The Last Rose of Shanghai
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-21 11:21:26
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Weina Dai Randel
- ISBN：1713620677
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In Japanese-occupied Shanghai， two people from different cultures are drawn together by fate and the freedom of music…
1940。 Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub。 Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany， an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers。 He loses nearly all hope until he crosses paths with Aiyi。 When she hires Ernest to play piano at her club， her defiance of custom causes a sensation。 His instant fame makes Aiyi’s club once again the hottest spot in Shanghai。 Soon they realize they share more than a passion for jazz—but their differences seem insurmountable， and Aiyi is engaged to another man。
As the war escalates， Aiyi and Ernest find themselves torn apart， and their choices between love and survival grow more desperate。 In the face of overwhelming odds， a chain of events is set in motion that will change both their lives forever。
From the electrifying jazz clubs to the impoverished streets of a city under siege， The Last Rose of Shanghai is a timeless， sweeping story of love and redemption。
1940。 Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub。 Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany， an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers。 He loses nearly all hope until he crosses paths with Aiyi。 When she hires Ernest to play piano at her club， her defiance of custom causes a sensation。 His instant fame makes Aiyi’s club once again the hottest spot in Shanghai。 Soon they realize they share more than a passion for jazz—but their differences seem insurmountable， and Aiyi is engaged to another man。
As the war escalates， Aiyi and Ernest find themselves torn apart， and their choices between love and survival grow more desperate。 In the face of overwhelming odds， a chain of events is set in motion that will change both their lives forever。
From the electrifying jazz clubs to the impoverished streets of a city under siege， The Last Rose of Shanghai is a timeless， sweeping story of love and redemption。
Reviews
Lynseyherbert
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Thought the story was lovely especially as it is a piece of WW2 history that I didn't know， found the flow of the story required more than I was expecting， that's on me - got to say I've been really tired this week so had to really concentrate。 Thought the story was lovely especially as it is a piece of WW2 history that I didn't know， found the flow of the story required more than I was expecting， that's on me - got to say I've been really tired this week so had to really concentrate。 。。。more
J'nell Ciesielski
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Love that it was about a woman entrepreneur， and a side of WWII that I haven't read about before。 Love that it was about a woman entrepreneur， and a side of WWII that I haven't read about before。 。。。more
Sallie
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I love this book！
Talent Gardener
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Story of how both the British and how a local woman， who owned a very successful nightclub， dealth with the nazi occupation in Hong Kong She fell in love with a Jewish pianist - and the complications that arose from their relationship。 （She was supposed to marry a wealthy Chinese cousin。。。。）
Marie LaFontaine
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SO SAD SOO Happy I was so moved by the end of this book。 It leads you through so many twists and turns。 The beauty of the story is worth every moment you spend reading。 Please read it and enjoy it as much as I did。 Marie LaFontaine
Gail Rae-garwood
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An extremely good readI would gladly read any book this author writes。 The emotions， the vivid descriptions， the storyline。 My heart went up and down。
Anita
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Interesting story of Jewish refugees in Shanghai during WWII。 Middle of book is a little slow。
Lori
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Did not like any of the characters。 Read 10%
Annette
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Extremely Enlightening This story taught me so much about the Japanese in WWll。 I enjoyed the storyline and all of the characters in this well written book。
Joan B。
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When I saw this on Amazon First Reads， I grabbed it。 I had only learned of the Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai in the past couple of years， so this was a must read。It is a love story between a young Chinese woman， Aiyi， and a German Jewish refugee， Ernest。 It is a story of love and the horrors of war。 Aiyi owns a nightclub and hires Ernest to play the piano。 His style of playing is a big hit and little by little their forbidden love develops。 The love story takes place during the most difficult time d When I saw this on Amazon First Reads， I grabbed it。 I had only learned of the Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai in the past couple of years， so this was a must read。It is a love story between a young Chinese woman， Aiyi， and a German Jewish refugee， Ernest。 It is a story of love and the horrors of war。 Aiyi owns a nightclub and hires Ernest to play the piano。 His style of playing is a big hit and little by little their forbidden love develops。 The love story takes place during the most difficult time during WWII when Jewish refugees fled Europe and settled in Shanghai。 When the Japanese invaded， they were moved to a ghetto。。。life was difficult - not enough food and housing。 The Japanese were relentless。 Ernest had become a very wealthy businessman， only to lose it all to the JapaneThe descriptions of the war and how the residents of Shanghai were forced to live is heartbreaking。This is a part of history that we are only just learning about。 This book is well researched and gives a peek behind the ghetto walls that you will never forget。Don't miss this book！ 。。。more
Laura Feldman
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WWII from a different perspective and a strong interesting storyline。
Lisa
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This book is my favorite kind of historical fiction – an engrossing story that also opens my eyes to a piece of history I wasn’t familiar with。 The story is set in Shanghai under Japanese occupation during WWII and is told from the alternating points of view of Aiyi and Ernest。 Aiyi is a young Chinese heiress with a love for jazz who owns one of Shanghai’s most popular nightclubs （she is quite the entrepreneur for her day！）。 Ernest is a penniless Jewish refugee from Germany searching for shelter This book is my favorite kind of historical fiction – an engrossing story that also opens my eyes to a piece of history I wasn’t familiar with。 The story is set in Shanghai under Japanese occupation during WWII and is told from the alternating points of view of Aiyi and Ernest。 Aiyi is a young Chinese heiress with a love for jazz who owns one of Shanghai’s most popular nightclubs （she is quite the entrepreneur for her day！）。 Ernest is a penniless Jewish refugee from Germany searching for shelter in Shanghai。 The two are brought together through music， and a great story of love， survival， and redemption unfolds。The book is beautifully written。 I wasn’t aware that Shanghai was a safe harbor for European Jews early in the war。 About 20，000 Jews settled in Shanghai from 1938 to 1941， but the living conditions for the Jewish refugees in Shanghai deteriorated over the course of the war due to pressure on the Japanese from their German allies。 The descriptions of life in Shanghai， including the luxury living of jazz clubs and fancy hotels as well as the settlements and ghettos， were captivating and allowed me to visualize the time and place。 The book is also well-researched， and the author does a great job of exploring the relationships and distrust among the Chinese， Japanese， and foreigners who are all co-existing and trying to survive in the war-torn city。 I did think the love story between Aiyi and Ernest got quite dramatic at times （blindly running into battle zones more than once to find each other！）， but I found them to be really enjoyable characters and I cared for them from beginning to end。I’ve read a number of WWII books focused on Europe or Japan， but I wasn’t aware of the events in Shanghai。 I’m really glad I came across this book， and the author has piqued my interest about this piece of history。 She included a list of further reading at the end of the book to learn more about Shanghai during WWI， and I will definitely be adding some of them to my TBR list！Amazon First Reads - November 2021 。。。more
Jane
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Good ReadThis book tells the story of a wealthy Chinese young lady and her life as a business owner in China。 She meets a young Jewish evacuee and so the story begins of their life during WWII。
Ginny Cuttaia
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At times I actually felt exhausted reading this story-the challenge of the never ending crises。 It was a view of the war I had never experienced before and the suffering seemed endless。 Interesting ending…
Mary Ellen Hook
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RemarkableI liked how the story was worked in the past with Aiki and Ernest and connected to the “present” day through the interview with the biographer。 The final ending was very abrupt to say the least。 Anyone who enjoys historical fiction from this time frame should read this book。
Kerri
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Wonderfully written story taking place in Shanghai during WWII。 it’s very different from stories of occupied France or Britain。 Different even from the horrific stories of Nazi concentration camps。 I had no idea so many Jewish people took refuge in Shanghai。 As with all historical fiction， this story focuses on the human side of events。
Debbi
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3，5 stars。 I really enjoyed this book as I knew nothing about the Jewish refugees that went to Shanghai to escape Hitler's Germany。 Little did they know what their fate would be at the hands of the Japanese。 3，5 stars。 I really enjoyed this book as I knew nothing about the Jewish refugees that went to Shanghai to escape Hitler's Germany。 Little did they know what their fate would be at the hands of the Japanese。 。。。more
Ms Nan L Brewster
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I loved this book。 I found it hard to put down
Chelsea
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The year is 1940。 Aiyi Shao is a twenty year old heiress and the owner of a nightclub in Shanghai。 Her nightclub used the be THE spot to go in Shanghai， but the war has caused a shortage of supplies （i。e。 ALCOHOL） and customers are dwindling。 In a desperate attempt， Aiyi goes to the hotel of Sir Victor Sassoon， a British businessman and her rival。 While there， she meets a German refugee named Ernest Reismann。 Ernest has escaped the Nazi occupation of Germany， only to be poor and penniless in Sha The year is 1940。 Aiyi Shao is a twenty year old heiress and the owner of a nightclub in Shanghai。 Her nightclub used the be THE spot to go in Shanghai， but the war has caused a shortage of supplies （i。e。 ALCOHOL） and customers are dwindling。 In a desperate attempt， Aiyi goes to the hotel of Sir Victor Sassoon， a British businessman and her rival。 While there， she meets a German refugee named Ernest Reismann。 Ernest has escaped the Nazi occupation of Germany， only to be poor and penniless in Shanghai， with only his sister Miriam to keep him company。 As he's looking for a job， he rescues a beautiful Asian woman from a group of rowdy men and the two hit it off。 There's only one problem: Aiyi is engaged to a no-nonsense man named Cheng， who cares more about his reputation than he does his fiancée。 The two engage in an affair， spanning multiple years and the landscape of war-torn Shanghai。 They both must make choices regarding their relationship that benefits themselves as well as other people。- - - -I absolutely loved this book。 I have found a happy place in historical fiction and this one was no exception。 Aiyi and Ernest are well rounded characters who have so much more to lose than each other。 Their individual journeys make my heart swell and burst with happiness and sadness and I couldn't get enough。 。。。more
Laura S。
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A must read！This is a book to be tagged a favorite and read more than once。 It takes the reader on a journey through love and loss， war and survival， and the strict codes within Chinese culture and society。
Jo-Lyne Ryker
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ErnestNot always an easy book to follow， the story is set in China during WWII and covers the invasion of theJapanese
Farah Ibrahim
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A Poignant Account of Jews in ShanghaiThis was a fascinating story！ I would never have guessed the endings and it is very much like life， we will never know how everything ends。 The sad part was how the couple suffered due to cultural traditions and hate。
Balroop Singh
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The Shangai of 1940 comes alive on the pages of ‘The Last Rose of Shanghai，’ an extremely well-written book。 Historicals are usually slow but this one moves at an excellent pace and paints a vivid picture of love and relationships in the face of hunger， helplessness and inhumanity in a war-torn city。 Overwhelming at times， the story of Aiyi and Ernest has been handled in a realistic manner。 Cultural compulsions and the urge to fly free have been drawn with incredible finesse。The concluding revel The Shangai of 1940 comes alive on the pages of ‘The Last Rose of Shanghai，’ an extremely well-written book。 Historicals are usually slow but this one moves at an excellent pace and paints a vivid picture of love and relationships in the face of hunger， helplessness and inhumanity in a war-torn city。 Overwhelming at times， the story of Aiyi and Ernest has been handled in a realistic manner。 Cultural compulsions and the urge to fly free have been drawn with incredible finesse。The concluding revelation is heartwarming and the poetic prose won my heart。 。。。more
Kathy Smith
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Wonderful bookI really enjoyed this book。 It's one of those books that makes the reader actually feel what WWII was like。 Wonderful bookI really enjoyed this book。 It's one of those books that makes the reader actually feel what WWII was like。 。。。more
Dianne
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WWII I Never KnewI love Historical Fiction， but I never knew the story about Shanghai during WWII。 It was a moving story of how traditional rules and expectations can stand in the way of experiences that can extend our love and acceptance of others。
Sandy
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Loved learning about Shanghai's WWII experience Loved learning about Shanghai's WWII experience 。。。more
Hillary
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This was my November pick from Amazon Prime First Books。 A novel about a Jewish man and a Chinese woman who fall in love in Shanghai in WWII？ I'm in。 It's a great idea。 The novel captured my interest right at the beginning。 I've learned a lot about WWII in Europe and the US， but knew only a little bit about the experience in China。 The history was interesting。 But the novel felt a bit off to me。 At some points， the writing was awkward。 I realize the author is not a native speaker of English， but This was my November pick from Amazon Prime First Books。 A novel about a Jewish man and a Chinese woman who fall in love in Shanghai in WWII？ I'm in。 It's a great idea。 The novel captured my interest right at the beginning。 I've learned a lot about WWII in Europe and the US， but knew only a little bit about the experience in China。 The history was interesting。 But the novel felt a bit off to me。 At some points， the writing was awkward。 I realize the author is not a native speaker of English， but the editor needs to make the call: Do we tell the story in Aiyi's voice in an authentic way？ Sometimes it was， and Aiyi sounded somewhat like my Chinese students。 But at other points， she sounded like an American or a Brit， depending。 And what about Ernest， whose story was told in third person？ His speech never sounded like a native speaker's of German and Yiddish， and the narrative sounded a little Chinese-inflected at points。 But not everywhere。 I imagine most readers wouldn't notice these linguistic differences， but I do， and they give me pause， which interrupts the reading experience。（view spoiler）[Speaking of Ernest， I'm intrigued and a little skeptical about all the references to Jewish life。 I was surprised that Miriam had a Bat Mitzvah。 She was a German Jew， and apparently， Bat Mitzvahs were started in the US by Reconstructivist Jews in 1922， though they did not become popular until decades later （I knew a little of this but thanks， Google！）。 Having Ernest miss her Bat Mitzvah worked for the story， but I found it jarring。 Similarly， Jewish boys make their Bar Mitzvah in a hotel or restaurant。 The ceremony celebrates the first time a boy is called to read from the Torah， a privilege and honor reserved for adult men （today， women too in certain denominations） and it happens in a synagogue， where the Torah is。 A party in a hotel or restaurant， yes。 But that's not how it's related in the book。 I reread the sentence three times， because I was so surprised。Additionally， Jews do not cremate the dead， but Ernest keeps Miriam's ashes。 And yet， when some other characters die， they are buried， to the best of their community's ability， and they even place mud balls on the "grave，" replicating how Jews place stones。 All these details， which seem like mistakes and inconsistencies to me， took away from my enjoyment of the book。 （hide spoiler）]In terms of character development， I found it uneven。 During much of the story Aiyi and Ernest are very young。 They come from very different cultures。 You would expect that they would have misunderstandings， and misread each other。 But the way the characters flip flop back and forth didn't feel natural to me。 It just felt like a lot of minds being changed all the time。 This book could have been a great story。 For me， it was an okay one， one I did finish。 I learned quite a bit about Shanghai in the 1940s， and how WWII played out in China。 Not a loss， but not a win， either。 。。。more
Penny
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Hungry for more！This book is fascinating and taught me so much about Japanese occupation of China！ Characters so rich， leaving me wanting more from this author。
John McAdam
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Really interesting， well written， great story！I never had heard of， or imagined， Jewish refugees escaping Germany to China or the possibility of British and Americans remaining in Shanghai once war broke out in Europe， especially given the aggression of the Japanese in the region。 This is a great story and provides vivid images of that awful piece of modern history。 Loved it！
Bob Sapey
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