Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Song of the Jade Lily: A Novel
The Song of the Jade Lily: A Novel
The Song of the Jade Lily: A Novel
Audiobook12 hours

The Song of the Jade Lily: A Novel

Written by Kirsty Manning

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

“Kirsty Manning weaves together little-known threads of World War II history, family secrets, the past and the present into a page-turning, beautiful novel."— Heather Morris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

A gripping historical novel that tells the little-known story of Jewish refugees who fled to Shanghai during WWII.

1939: Two young girls meet in Shanghai, also known as the “Paris of the East”. Beautiful local Li and Jewish refugee Romy form a fierce friendship, but the deepening shadows of World War II fall over the women as they slip between the city's glamorous French Concession district and the teeming streets of the Shanghai Ghetto. Yet soon the realities of war prove to be too much for these close friends as they are torn apart.

2016: Fleeing London with a broken heart, Alexandra returns to Australia to be with her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm. Her grandfather is dying, and over the coming weeks Romy and Wilhelm begin to reveal the family mysteries they have kept secret for more than half a century. As fragments of her mother's history finally become clear, Alexandra struggles with what she learns while more is also revealed about her grandmother's own past in Shanghai.

After Wilhelm dies, Alexandra flies to Shanghai, determined to trace her grandparents' past. Peeling back the layers of their hidden lives, she is forced to question what she knows about her family—and herself. 

The Song of the Jade Lily is a lush, provocative, and beautiful story of friendship, motherhood, the price of love, and the power of hardship and courage that can shape us all.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateMay 14, 2019
ISBN9780062934314
Author

Kirsty Manning

Kirsty Manning is the author of The Song of the Jade Lily, The Lost Jewels, and The French Gift. She grew up in northern New South Wales, Australia. She has degrees in literature and communications and worked as an editor and publishing manager in book publishing for over a decade. A country girl with wanderlust, her travels and studies have taken her through most of Europe, the east, and west coasts of the United States as well as pockets of Asia. Kirsty’s journalism and photography specializing in lifestyle and travel regularly appear in magazines, newspapers, and online. She lives in Australia.

More audiobooks from Kirsty Manning

Related to The Song of the Jade Lily

Related audiobooks

Historical Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The Song of the Jade Lily

Rating: 4.198529411764706 out of 5 stars
4/5

136 ratings31 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A story that walked me through the paths of the area in which it was written with depth, senses and discovery.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Alexandra is a well to do commodities trader living in London when she learns that her beloved grandfather Wilhelm is dying. She head to Australia to say her last goodbyes. While there she spends time with her grandmother Romy and also hopes to find out a little more about her mother who was adopted in Shanghai. Alexandra has just learned she has been transferred to the Shanghai office and while there she hopes to search for her mother’s family. Her grandmother tries to discourage her but she is determined.Alexandra’s grandmother and grandfather had settled in Australia after the war but their past is somewhat of a mystery to her. This leads to the unfolding of the story of Wihelm, Romy and their good friend Nina. It starts in Nazi Germany on Kristallnacht when the full force of Hitler’s policies are felt by Romy and her family. The hate they encounter stuns them and they realize they will have to leave the country. With help from a compassionate friend some of the family gets out of Germany but they struggle to find a place to land until they learn that they can find a new home in Shanghai.They settle in but life is not easy and soon the war will find them again as Japan invades China. But along the way Romy and her family find a circle of friends who help them cope with the loss of one son and the imprisonment of another. The story of their lives in Shanghai is rich and detailed.As the history of Romy’s life is unfolding in the past the reader is also learning about Alexandra’s life in the present. She moves to Shanghai and settles into her apartment and new office and sets off on her search for her mother. Even though she is not looking for love, it finds her. She is just out of a bad relationship and trying to not get involved but sometimes love just presents itself and there is not much you can do about it.The two stories play out towards their convergence as secrets are revealed and questions are answered. Ms. Manning brings both Shanghai and Australia to life with her writing. She excels at setting a scene whether it’s the horror of a hate attack in Germany or the beauty of a garden in Shanghai. This is not an easy book to read – as no book that delves into any corner of the Nazi regime is ever easy to read but it is one that shows there is always light in the dark.The characters are the kind that settle into your head and stick with you for days after you finish. The story is well crafted, twisty and full of well paced reveals both in the past and in the present. The Song of the Jade Lily is the kind of book that you want to read, think about and then read again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The book alternates between 2016 and the war years with narrative, letters and diary entries. In these past-present stories, I tend to like the past story more, but I genuinely liked Alexandra’s character and her story as well. But Romy’s story, which is one of heartbreak in many ways is such a beautiful story of love. I didn’t even fully guess what the secret of the past was and was so taken by what people will do for the ones they love. The book is well researched and beautifully written.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Song of the Jade Lily, Kirsty Manning, author; Saskia, Maarleveld, narratorIs this a war story, a romance, a mystery or all of the above? Many themes are introduced in this novel. Tragedy, political upheaval, wartime, love, loyalty, history, secrets, courage, survival, cruelty, arrogance, ethnic cleansing, immorality, justice, compassion, hate, brutality, evil, danger, mystery and more are touched upon, as the story unfolds. Resilience and bravery were required to survive the years of Hitler’s rise to power and the war that followed. The story centers around the parallel lives of Alexandra and Romy, grandchild and grandmother. The narrative alternates between grandmother and granddaughter, as they tell their story. Romy’s story begins in 1939; Alexandra’s begins in 2016 when she returns to Australia for her grandfather’s last days. Romy is Alexandra’s grandmother (Oma). Romy Bernfeld was born in Vienna, Austria. Her family was very successful and they wanted for little. Hitler’s rise to power endangered all Jews, however, and in 1939, after one brother, Benjamin, was murdered and another brother, Daniel, was arrested, the family was forced to escape Hitler’s reign of terror. Marta and Oskar tried to get visas to America or Palestine for the three of them, but there were none. No one wanted the Jews. They were informed that Shanghai did not require visas and was accepting Jews, and so, this was where they eventually traveled. With the help of a righteous man, they fled. The journey was long, but essential. For the first few years in Shanghai, their lives were very comfortable and the horrors of Hitler receded. A successful school friend of Oskar’s secured shelter for them in a fine hotel at first, and then in an apartment. He also secured work for Oskar, a doctor, and they prospered. Although Romy and her mother grieved for her brothers, they soon made friends and began to adjust. Marta worked to help refugees once she was able to conquer her shattered emotions.Romy’s first close friendship of her new life was made on board the ship that took her to China. She and Nina became quite close. When Nina’s mother died on board during childbirth, the Bernfeld’s embraced her. However, she was an orphan now, and they would be separated in China, since she would have to go to live with her uncle in a different, less affluent part of Shanghai. Romy then met a Chinese neighbor, another little girl named Li who sang like an angel and was her age. She had a buoyant personality and a brother named John. John was quieter and Romy fancied him for years. When the Japanese invade China, danger comes to the Bernfeld’s again. Romy and her parents, work in the hospital and are somewhat protected, but Li and John are in danger because their father practices alternative medicine, which has been forbidden. The Japanese are as barbaric as the Germans. Once again, fear is everywhere.While Romy works alongside her parents in the hospital, she begins to stop in at a bakery to pick up some treats. She meets Wilhelm. She develops a strong liking for him and believes he has developed the same for her. However, she is mistaken for he has been smitten by Li. When the story moves to 2016, Alexandra comes into greater focus. Her parents, Sophia and Joseph were killed in an automobile accident. Her grandparents raised her. Alexandra knows that she looks different, cruel children have called her “chink”. She desperately wants to know more about her own background, but Romy is silent. Alexandra travels to Shanghai to learn more about her mother and her grandmother’s past. As she searches for her family history, the horrors of those war years is revealed. Shanghai was a refuge for many who escaped Hitler’s Third Reich. This book illustrates what life was like for the Jews as they tried to escape Hitler’s wrath. Those who were fortunate enough to escape to China had, for a period of time, at least, been allowed to live in peace, however, when the Japanese invaded (in their ongoing war), terror returned to most of those who had escaped, as well as to those Chinese families who were now the trapped enemies of Japan.This book will enlighten the reader as to the times and the circumstances of that shameful moment in history. The plot is a bit convoluted, sometimes the characters seem to overlap, and it takes some working out, but in the end the mysteries resolve themselves.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    SOAP OPERA"ISH". Everything ties up in a neat bow at the end. a girl from the present goes in search of her parent's history . They escaped from Vienna to Shanghai after Crytal Nacht. Their experience in Shanghai. the book keeps jumping back and forth--past & present. keeps your interest, but poorly written.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was very interesting and filled with information regarding the lives of European and Sephardic Jews who escaped to Shanghai. I enjoyed the mystery of the protagonist's birth, and the movement in time of the chapters. It is difficult for me to believe in the credibility of all of the , characters' feelings, but they added to the story, so I was wiling to overlook that. I also appreciated, that even though this book was lengthy, much was left to the reader's imagination.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I won a copy of this book from a giveaway posted to goodreads.I found this story overall very enjoyable. I found Romy’s POV very interesting. Alexandra on the other hand annoyed the shit out of me. I found her POV was basically almost entirely useless.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'd heard of Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe fleeing to places like Shanghai, due to the lack of required paperwork, but until this novel, I'd not really given much thought to what their journey and lives might have been like. In this story, a Jewish family from Austria journeys to Shanghai and finds themselves in the middle of the war they thought they had escaped. What happened during the war impacts generations of this family and two generations later, a granddaughter returns to Shanghai to dig into her own family's secrets. All of which makes for a compelling and enjoyable read. Highly recommended for fans of WWII historical fiction.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I absolutely loved this book. Once again, I learned a part of history that I had no idea about. This story takes place just as WW2 was beginning. How amazing to learn that Shanghai took in Jewish refugees at a time when no one else in the world would. Almost 20,000 international refugees were welcomed in Shanghai and given shelter and hope. Eventually the Japanese took over this area, but the Jewish community was allowed to stay although they were confined to one small area. This book focuses on Romy, a young Jewish girl and her parents who fled Austria in the late 1930s. The descriptions of life during this time were extremely accurate and detailed. The author did a great job researching. The story moved me many times and the characters were both strong and brave. The book is told in dual timelines, but held my interest the entire time! I received a complimentary book from Goodreads giveaway program.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My favorite novels are often Jewish themed, and, of those, many deal with World War II and the Holocaust. My second favorite novels are Asian themed. Believe or not, there are a lot of commonalities between these ethnicities, especially the roles of mothers and preoccupation with food! When I read the description of The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning, it pretty much described my perfect novel. And with all the reading I have done, I never knew that some Jews in the late 1930's fled Eastern Europe for, of all places, China. (And, oh how I wish more of them did.) There, at least at the beginning, they had a life free from want and fear, despite the undercurrent of conflict between China and Japan. Although, the eventual war in the Pacific changed all that, and life in China became almost as brutal as life in Eastern Europe's concentration camps. There is always so much more to learn.This historical novel goes back and forth in time. In the late 1930's, the Bernfeld family flees Austria with their young daughter Romy after Kristallnacht and following the murder of one son and the deportation to Dachau of another. They are able to get to Shanghai, China. The second, modern day story, involves Romy as a grandmother and her thirty-five year old granddaughter, Alexandra. Alexandra's parents were killed in a car crash and her grandparents raised her. She had been told she was adopted and she sets out to find her birth family in China. The saga is wide in scope and is at times hard to read for the atrocities described. But on the other hand it is filled with sights and sounds of music, flowers, scents and food. Oh, so much food, on every page. And I did enjoy that aspect very much. My favorite was of a Seder meal the Bernfeld's had in China (page 156). The story also focuses on coincidences. What are called "fateful coincidences." And, of course, Alexandra benefits from these in her search. "It's yuanfen," she said. "A fateful coincidence. Finding that matching photo was not about luck. Coincidence is about your fortune. Your future. The events of your life are linked to your history. Bad or good...It means that your history has consequences. Your future---what we call fortune---is linked to your family's past." And what every good novel needs, secrets. So many secrets with a few twists and turns you may or may not guess. But that is what will keep you reading. Highly recommend.(And PS, I checked the final copy and the typos, especially "noone" for "no one" are fixed. ARC copies should not be criticized for mistakes, as they are not the final.).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In 1938, on the day that will live in history as Kristallnacht, 12 year old Romy, her brothers, and her parents try to flee Austria as Nazi troops start rounding up Jews. One brother is shot for standing up for himself; the other is captured and taken away. Romy and her parents manage to make their way to a train station; they find they cannot flee into any European countries. Their only hope of escape is a boat to Shanghai, as China is still taking in refugees. On the boat, Romy becomes friends with Nina, whose parents die on board ship. The Bernfelds want to take Nina into their own shattered family, but her uncle, who cares nothing for her, takes her away. In Shanghai, the Bernfelds become friends with the Ho family, with Romy and Li becoming fast friends. Li becomes a beautiful singer, while Romy is intellectually gifted. In 2016, Alexandra is returning to the Australian home of her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm. She has a broken heart, and it is about to be broken more: Wilhelm is dying. He and Romy feel it’s time for Alexandra to know something of the family history, which has been kept from her so far. She knows that her mother was adopted by Wilhelm and Romy, and that she died in a car accident when Alexandra was very young. But she knows nothing of her mother’s origins, and Romy isn’t telling her that. So she sets out on an information gathering mission…in Shanghai. I loved reading this book. The author paints pictures of Shanghai complete with scents and flavors. It’s rich in details. Shanghai is painted as an amazing place- the Paris of the East. And it’s not just the pretty side of it; this takes place during the horrors of the Japanese Occupation. I didn’t find Alexandra’s story completely absorbing, but Romy’s story sucked me in. Told in the now common format of duel timelines and narrators, the stories fill each other in. I was able to figure out what happened before the end, but not very far before. I had never heard about Jewish refugees in China before and that fascinated me. I loved the details of life; the food, the healing methods, the grim conditions in the town and especially in the hospital where Romy works with her father in Shanghai. Diary entries and letters from the war add dimension to the tale. Manning did a lot of research to write this novel, and it shows. Five stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Song of the Jade Lily is a family saga about Romy Bernfeld, up to present day with the inclusion of granddaughter Alexandra’s story. Romy, her mother and father escape the Nazi menace to Vienna after Kristallnacht, immigrating to Shanghai, China, one of few countries accepting Jewish refugees. While her mother mourns the loss of her one son shot that night, and the other taken to a concentration camp, Romy and her father assimilate into the little Paris section of Shanghai, working and going to school. Romy befriends Li and her family, learns about Eastern medicine from Li’s father, Dr. Ho and falls in love with her brother, Jian. Years pass as Romy and her parents assimilate into Shanghai culture, but once the Japanese move into China, they force most everyone into ghettos and cause Romy and her parents to make difficult decisions to survive.In 2016, Alexandra has come to Australia to say goodbye to her dying grandfather Wilhelm. She’s escaping her own heartbreak, and looking to explore her own mother’s history, who died when Alexandra was quite young, leaving her to be raised by Romy and Wilhelm. On his deathbed, Romy ask Wilhelm “forgive me”, and Alexandra wonders what family secrets impact her own story.This is a fascinating piece history, well told by author Kirsty Manning. The story of refugees and the hardships they face, not the least of which is finding a safe place to live, is very important in our times. I knew nothing about China and Shanghai in particular, or their history in World War II, so found this fascinating. A great read for fans of historical fiction, family sagas and women’s stories.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Song of the Jade Lily is the story of Jewish refugees in Shanghai in WWII. It goes back and forth between the friendship between a local girl and a Jewish refugee in WWII Shanghai, and 2016, when a granddaughter returns to dig up family secrets. It has everything you want from a historical novel -- excellent storytelling, characters to worry over, and information about a little-known episode in history. This would make a great book club pick.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When we think of Shanghai, either we picture the modern day city it is today with neon lit skyscrapers, or we think of something that possibly resembles Chinatown in San Francisco. But at one time, Shanghai was known as the Paris of the Orient and it was a huge multinational city where Europeans, Americans, Japanese and Chinese all lived and worked together. This fantastic historic fiction story is mostly set in Shanghai, alternating with the present and the period right before WW II. What was surprising to me is that during WW II, Shanghai also became the haven for Jews fleeing Nazis in Europe. The story follows Romy Bernfeld, a young Austrian Jew who flees with her parents to Shanghai after the horrors of Kristallnacht in Vienna leave one brother dead and the other on the way to a concentration camp. The Bernfelds settle in the French concession part of Shanghai and Romy quickly becomes friends with a Chinese family and starts integrating into a new life. But as time passes, tensions quickly heat up between the Japanese and the Chinese and life becomes dangerous. Things continue to get worse as war really breaks out with Japan taking over the city and the lives of foreigners and Chinese alike.There's a bit of a mystery to be solved in this story which added to the suspense, but what I loved about this book was the descriptions about Shanghai during a very tumultuous period in history. Perfect for any historical fiction fan.Thank you LibrayThing for the Early Reviewer copy.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Romy and her family flee from the Nazi's, finding themselves in Shanghai. Romy befriends local girl, Li, and they are quickly inseparable. In the present day, Alexandra travels to Australia to be with her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm, as Wilhelm lays dying. Once Wilhelm passes, Alexandra takes a job in Shanghai, determined to uncover more of their past.I found myself very disappointed in this book. If you are searching for family history, and you have a living relative, they are your first stop. I found the big twist at the end to be completely unrealistic. I don't want to give anything away, but it just made me shake my head. Overall, this book was a bust.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Shanghai, China 1938-1947 20,000 Jewish refugees migrate to Shanghai to escape Hitler's persecution, then are soon forced into the Shanghai ghetto (Restricted Sector for Stateless Refugees) from 1941 to 1945 by the Japanese. I was unaware that some jewish people escaped to Shanghai during WWII, which makes this story interesting and informative for me, and perhaps others, as I don't think this is common knowledge for the average reader. The story is well researched and written regarding the history of Shanghai during WWII; Japan had invaded China in 1937 and in 1941 restricted migrant Jews to the Hongkew district to live along side poor Chinese residents. The story flips between Shanghai 1937-1947 and Melbourne 2016 from the perspective of Romy in Shanghai and her granddaughter Alexandra in 2016. Many details regarding food in Shanghai (if you are a foodie this book could be for you) and the practice of Chinese medicine (i.e. acupuncture and herbs) are sprinkled throughout the book. The history and Romy's story are interesting, but I thought Alexandra's story was superfluous and was created only to unravel the secret Romy carried to Australia, which could have been done through Romy herself. That being said, I did enjoy the story and whenever a historical book makes me want to research the subject matter further I can't help but recommend it to friends.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyable story of a little-known (at least to me) part of World War II history. I have been overwhelmed with books about World War II lately, and was reluctant to start this. But since I received an ARC from Early Reviewers, I got right to it—and was glad I did. Well researched, interesting—this book stood out from the pack of World War II spy and survival stories I have been reading. Sweetly romantic while still giving a realistic portrayal of the lives of Jewish refugees in Shanghai. I loved it and highly recommend it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    With thanks to LibraryThing for providing The Song of the Jade Lily for me to read and review. I read many books dealing with World War II and especially the Holocaust and not much has been written on the subject of European refugees fleeing to safety in Shanghai,while many countries including the United States denied them. Although what started as a safe haven changed after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the US entered the war. Kirsty Manning writes in her authors note that writing of the Chinese opening their doors and hearts to the Jewish people,reflects poorly on Australia locking up today’s refugees and wondering”Why haven’t the lessons of history taught us to treat people a little better?” The book starts in 1939 in Shanghai,also known as “the Paris of the East.”,as Li befriends her new neighbor,Jewish refugee Romy. Their story reflects their lives,living in a China being occupied by the Japanese. In a concurring story,Alexandra grows up in Australia,the granddaughter of Romy and Wilhelm,who had spent the war years in Shanghai. The book was beautifully written,bringing Shanghai ‘s tastes,smells and gardens to life. The characters were well developed and seemed very real. I will share this book with friends.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book far better than I expected to. I thought I was getting a review copy of a book that would be a romantic retelling of what life was like in Shanghai during World War II, instead I got a well-researched book on what life was like for not only Chinese during the Japanese occupation, but for European Jews who had emigrated there. The story is well-told, the characters are interesting, and the real history is fascinating. I appreciated the bibliography at the end of the book. It is also on Costco’s June list of books to read. (LibraryThing review copy)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Vienna, 1938, the night of Kristallnacht (called the "Night of Broken Glass," for the shattered glass from the store windows that littered the streets)As 12 year old Romy, her parents and 2 brothers try to return safely home, the two brothers are grabbed by the soldiers - one is shot and the other sent to Dachau. When this happens, the father realizes that they need to get out of Vienna, that it doesn't matter that he is a well known doctor, that it only matters that he is also Jewish. No country is issuing visas for people trying to get out of Austria and when he finds out that Shanghai is taking refugees without visas, he decides that they need to leave immediately. I wasn't aware that Shanghai opened it's doors to over 20,000 refugees fleeing Europe when no other country would. When the small family arrives in Shanghai, it is to a country totally different than what they are used to. For the first time they feel free and unjudged by their religion. However, it doesn't take long before the Japanese troops make life difficult for the people of Shanghai and the family is again faced with fear and shortages brought on by war.Present Day - Melbourne Australia. Alexandra returns from London to be with her beloved grandfather as he is dying. Her grandmother, Romy and her grandfather have made a good life for themselves in Australia and don't talk about their time in Shanghai. Alexandra knows that they are hiding secrets about their adopted daughter (her mother) and when her job moves her to Shanghai, she is determined to find out what really happened to her grandparents during the war years.The time lines in this novel are well done as they weave from the past to the present to give the reader a fantastic story as the truths are slowly revealed. The part of the story that takes place during the 1940s, presents many historical items that were new to me. I love reading historical fiction and learning new things that I never learned in school.This novel is about love and family and the importance of friendship. No matter how badly people treat other people, love will ultimately win!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Alexandra is a well to do commodities trader living in London when she learns that her beloved grandfather Wilhelm is dying. She head to Australia to say her last goodbyes. While there she spends time with her grandmother Romy and also hopes to find out a little more about her mother who was adopted in Shanghai. Alexandra has just learned she has been transferred to the Shanghai office and while there she hopes to search for her mother’s family. Her grandmother tries to discourage her but she is determined.Alexandra’s grandmother and grandfather had settled in Australia after the war but their past is somewhat of a mystery to her. This leads to the unfolding of the story of Wihelm, Romy and their good friend Nina. It starts in Nazi Germany on Kristallnacht when the full force of Hitler’s policies are felt by Romy and her family. The hate they encounter stuns them and they realize they will have to leave the country. With help from a compassionate friend some of the family gets out of Germany but they struggle to find a place to land until they learn that they can find a new home in Shanghai.They settle in but life is not easy and soon the war will find them again as Japan invades China. But along the way Romy and her family find a circle of friends who help them cope with the loss of one son and the imprisonment of another. The story of their lives in Shanghai is rich and detailed.As the history of Romy’s life is unfolding in the past the reader is also learning about Alexandra’s life in the present. She moves to Shanghai and settles into her apartment and new office and sets off on her search for her mother. Even though she is not looking for love, it finds her. She is just out of a bad relationship and trying to not get involved but sometimes love just presents itself and there is not much you can do about it.The two stories play out towards their convergence as secrets are revealed and questions are answered. Ms. Manning brings both Shanghai and Australia to life with her writing. She excels at setting a scene whether it’s the horror of a hate attack in Germany or the beauty of a garden in Shanghai. This is not an easy book to read – as no book that delves into any corner of the Nazi regime is ever easy to read but it is one that shows there is always light in the dark.The characters are the kind that settle into your head and stick with you for days after you finish. The story is well crafted, twisty and full of well paced reveals both in the past and in the present. The Song of the Jade Lily is the kind of book that you want to read, think about and then read again.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is historical fiction at its best. It’s a story of WWII and how people adjust and cope as the war changed and sometimes destroyed their lives, but this story is from a different perspective, in a different setting, than what we’re generally used to, and it’s a story you won’t soon forget.As the Nazis are beginning to persecute the Jews in Vienna, fourteen year-old Romy and her parents escape to Shanghai but not before one of her brothers is killed in the street and the other taken to a concentration camp. Life in Shanghai is unlike anything they have ever experienced or expected to experience, but they are lucky to be alive and make friends like Li and Jian and their parents, and Wilhelm, another relocated Austrian Jew, find jobs and live a fairly prosperous, if different, life in their new home. At least for a while. But the tentacles of the war reach even Shanghai. The story begins in the present with Alexandra, Romy’s granddaughter, returning home to Melbourne, Australia for her grandfather’s funeral. While there she gets a hint of Romy’s former life in Shanghai and of that of her mother, born in Shanghai and adopted by Romy and Wilhelm. Alexandra will be living in Shanghai for a few months for her job and resolves to find out all she can about her birth mother.The pacing of The Song of the Jade Lily is perfect. Just when you think you can’t stand the suspense any longer and your fear is growing for Romy and Li and their families, the story switches to the present, but then the suspense builds there for the secrets that seem to be just out of Alexandra’s reach. So many well-developed characters, such a beautifully multilayered story – and such sadness but in the end strength and bravery and hope, and love.The Song of the Jade Lily is filled with rich detail. I learned many things about WWII that I never knew had happened. The information about historical events and medical practices in Shanghai is fascinating and the detail enriches the story rather than suffocating it. Vienna, Shanghai and Melbourne are very different, but author Kirsty Manning’s description of each setting is full and lush. Each time the story changed location I felt as if I was magically transported.This is a book you must read. It will make you laugh and cry and stay with you a long time. Thanks to William Morrow/Harper Collins Publishers for an advance copy of The Song of the Jade Lily in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it, highly recommend it, and will be looking for other books by Kirsty Manning to add to my library.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This story is sure to linger in your heart well beyond the reading of the last page. Beautifully written, Manning has given us a story of survival in the hardest of times, the strength of a friendship among three women (Romy, Li, and Nina), the courage of everyday people, and a love so strong one is willing to sacrifice her own dreams and desires.Historical fiction at its finest, this is a WWII tale few people are aware of – a tale of Jews trying to flee Europe seeking safety elsewhere, but denied visas by nations around the world. However, at the time China did not require visas and took in over 20,000 Jewish refugees. While life was comfortable there for a while it all changed with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Japan’s invasion of China. Told in dual timelines we first follow 12-year-old Romy Bernfeld as she flees Austria in 1938, fights to survive in Shanghai while forming an incredibly strong relationship with fellow refugee Nina and Chinese Li and her brother Jian, and settles in Australia where at the age of 90 she becomes a widow. The other timeline is that of Alexandra Laird, Romy’s granddaughter who traces her grandparents’ lives back to Shanghai and uncovers the secrets about her mother Sophia who died when Alexandra was very young. Alexandra has only an old photo of two young girls, an adoption certificate, and a beautiful jade necklace with which to begin her search.I especially enjoyed this story as I was able to visit the historic Hongkou District in search of the old Jewish section when I visited Shanghai a few years ago. Through Manning’s descriptions I was able to easily envision both the squalor of Shanghai in Romy’s time and the opulence of Alexandra’s modern Shanghai. The characters are beautifully developed over time, and the reader is exposed to the horrors encountered in their lives, the moments of joy, the heart-wrenching grief, and the love found in the worst of times. The details are exquisite and I highly recommend you do internet image searches on the International Settlement in Shanghai in the 1930s and on the gorgeous Suzhou Gardens. Pure perfection! Thank you to William Morrow Books, NetGalley, and Library Love Fest for the advance copy to review. All opinions are purely mine.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was disappointed in this novel. Not only was the dual timeline structure poorly done but 50% of the story was really unnecessary. TBC
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I absolutely loved this novel! Romy travels to Shanghai with her family from Austria to escape the Nazis only to soon be under Japanese rule. After the war she emigrates to Australia with an adopted baby girl. Move forward to 2016, and Alexandra, Romy’s granddaughter, tries to discover who her birth mother was.I never knew that Shanghai opened its doors and took in over 20,000 Jewish refugees when most of the world would not. Wartime Shanghai was brought to life by the author. What the citizens of Shanghai endured under Japanese occupation was brutal, but Romy struggled through. I will be looking forward to new books by Kirsty Manning!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wanted to read this book because it illuminated historical events with which I was unfamiliar, but I ended up having mixed feelings about it.On the one hand, Shanghai was described in such vivid detail: the sights, sounds, and smells. On the other, I felt that something was lacking with regards to the characters. Perhaps because the 40's timeline skipped weeks, or even months, their wasn't an opportunity to see relationships grow, so I didn't become fully invested in those relationships. There was so little about Romy's time with Wilhelm, that I couldn't figure out why she had such strong feelings for him. I wish her friendship with Li had been more fully developed too. Overall, with a few exceptions, I had trouble feeling the pain, loss, and betrayal Romy experienced.I generally don't mind dual timeline stories, but I felt Alexandra's story could have been left out, leaving more time to explore Romy's life. Alexandra's drama about a breakup and questioning her career choice just didn't compare to Romy's story of fleeing the Nazis and living under Japanese occupation in China.The ending felt rushed and left some things unresolved. I didn't get a sense of fulfillment from it, and even at the end there were aspects of the adoption storyline that didn't seem to make sense to me.I did like what I learned about the time period, but as mentioned, I felt disappointed by some aspects of the story.Thank you to the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program for the copy of this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Song of The Jade Lily is a story about family secrets, set in a backdrop of World War II Shanghai. Romy is a young Austrian Jewish girl whose family escaped the concentration camps by settling in Shanghai. There, she meets Li, a local girl, and they form a friendship that the war will test.The story flashes forward to 2016, where we meet Alexandra, Rory's granddaughter, who feels a tug to investigate her biological mother's life (and the circumstances surrounding her birth). Her investigation reveals many startling realizations (no spoilers here!) that puts her family's relationship at risk.I enjoyed the Shanghai parts of this book much better than the modern telling. In fact, I wish I could have only read that portion of the story. It was far richer and more interesting for me. Alexandra felt a bit contrived and her investigation somewhat predictable. At least for me! Other readers may find it intriguing.I would recommend The Song of The Jade Lily to fans of World War II fiction. Rarely do we get to read about a European's experience in Shanghai during World War II, and that history alone is worth the read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a great story. I've read several books that take place during WWII but never have I read one that takes place mostly in Shanghai. All new history for me.As others have stated the book takes place during WWII and back to present day. The story is about a Jewish family living in Austria but having to leave once Hitler invades their country. Escaping is not easy and the family ends up in Shanghai but not before one son is killed by the Germans and another son spends the war in Dachau. Romy and her parents arrive in Shanghai and become good friends with the Ho family who have a son and daughter. How they lived their daily lives always living with fear and uncertainty. In present day Alexandra, Romy's granddaughter, is wanting to know more about her Chinese adopted mother. Alexandra's parents died while Alexandra was a child and she was raised by her grandparents. Alexandra goes to Shanghai hoping to discover more about her mother.There is a lot going on in this book and I went through quite the emotional roller coaster. I wish I could do the book justice. All I can say is read the book. It's a book I'll be thinking about and one that I will be reading again. On a second reading I'll be taking my time and savoring each page.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This novel is told in alternating time frames between WWII and present day. It is an engaging story about a Jewish family forced to flee Austria when the Nazis arrived. One of their sons is killed in Austria and the other is sent to Dachau. Their remaining child, Romy, is featured in both the former and current events. Their escape to Shanghai is interesting since it's a little-known destination of the Jewish displacement to me, especially since the Japanese were waging war with the Chinese.There is an intriguing mystery at the core of this book with well-defined strong characters. Due to the alternating time frames, there are multiple layers of understanding that are explored.My thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for the opportunity to review this well-researched book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a wonderful book...I love books that blend history and fiction...I was unaware that Shanghai opened its doors to over 20,000 refugees in the 1940's fleeing the cruelties of war...Eventually the horror catches up, even in a place of safety.....The Song of the Jade Lily is one of the best books I have read in a long time....the sights and smells of Shanghai are so vivid....the story of friendship and love and a desire to just live is so strong....