The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall: book review

The Russian Concubine (2007) is set in Junchow in pre-revolutionary China. In the introduction, in 1917, pianist Valentina Ivanova and her five-year-old daughter Lydia are separated from their husband and father, Jens Friis, by the Bolsheviks and sent to China.

The main story takes place from 1927 when Lydia has her sixteenth birthday. Teacher Theo Willoughby established a school, the Willoughby Academy in Junchow for foreigners. Even though he was spending time with Li Mei, he had eyes for Lydia, as did most young male foreigners.

Lydia and her mother are poor, so Lydia lies and steals, taking her goods to the dangerous back streets of Junchow to pawn them. She is rescued on one occasion by Chang An Lo, a young man who beats off her assailant with a kung-fu kick. They start seeing each other, but he is pursued by Chiang Kai-shek’s troops. Chang disappears.

Theo’s school might be shut down by Polly’s father, Christopher Mason, the director of a bank. Theo took a loan for the extension of the school, and Mason threatens to call in the loan if Theo keeps teaching Chinese history to his foreign students.

Alexei Serov also notices Lydia and she seems to flirt with him, much to her mother’s annoyance. Valentina doesn’t want Lydia to have anything to do with Russian males, nor with Chinese men.

By New Year, everything changes. Valentina marries Alfred Parker, a British journalist. With the help of Liev Popkov, Lydia finds Chang An Lo – branded, burned, and beaten. She harbours him secretly, knowing that, if discovered, they would both be in danger. Then the bombing starts.

The novel culminates with the exposure of Lydia and Chang, and the tragedy it brings, but also the exposure of Valentina’s secrets.

The novel depicts life in the chaos of China at the time of Britain’s occupation: the brutality, the secrets, the deceptions, and the double-standards. It is also the story of Lydia transitioning into adulthood, full of resentment and rebellion.

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass...

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog