The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

This is the second of four books that I’ve read by Furnivall, and I think I’m done with her. I previously reviewed “The Jewel of St. Petersburg.” That was not Furnivall’s first novel, but it was written as a prequel to her epic saga, and it was a good book. It had been my intent to read books about Russia, but this first book which in time follows “Jewel” takes place in Junchow, which is presumably Shanghai. In “Jewell” Valentina escapes from the Bolsheviks with her daughter Lydia Ivanova, but in the process of their escape, the Bolsheviks murdered Valentina’s husband, Lydia’s father. Landing in Junchow, Valentina is able to support herself and her daughter in poverty conditions by occasionally playing the piano at big social events, but mostly by being a prostitute to some powerful men. She also becomes a hopeless alcoholic. Valentina and Lydia only avoid getting thrown into the streets from their hovel because little Lydia becomes an adept pickpocket. As Lydia grows into a young beauty, she scandalously falls in love with a Chinese man, Chang An Lo, who saves her from an attack on the streets. Not only is Valentina upset about her daughter’s choice of love objects, but the Chinese are appalled that one of their men is pursuing a white woman. No doubt, the prejudices were very real.

In this book, there’s a lot of information about the opium trade and the underground movement that supports and benefits from it. There’s interesting information about the famous international community of presumably Shanghai and the fortunes/misfortunes of the different nationalities there. But, mostly this was a love story of Lydia and Chang An Lo attempting to overcome impossible odds and great prejudices. As the story concludes, Lydia learns that her father was not murdered after all, but he has been imprisoned in a gulag in Siberia. That sets up the next book, “The Girl from Junchow.” But, I’m going to let that one get by me, even though it leads back to Russia. I’ve heard one of my sisters rave about this series, and the final book in the chronological sequence is “The Red Scarf” which is Furnviall’s most well known book. But, I’m over it, at least for now