The Last Rose of Shanghai: A Novel

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Well, I’ve already written I’m not a great fan of World War 2 fiction. But if you are, then chances are good you’ll like The Last Rose of Shanghai. Especially if you want something from outside of Europe. Jewish people certainly had a terrible time of things in the 1930s and 1940s. So, if you like stories where the Jewish people don’t all end up dead in a concentration camp, this book might look good to you. Another attraction is the setting in Shanghai. In part, books exist to take readers to unfamiliar places, and 1930s Shanghai will be unfamiliar to most readers. Fans of sweeping, dramatic WWII epics that are rich in historical detail, such as Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls or Paullina Simons’s The Bronze Horseman will be enthralled.” — Booklist This is Randel’s main tool to keep the story moving—toggle the relationship between pure love and forbidden love. I suppose such a relationship, had it existed, would have been awkward at times. But it became a crutch for keeping the story tense. I guess I’d say that Randel went to the well too often with this plot device. In fact, I’d say that it’s Aiyi and Ernest’s own story arcs that really make the novel shine, even more than the romance between them. The love story aspect began to feel a bit episodic after a while, when just as things seem headed for a happy resolution, something new happens that keeps them apart again. After a while, the obstacles themselves began to feel a bit convenient, like a TV writer stretching out the story over an entire season’s worth of episodes. The ending to this plot line, with the big reveal in the final few chapters, was satisfying, though I wish there had been more of an emotional payoff. Immensely popular, her third novel, The Last Rose of Shanghai, sold 100,000 copies within six months of its publication.

The Last Rose of Shanghai – Rob’s Latest Book Review The Last Rose of Shanghai – Rob’s Latest Book Review

My new novel: A WWII-novel of love and redemption between a Chinese nightclub owner and a Jewish refugee set in Shanghai, to be released on November 1st, 2021. In a Nutshell: First half pretty good, second half is a cheesy, corny mash. Offers a decent look at Shanghai during WWII, but the romantic relationship overshadows the war story.

During WW2, a Jewish refugee Earnest seeks a new life in Shanghai where he meets Aiyi, a nightclub owner who hires him as a pianist. But as WW2 progresses their lives are changed forever. Weina Dai Randel’s novel deserves a place of distinction among WWII fiction.” —Historical Novel Society I listened to the audio CD of The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel and learned so much about Shanghai’s history during World War II. The audio CD was pleasantly performed by Josh Bloomberg and Emily Woo Zeller. Most of the books that I had previously read about World War II and the Holocaust took place primarily in Nazi occupied countries in Europe. Little had been written about Shanghai’s fate during World War II. The Last Rose of Shanghai captured the little known history of the more than twenty thousand Jewish refugees that escaped the throes of the Nazis and found safety in Shanghai. It also focused on the effects Japanese-occupied Shanghai had on the Chinese inhabitants, foreigners that had made Shanghai their home and on the Jewish refugees. The Last Rose of Shanghai was well written and impeccably well researched. Weina Dai Randel proved that she was a gifted storyteller with this book. The Last Rose of Shanghai was engrossing, rich in details about the time period and an unforgettable love story. The chapters alternated between the POV’S of Aiyi and Ernest during the war and occupation and then by Aiyi in present time. In any case, Ernest can play jazz piano exceptionally. He ends up working for Aiyi, making her club a sensation. Predictably, they fall in love. Christian Bale (centre) as JG Ballard’s alter ego in the film version of Empire of the Sun. Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/Warner Bros

The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel | Goodreads

There's too much of telling in the writing and yet, many important details aren't told. Time jumps happen like nobody's business. In Japanese-occupied Shanghai, two people from different cultures are drawn together by fate and the freedom of music…

In contrast, Aiyi and Ernest’s respective story arcs are really strong. I loved watching Aiyi fight to maintain her power and financial independence at a time when women still dealt with bound feet and social expectations about their role being limited to the home. I enjoyed watching her negotiate with the powerful Jewish magnate Sassoon, and seeing her outwit Japanese soldiers and her domineering oldest brother, all to hold on to the business she’d worked so hard to build. I was especially captivated by the tension between how much she was willing to sacrifice for Ernest’s sake, because of her love for him, and how much she’d refuse to give up to ensure her own future. I found Aiyi to be a complex, compelling heroine, and I was totally into seeing her story unfold. This is a work of fiction but many of the characters such as Emily Hahn, an American journalist, Laura Margolis who led the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s efforts to support refugees in Shanghai, and Sir Victor Sassoon who built The Peace Hotel, are real and their life stories are also fascinating. So here are 10 books – fiction and non-fiction – that reveal the unique cosmopolitan hybridity of Shanghai between the wars: