Scan barcode
jessie_peta's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook of this book and it was enjoyable.
books_with_kayleigh's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely flew through this! After what felt like a bit of a slow start on the Yangtze River, the pace soon picked up as our protagonist, Annie returns to Shanghai.
Annie becomes embroiled in social politics, unhappy with the way her fellow expats are treating the locals who serve them, and forms an allegiance and friendship with handsome head waiter Chow, and mysterious and outspoken Russian Natalia. However not all is as it seems...
I didn't know much about this time period in Chinese history, and felt like the political unrest was delicately and sympathetically explored - the attitudes toward the native people being generally what it always seems to be when Europeans invade, with an arrogance and complete disregard for the locals, their ways of life and traditions.
I can't pretend I loved Annie- she was flawed and could honestly be incredibly ignorant and dumb, although I appreciated that next to the other women in this book she at least was a critical thinker. She certainly got herself (and others) into some pretty dangerous situations with her naivety.
I do wish Ilma was involved more, particularly at the end, I just found her intriguing and wanted to know more. Also I wanted to know what became of Chin Feng, she just stopped being mentioned!
Overall this was a good historical fiction read, with the descriptions of balls and dances, some romance but also heavy political unrest, gang involvement and some tough and grey moments.
Annie becomes embroiled in social politics, unhappy with the way her fellow expats are treating the locals who serve them, and forms an allegiance and friendship with handsome head waiter Chow, and mysterious and outspoken Russian Natalia. However not all is as it seems...
I didn't know much about this time period in Chinese history, and felt like the political unrest was delicately and sympathetically explored - the attitudes toward the native people being generally what it always seems to be when Europeans invade, with an arrogance and complete disregard for the locals, their ways of life and traditions.
I can't pretend I loved Annie- she was flawed and could honestly be incredibly ignorant and dumb, although I appreciated that next to the other women in this book she at least was a critical thinker. She certainly got herself (and others) into some pretty dangerous situations with her naivety.
I do wish Ilma was involved more, particularly at the end, I just found her intriguing and wanted to know more. Also I wanted to know what became of Chin Feng, she just stopped being mentioned!
Overall this was a good historical fiction read, with the descriptions of balls and dances, some romance but also heavy political unrest, gang involvement and some tough and grey moments.
salma01's review
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
astridandlouise's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book was good, however I felt that it fell flat. The writing wasn't descriptive and overall I found it a little bland. Enjoyable, but not as good as it had the potential to be.
mysteriousbibliophile's review
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
cathiesawyer's review against another edition
3.0
Emma Harcourt turns the stories passed down of her grandmother’s life into an exciting and provocative novel set in 1920’s China.
I picked this novel up from a little free library in Mt Martha and although it took me a long time to get into (the reading slump was real friends) I’m glad I read this novel because I have very little knowledge about Chinese history and the struggles Chinese people have been through.
I understand that reading a novel about an Australian woman’s experience in the gated international community written by an Australian woman is not the ideal way to learn about Chinese history but it piqued my interest in topics I had no idea about and has given me a great place to start my learning.
The novel itself was a little all over the place heading from one dramatic turn of events to another before you could process what has just happened. For the most part the novel was interesting and I really enjoyed the balls and parties Annie attended at her fancy club, it gave me strong Bridgertom vibes that I was craving after finishing the series twice through.
Annie’s character has a lot to be desired. I enjoy that despite being based on her grandmother the author is not afraid to show how Annie’s naivety and meddling, despite thinking she’s a hero for feeling sympathetic for the Chinese people and treating the staff as humans, is actually making the locals lives worse and that they do not need a foreign woman to solve their problems for them (aka all of colonialism ever).
This was a good read to have picked out of a little free library, but not the best book I’ve ever read. I would definitely read more novels by Emma Harcourt in the future for her unfiltered views and imperfect characters.
I picked this novel up from a little free library in Mt Martha and although it took me a long time to get into (the reading slump was real friends) I’m glad I read this novel because I have very little knowledge about Chinese history and the struggles Chinese people have been through.
I understand that reading a novel about an Australian woman’s experience in the gated international community written by an Australian woman is not the ideal way to learn about Chinese history but it piqued my interest in topics I had no idea about and has given me a great place to start my learning.
The novel itself was a little all over the place heading from one dramatic turn of events to another before you could process what has just happened. For the most part the novel was interesting and I really enjoyed the balls and parties Annie attended at her fancy club, it gave me strong Bridgertom vibes that I was craving after finishing the series twice through.
Annie’s character has a lot to be desired. I enjoy that despite being based on her grandmother the author is not afraid to show how Annie’s naivety and meddling, despite thinking she’s a hero for feeling sympathetic for the Chinese people and treating the staff as humans, is actually making the locals lives worse and that they do not need a foreign woman to solve their problems for them (aka all of colonialism ever).
This was a good read to have picked out of a little free library, but not the best book I’ve ever read. I would definitely read more novels by Emma Harcourt in the future for her unfiltered views and imperfect characters.
indoorg1rl's review against another edition
3.0
The background setting was the main reason I picked up this book. Shanghai in the 20s setting for an Australian main character? Yes, please!
This was a lovely story about Annie Brand, a newlywed from Australia who ran away from her past to make a new living in Shanghai with a new husband who was a Sea Captain. She was buoyed by the romanticised version of Shanghai in 1925.
As expected, this was a fish-out-of-water story. Annie had to learn the hard way that everything wasn't as it seemed. I quite enjoyed the historical events and political atmosphere integrated to the book (although I can't speak to their accuracy. However, the Author did include a note at the end of the book about her historical research of the era, so I believe they would be quite accurate), but Annie's 'innocence' annoyed me in some places. For someone who had a 'dark' past (which wasn't explained till the end of the book), I couldn't believe that she could be so oblivious to the 'real' Shanghai.
Annie herself as the main protagonist wasn't fully 'likeable' IMO. Her views seemed to be quite progressive, but her actions were quite ignorant, and she kept causing troubles everywhere she went. At some point in the book, she also strongly encouraged a woman to leave her husband because he couldn't have a child (imagine if it was the other way around!) - although later, she did say she wouldn't push her opinion even though she disagreed. I appreciated that she was a 'broken' character and she wasn't perfect, so it could be the intended character design.
At the end of the day, I liked the overall atmosphere of the story. And it was great for a debut! I wouldn't mind checking out more books from the Author.
Last but not least, how gorgeous is the cover!
See my bookstagram review.
This was a lovely story about Annie Brand, a newlywed from Australia who ran away from her past to make a new living in Shanghai with a new husband who was a Sea Captain. She was buoyed by the romanticised version of Shanghai in 1925.
As expected, this was a fish-out-of-water story. Annie had to learn the hard way that everything wasn't as it seemed. I quite enjoyed the historical events and political atmosphere integrated to the book (although I can't speak to their accuracy. However, the Author did include a note at the end of the book about her historical research of the era, so I believe they would be quite accurate), but Annie's 'innocence' annoyed me in some places. For someone who had a 'dark' past (which wasn't explained till the end of the book), I couldn't believe that she could be so oblivious to the 'real' Shanghai.
Annie herself as the main protagonist wasn't fully 'likeable' IMO. Her views seemed to be quite progressive, but her actions were quite ignorant, and she kept causing troubles everywhere she went. At some point in the book, she also strongly encouraged a woman to leave her husband because he couldn't have a child (imagine if it was the other way around!) - although later, she did say she wouldn't push her opinion even though she disagreed. I appreciated that she was a 'broken' character and she wasn't perfect, so it could be the intended character design.
At the end of the day, I liked the overall atmosphere of the story. And it was great for a debut! I wouldn't mind checking out more books from the Author.
Last but not least, how gorgeous is the cover!
See my bookstagram review.
More...