Welcome to my stop on the The Song of the Jade Lily blog tour sponsored by TLC Book Tours! Thanks to TLC for the invitation!
My Thoughts:
The Song of the Jade Lily is beautifully told in two timelines. The first is 1939 Shanghai. Two young girls, Li and Romy, become friends.
Li is from Shanghai, and Romy is a refugee from Vienna.
The two become fast friends. World War II seems far away at first, but it descends upon Shanghai and these girls and tears apart their friendship.
The second timeline is 2016 when a young Alexandra returns to Australia because her grandfather Wilhelm is dying. As Wilhelm spends his last days, he and his wife, Romy, share family secrets they’ve kept hidden for decades.
Alexandra travels to Shanghai to find answers about her grandparents. What she finds has her doubting everything she thought was true.
The Song of the Jade Lily is an engrossing and beautifully-written story. It’s about friendship, strength, and resilience in even the most horrific of times. This is a book whose characters climbed inside my heart, and I’m not sure they’ll ever leave. The mystery is intriguing, and I loved the Chinese culture infused in the story. It was a delectable reading experience, and I hope you get a chance to read it, too!
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
About The Song of the Jade Lily
• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (May 14, 2019)
“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
Purchase Links
HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
About Kirsty Manning
Kirsty Manning 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.
Find out more about Kirsty at her website, and connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
I just suggested this book to Jan. At some point, I sure hope we can read it. Love your review, Jennifer.
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Thanks so much, Marialyce! I hope you can, too. This one is right up both your alleys! ♥️
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Beautiful review. Not something which appeals to me now.
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Thanks so much, Shalini!
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And I was going to take a pass on this title but now you’ve hooked me😏 Absolutely perfect review, Jennifer💜
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It was fab, Jonetta! I hope you can fit it in because it’s a special one. ♥️
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I love stories with two time lines and it takes skill to pull it off well. Sounds like this was a success!
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It really was a success, Tammy! So well-done!
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Wow, beautiful picture, wonderful blog tour and review, Jennifer! Another WWII historical fiction for me. Thanks, Jennifer! Happy Reading! 💐💗📚🌺🌸😘
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Thanks so much, Virginia! I have no doubt you would absolutely love this one! I hope you get a chance to read it! 💗
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Are the kitties being punished?😂
Wonderful review Jen, so glad you enjoyed it!💜
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Sometimes they don’t play along, Sus! They are always welcome! 😂 ♥️
Thanks so much! It was a great read!
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Such a beautiful book! I had no idea any of this was going on in Shanghai during WWII! So happy you loved it!😍
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Thanks, Berit! It was a wonderful read!
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I honestly felt so excited reading this review because I want to read more stories that infuse Asian culture and history. ❤️ And you know my thoughts on WWII stories and books that have multiple time periods!! On my list to read! 😊
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This is such a good one to add, LP! So special! I hope you get a chance to read it and tell me how you like it! ♥️
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Wonderful review, Jennifer. I added this to my TBR after reading Berit’s review and now I want to read it even more. I love these diverse books of WWII that we teach us things weren’t taught in school (or at least I wasn’t). ❤
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Thanks so much, Steph! I learned so much from this one! It was a great story, too! ♥️
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Great review. I love the dual timelines and that it’s partially set in Shanghai. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set there before so I’m intrigued.
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Thanks, Suzanne! The Shanghai setting was such a surprise and source of intrigue.
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Yet ANOTHER WW2 book with an interesting premise! I’ve never, ever read one set in Shanghai. And the girls’ friendship sounds absolutely beautiful. ❤
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It was a standout, Kathy, and that Shanghai setting was surprising and added so much to the read! Lots of secrets, too. ♥️
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What a stunning cover! This sounds like such a great book for people who want to be immersed into another culture. Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
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It’s my pleasure, Sara! I love that cover, too! It is so full of culture!
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Excellent review! This one sounds really captivating.
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Thanks, Anne! It was definitely a captivating story!
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