The Russian Concubine

by Kate Furnivall

Book Overview

A sweeping novel set in war-torn 1928 China, with a star-crossed love story at its center. In a city full of thieves and Communists, danger and death, spirited young Lydia Ivanova has lived a hard life. Always looking over her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old must steal to feed herself and her mother, Valentina, who numbered among the Russian elite until Bolsheviks murdered most of them, including her husband. As exiles, Lydia and Valentina have learned...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 042521558X
• ISBN13: 9780425215586
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Sweeping drama. A great debut novel.

Lydia Ivanova is a bi-racial 15 year old woman struggling with poverty in the Russian quarter of Junchow in the late 1920's. When she was a young child her mother, Valentina, fled from Russia just after the fall of the Romanovs avoiding capture even though the Bolshevik soldiers took her husband, a Danish man named Jens Friis. Valentina managed to convince the soldiers to allow her entry into China with Lydia but for the last decade she has been known as a white Russian refugee and forced to live in squalor because of this. The result of her mother's status and alcoholism is that Lydia has to steal to provide while Valentina relies on the kindness of men to provide for her and her daughter. On one of her excursions Lydia meets a young Chinese man with familiar eyes who saves her from a snake with martial arts. He makes an impression on her that she carries for some time. After some time Lydia meets the young man again. His name is Chang An Lo, and he is one of the secret communist faction that is trying to undermine Chiang Kai-shek's regime, but prominent drug cartels, criminal gangs, and Kuomintang troops are both working against him and his friends. Lydia becomes involved with him and his cause emotionally and finds herself yearning for him when he is not around, particularly when he disappears for several months. She endeavors to find him, hoping that he is still alive, because he has become so much a part of her. This historical fiction based on Furnivall's mother's life as a white Russian refugee in China blew me away. It was such an enjoyable read I devoured more than half of it in a single sitting. Of course it largely is a romance story between Lydia and Chang An Lo, however the romance is not cheesy and largely does not come into play until later in the book. For a the whole build up to the romantic climax I was hoping it wouldn't turn pedestrian or over emphasized and I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't. My only gripe is that she felt like she left open the ending for a possible sequel, and I didn't feel as if the story needed furthering. I would have been much happier if she had not opened up that ending. Overall though Furnivall is definitely a great narrative voice and I will be reading her again in the future.

Please Make This a Best Seller

Kate Furnivall has captured the Russian soul, the Chinese soul, the English soul and my own soul. I was torn between wanting to read it slowly so it would never end and wanting to finish it because of too much suspense. The characters are unforgettable. The history is researched and fascinating. Kate's own mother was a White Russian refugee in China so no wonder she had such an advantage in getting everything so authentic. One has to read this with reverence for the Chinese people. This is the first time I have ever really understood the motivations of the Chinese Communists. I have never read a novel in which so much suffering could be intertwined with so much love, courage and joy. It wasn't only the suffering and joys of the main character, Lydia, but of all the characters which made it a joy to read. They were all complex characters and therefore came alive and believable at the skillful hands of this wonderful novelist. Whether it is the opium trade or Sun Yet San or Chiang Kai Shek, Ms. Furnival gets it all just right. Please let this be a best seller and let there be a sequel. I can't say goodbye to Chang and Lydia and Albert and the rest of them. Here is a warning, but not a spoiler: It is full of surprises.

One of the best books I've ever read

It's amazing, pure and simple. The Love story is masterfully done! The characters are strong and vibrant, and their relationship contains a touch of realism that draws you in and never lets you go. I finished it and felt completed in a way I didn't know i was lacking. I pray she writes a sequel, Im an avid reader and this book is surely one of the top 5 I have ever read.

Outstanding!!!!!

This book was a real page turner. I can not wait for Kate Furnivall's second novel. She tells a story with such passion. Do yourself a favor and read this book.