format/Binding
- Softcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Good Condition
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Edition Unstated
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 1760876178
- ISBN 13
- 9781760876173
- Date Published
- 2018
- Keywords
- BZDB3 Fiction; Unbranded ISBN: 1760876178 EAN: 9781760876173 Kirsty Manning The Jade Lily
Terms of Sale
Bong Bong Books
I will happily accept returns if book is not as described. Please Note - Internet stock not kept at Book Shop. If coming to shop to by a book viewed on the internet, please email or phone and I will arrange to have book taken to the shop for viewing.
About the Seller
Bong Bong Books
Biblio member since 2005
Picton, New South Wales
About Bong Bong Books
Mainly Paperback. With a distinct leaning toward Fantasy and Science Fiction
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Trade Paperback
- Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....