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The Lives Before Us
A beautifully written, sweeping story of survival, community and love ...
It it April 1939, and, in Berlin and Vienna, Esther and Kitty face a brutal choice. Flee Europe, or face the ghetto, incarceration, death.
Shanghai … They’ve heard it whispered that Shanghai might offer refuge. And so, on a crowded ocean liner, these women encounter each other for the first time.
Kitty has been lured to the other side of the world with promises of luxury, love and marriage. But when her Russian fiancé reveals his hand, she’s left to scratch a vulnerable living in Shanghai’s nightclubs and dark corners. Meanwhile, Esther and her daughter shelter in a house of widows until Aaron, a hot-headed former lover, brings fresh hope of survival.
Then, as the Japanese army enters the fray and violence mounts, the women are thrown together in Shanghai’s most desperate times. Together they must fight a future for the lives that will follow theirs.
The new novel from the author of THE UNCOMMON LIFE OF ALFRED WARNER IN SIX DAYS.
It it April 1939, and, in Berlin and Vienna, Esther and Kitty face a brutal choice. Flee Europe, or face the ghetto, incarceration, death.
Shanghai … They’ve heard it whispered that Shanghai might offer refuge. And so, on a crowded ocean liner, these women encounter each other for the first time.
Kitty has been lured to the other side of the world with promises of luxury, love and marriage. But when her Russian fiancé reveals his hand, she’s left to scratch a vulnerable living in Shanghai’s nightclubs and dark corners. Meanwhile, Esther and her daughter shelter in a house of widows until Aaron, a hot-headed former lover, brings fresh hope of survival.
Then, as the Japanese army enters the fray and violence mounts, the women are thrown together in Shanghai’s most desperate times. Together they must fight a future for the lives that will follow theirs.
The new novel from the author of THE UNCOMMON LIFE OF ALFRED WARNER IN SIX DAYS.
400 pages, Paperback
Published March 28, 2019
2 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Juliet Conlin
6 books43 followersJuliet Conlin was born in London and grew up in England and Germany. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Durham. She works as a writer and translator and lives with her husband and four children in Berlin. She writes in both English and German. Her novels include SISTERS OF BERLIN, THE LIVES BEFORE US, THE UNCOMMON LIFE OF ALFRED WARNER IN SIX DAYS and THE FRACTURED MAN.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 9, 2019
Survival
The Lives Before Us is an accomplished, poignant and gracefully compelling story. A story steeped in history but personalised through the characterisation and life of 3 main characters, Esther, Kitty and Yì. Juliet Conlin has written a story conveying a sense of constant upheaval and a struggle to survive, during one of the World’s darkest periods. When hopes and expectations would remain dreams and a harrowing life was all that awaited the victims of a World at war.
In April 1939, 5 months before the outbreak of the Second World War, Esther Niermann, a young widow, along with her daughter Anneliese (Anni), leave Berlin for Genoa to board a ship to Shanghai. Shanghai is a free port and one of the few places that Esther, as a Jew, can immigrate to. From the mid-1930s Jews who were aware of the anti-Semitic policy of Nazi Germany and had the finances to respond, started to leave their homes for apparent safe havens. Shanghai was a major destination for many German Jews.
Joining Esther on the ship from Genoa, is another lady, Kitty Blume. Kitty is a non-practising Jew and as such didn’t register as a Jew back in Germany. She is going to Shanghai to meet her fiancé, Vitali and get married. Esther, Anni and Kitty share a cabin, such are the huge passenger numbers, and while they initially avoid each other they eventually establish an intimate connection in the last few days of the journey. Esther and Kitty are very different characters, different ambitions and different behaviours. In the confusion and rush to disembark they lose touch with each other and don’t get a chance to say goodbye. Many years later destiny will bring them back together – but under what circumstances?
Kitty meets up with her fiancé, to find that he is already married but he puts her up in a flat with a young Chinese servant Yì and provides for all her needs. Kitty treats the boy with a level of kindness that he isn’t used to, which contrasts to how badly Vitali treats him. Yì has personal family concerns and we get a wonderful insight into the poverty faced by the Chinese population living under Japanese control. The Chinese existence in their own city is harsh and pitiful and is very well portrayed. This current lifestyle will be blown apart and the fallout will be disastrous for Kitty and Yì.
The story is told in the third person and alternates between the 3 main characters, giving an amazing array of issues, places and personalities as they each face totally different challenges yet are tied together by history and fate. Juliet vividly brings Shanghai to life with her wonderful prose, especially the Shanghai Ghetto, or more formally known as the Restricted Sector for Stateless Refugees. We see the different character perspectives and Juliet facilitates the reader with a lens on history that does the remarkable job of bringing it to life. The pace and structure of the novel are perfect and Juliet often uses that powerful last line of a chapter to hook you immediately into the next.
The Lives Before Us is first and foremost a story about 2 women and a boy who experienced a city during very tumultuous times, where starvation, poverty, brutality, hardships, relationships, love, kindness and community interact every day. The story displays despair, inspires hope and will break your heart before it ends – a wonderful achievement in weaving history, humanity and storytelling into a dramatic novel.
I read The Lives Before Us as a Buddy Read with my great friend, Beata. Many thanks for her contribution and insight while we read this together. Beata made this such an enjoyable experience, which is another memory I have of this book. I would highly recommend this book and I would like to thank Black & White Publishing and Juliet Conlin for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.
Additional Book Ratings
Cover Design: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Proofreading Success: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quality of Book Formatting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Illustrations: N/A
Number of Pages: 384
Number of Chapters: 44 (approx 9 pages per chapter)
The Lives Before Us is an accomplished, poignant and gracefully compelling story. A story steeped in history but personalised through the characterisation and life of 3 main characters, Esther, Kitty and Yì. Juliet Conlin has written a story conveying a sense of constant upheaval and a struggle to survive, during one of the World’s darkest periods. When hopes and expectations would remain dreams and a harrowing life was all that awaited the victims of a World at war.
In April 1939, 5 months before the outbreak of the Second World War, Esther Niermann, a young widow, along with her daughter Anneliese (Anni), leave Berlin for Genoa to board a ship to Shanghai. Shanghai is a free port and one of the few places that Esther, as a Jew, can immigrate to. From the mid-1930s Jews who were aware of the anti-Semitic policy of Nazi Germany and had the finances to respond, started to leave their homes for apparent safe havens. Shanghai was a major destination for many German Jews.
Joining Esther on the ship from Genoa, is another lady, Kitty Blume. Kitty is a non-practising Jew and as such didn’t register as a Jew back in Germany. She is going to Shanghai to meet her fiancé, Vitali and get married. Esther, Anni and Kitty share a cabin, such are the huge passenger numbers, and while they initially avoid each other they eventually establish an intimate connection in the last few days of the journey. Esther and Kitty are very different characters, different ambitions and different behaviours. In the confusion and rush to disembark they lose touch with each other and don’t get a chance to say goodbye. Many years later destiny will bring them back together – but under what circumstances?
Kitty meets up with her fiancé, to find that he is already married but he puts her up in a flat with a young Chinese servant Yì and provides for all her needs. Kitty treats the boy with a level of kindness that he isn’t used to, which contrasts to how badly Vitali treats him. Yì has personal family concerns and we get a wonderful insight into the poverty faced by the Chinese population living under Japanese control. The Chinese existence in their own city is harsh and pitiful and is very well portrayed. This current lifestyle will be blown apart and the fallout will be disastrous for Kitty and Yì.
The story is told in the third person and alternates between the 3 main characters, giving an amazing array of issues, places and personalities as they each face totally different challenges yet are tied together by history and fate. Juliet vividly brings Shanghai to life with her wonderful prose, especially the Shanghai Ghetto, or more formally known as the Restricted Sector for Stateless Refugees. We see the different character perspectives and Juliet facilitates the reader with a lens on history that does the remarkable job of bringing it to life. The pace and structure of the novel are perfect and Juliet often uses that powerful last line of a chapter to hook you immediately into the next.
The Lives Before Us is first and foremost a story about 2 women and a boy who experienced a city during very tumultuous times, where starvation, poverty, brutality, hardships, relationships, love, kindness and community interact every day. The story displays despair, inspires hope and will break your heart before it ends – a wonderful achievement in weaving history, humanity and storytelling into a dramatic novel.
I read The Lives Before Us as a Buddy Read with my great friend, Beata. Many thanks for her contribution and insight while we read this together. Beata made this such an enjoyable experience, which is another memory I have of this book. I would highly recommend this book and I would like to thank Black & White Publishing and Juliet Conlin for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.
Additional Book Ratings
Cover Design: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Proofreading Success: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quality of Book Formatting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Illustrations: N/A
Number of Pages: 384
Number of Chapters: 44 (approx 9 pages per chapter)
March 20, 2019
This is an interesting novel describing the fate of the Jewish immigrants who were lucky to leave Germany and Austria before WW2 began. The immigration, as it turned out, saved their lives. The destination place was Shanghai, one of the few places then that accepted Jews and where the immigrants lived or rather survived in most dramatic circumstances. Two female characters, Kitty and Esther, have different background and stories that they take when they embark the ship. I liked the way the author unveils gradually both women's past as it makes the novel intriguing. In Shanghai they face difficulties, poverty, fear, loneliness but somehow find stamina to survive. They are complete opposites, moreover, Esther has a little daughter to take care of. Kitty's and Esther's paths cross that of a poor Chinese boy's called Yi. Introducing Yi allows the Author to describe daily lives of average Chinese under Japanese occupation of which I had only a vague idea. There is so much to learn from this novel about the immigrants whose fate took them so far away from homeland, forcing them to leave the nearest and dearest for the price of survival. Many books have this theme but the setting for this novel was a total novelty for me and the panorama of the immigrant community in the Chinese port is interestingly presented. I especially enjoyed vivid descriptions of Shanghai and I actually could hear the noise and smells of it. The Lives Before Us is a solid historical fiction that I recommend to the fans of this particular genre.
Reading this novel was a double pleasure as it was my first ever Buddy Read with my Great Friend Peter, whose thoughts added wonderfully to my reading experience.
*Many thanks to Juliet Conlin, Black & White Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
Reading this novel was a double pleasure as it was my first ever Buddy Read with my Great Friend Peter, whose thoughts added wonderfully to my reading experience.
*Many thanks to Juliet Conlin, Black & White Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
April 5, 2019
Book Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
April 1939 German widower Esther Niermann and her little daughter Anneliese and Austrian Kitty Blume are both Jewish and fleeing their respective countries before the war breaks out. They know of what Hitler and his men will do to the Jewish people.
They meet on board a ship heading from Genoa to Shanghai, China when they are both given the same cabin to share for the eight-week journey. The crossing is rough and sickly but the two women become firm friends. Once they dock the pair are separated and whilst Esther and Anneliese go to the Jewish refugee compound set, Kitty is supposed to be starting a new life with her fiancé, Vitali, who is waiting for her but not everything goes according to plan. She is given the help of a young Chinese servant boy called Wing (Yi) who is to look after her.
The book follows their lives over the coming years, up until the end of the war. They might have thought that Shanghai was the answer to their prayers but they didn’t count on the Japanese and the hardship that was to follow.
The book is told in alternating chapters, at first between Esther and Kitty and once they are in Shanghai, Wing is an additional added character. Their stories are written in the third person and via short chapters.
Each of the characters including little Anneliese had their own personalities and their hardship and toughness of living through the war really came across strong. The two women were both very strong women. Esther has had to leave her loving family behind. Her parents paid for her and their granddaughter to get out of Germany and to hopefully make something of their lives. She is holding a lot of guilt regarding the death of her husband and now the only family she has is her daughter and she will fight tooth and nail for her.
Kitty reminded me of the women you see in 1920’s movies, those who are dressed up to the nines and drink cocktails and have men falling at their feet. She hasn’t had anything to do with her family in many years as her father was a monster who was partly responsible for the death of her sister. She’s a woman who puts on a brave face and gets on with things, even when she is scared inside.
Wing (Yi) is a young boy cared for by his grandmother, his parents are dead. He wants to make enough money to give his grandmother a home that they can share together.
This is a story that is so poignant, heartwarming, and touching. It really moved me listening to the characters stories. The vivid descriptions are so well crafted that you will be able to perfectly visualise what is happening, including all the barbaric and distressing events. The book also educated me. I remember a lot about what I learned about the Second World War but I’d never heard of Jewish people seeking refuge in China or the ghettos.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. Ms. Conlin genuinely has a way with words and makes you feel every emotion that her characters are going through. It might only be April but this is certainly a contender for book of the year. Oh and that final chapter was genius.
April 1939 German widower Esther Niermann and her little daughter Anneliese and Austrian Kitty Blume are both Jewish and fleeing their respective countries before the war breaks out. They know of what Hitler and his men will do to the Jewish people.
They meet on board a ship heading from Genoa to Shanghai, China when they are both given the same cabin to share for the eight-week journey. The crossing is rough and sickly but the two women become firm friends. Once they dock the pair are separated and whilst Esther and Anneliese go to the Jewish refugee compound set, Kitty is supposed to be starting a new life with her fiancé, Vitali, who is waiting for her but not everything goes according to plan. She is given the help of a young Chinese servant boy called Wing (Yi) who is to look after her.
The book follows their lives over the coming years, up until the end of the war. They might have thought that Shanghai was the answer to their prayers but they didn’t count on the Japanese and the hardship that was to follow.
The book is told in alternating chapters, at first between Esther and Kitty and once they are in Shanghai, Wing is an additional added character. Their stories are written in the third person and via short chapters.
Each of the characters including little Anneliese had their own personalities and their hardship and toughness of living through the war really came across strong. The two women were both very strong women. Esther has had to leave her loving family behind. Her parents paid for her and their granddaughter to get out of Germany and to hopefully make something of their lives. She is holding a lot of guilt regarding the death of her husband and now the only family she has is her daughter and she will fight tooth and nail for her.
Kitty reminded me of the women you see in 1920’s movies, those who are dressed up to the nines and drink cocktails and have men falling at their feet. She hasn’t had anything to do with her family in many years as her father was a monster who was partly responsible for the death of her sister. She’s a woman who puts on a brave face and gets on with things, even when she is scared inside.
Wing (Yi) is a young boy cared for by his grandmother, his parents are dead. He wants to make enough money to give his grandmother a home that they can share together.
This is a story that is so poignant, heartwarming, and touching. It really moved me listening to the characters stories. The vivid descriptions are so well crafted that you will be able to perfectly visualise what is happening, including all the barbaric and distressing events. The book also educated me. I remember a lot about what I learned about the Second World War but I’d never heard of Jewish people seeking refuge in China or the ghettos.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. Ms. Conlin genuinely has a way with words and makes you feel every emotion that her characters are going through. It might only be April but this is certainly a contender for book of the year. Oh and that final chapter was genius.
May 8, 2022
Kitty, Esther and her daughter Anneliese are all Jewish and in 1939 they flee German occupied Europe. At the time Shanghai is the only free port in the entire world and refugees didn’t need a visa to enter the country. Over twenty thousand Jewish people moved to Shanghai from 1939 to 1941, initially parts of the city were still controlled by England, America and France and until the Japanese seized total power.
Kitty is from Vienna on her way to Shanghai to meet her rich Russian fiancée Vitali, and Esther and Anni are from Berlin and she’s a young widow. The women come from different backgrounds, Kitty's a bit of a snob, they have to share a cabin during the voyage and become good friends.
Kitty’s fiancée has promises her a life of luxury, she discovers he’s been lying to her and he’s a nasty bully. Kitty has to make her way on her own in a strange city, men pay her to dance with them in Shanghai’s seedy nightclubs and of course they pressure her to do more.
When Esther and Anni arrive in Shanghai it’s a real shock, the sights, smells and the heat. Things don’t initially go as planned, until Esther meets her former boyfriend Aaron, they move into together and she works as a medical receptionist for her friends Helen and Victor Stern.
All Jewish people are given three months notice by the Japanese, they have to move themselves and their businesses into the Hongkew ghetto. The ghetto is surrounded by a wire fence, it’s crowded, smelly, and infested with vermin and diseases spread quickly. Together Esther, Kitty, Helen, Victor and Kitty’s ex servant Yi fight to stay alive, Yi being Chinese means he can sneak out of the ghetto and source some medical supplies for the doctors. The Americans start bombing the city, the Japanese are losing the war and adults are eating one meal a day and others are starving.
The Lives Before Us by Juliet Conlin is a historical saga and before reading this story I knew very little about this tragic time in history and the existence of the restricted sector for stateless refugees in Shanghai. The characters in the book show incredible strength, courage, persistence, endurance, kindness and it’s due to their strong bond and friendship. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Black & White Publishing in exchange for an honest review, I highly recommend reading this memorable story and four stars from me.
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Kitty is from Vienna on her way to Shanghai to meet her rich Russian fiancée Vitali, and Esther and Anni are from Berlin and she’s a young widow. The women come from different backgrounds, Kitty's a bit of a snob, they have to share a cabin during the voyage and become good friends.
Kitty’s fiancée has promises her a life of luxury, she discovers he’s been lying to her and he’s a nasty bully. Kitty has to make her way on her own in a strange city, men pay her to dance with them in Shanghai’s seedy nightclubs and of course they pressure her to do more.
When Esther and Anni arrive in Shanghai it’s a real shock, the sights, smells and the heat. Things don’t initially go as planned, until Esther meets her former boyfriend Aaron, they move into together and she works as a medical receptionist for her friends Helen and Victor Stern.
All Jewish people are given three months notice by the Japanese, they have to move themselves and their businesses into the Hongkew ghetto. The ghetto is surrounded by a wire fence, it’s crowded, smelly, and infested with vermin and diseases spread quickly. Together Esther, Kitty, Helen, Victor and Kitty’s ex servant Yi fight to stay alive, Yi being Chinese means he can sneak out of the ghetto and source some medical supplies for the doctors. The Americans start bombing the city, the Japanese are losing the war and adults are eating one meal a day and others are starving.
The Lives Before Us by Juliet Conlin is a historical saga and before reading this story I knew very little about this tragic time in history and the existence of the restricted sector for stateless refugees in Shanghai. The characters in the book show incredible strength, courage, persistence, endurance, kindness and it’s due to their strong bond and friendship. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Black & White Publishing in exchange for an honest review, I highly recommend reading this memorable story and four stars from me.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KarrenReadsH...
July 11, 2019
This is a beautiful book that is heartbreaking, dramatic and made me feel so anxious with regards to the treatment of other human beings. The story that kept me enthralled from beginning to end.
Prior to the start of the second world war, Ester, Anni (Ester's daughter) and Kitty manage to leave Germany feeling the impending doom facing Jews under the Nazi regime. The 3 women shared a cabin on a ship from Genoa to Shanghai and eventually established a friendship that would resurface many years later. What they discovered in Shanghai was not freedom but hardship and torment. What they found at a deeper level was love and care within a community.
Kitty lived a separate affluent life for a while with a wealthy man and a personal Chinese manservant Yi. As time progressed and usefulness changed, both Kitty and Yi found themselves on the streets, facing the brutality and poverty of an occupied country that ruled with a vicious hand.
Juliet Conlin creates a fabulous story with a revealing history and the personal stories of the book's three narrators, Ester, Kitty and Yi. I just loved this story and amazing writing.
Prior to the start of the second world war, Ester, Anni (Ester's daughter) and Kitty manage to leave Germany feeling the impending doom facing Jews under the Nazi regime. The 3 women shared a cabin on a ship from Genoa to Shanghai and eventually established a friendship that would resurface many years later. What they discovered in Shanghai was not freedom but hardship and torment. What they found at a deeper level was love and care within a community.
Kitty lived a separate affluent life for a while with a wealthy man and a personal Chinese manservant Yi. As time progressed and usefulness changed, both Kitty and Yi found themselves on the streets, facing the brutality and poverty of an occupied country that ruled with a vicious hand.
Juliet Conlin creates a fabulous story with a revealing history and the personal stories of the book's three narrators, Ester, Kitty and Yi. I just loved this story and amazing writing.
August 29, 2019
Rating: 4 stars
HEA:
It’s quite unusual for me to read and review historical books. It’s a genre I’m definitely not accustomed to, but when I read the synopsis of this novel, set in Shangai during the World War II, I knew I had to give it a try. And I’m glad. I’m really, really, glad.
This novel talks about three people: Esther, Kitty and Wing (Yi). The two women meet each other on a ship, from Genoa to Shangai, where they are forced to share a cabin for eight days. Both women are on the run and the only way to avoid death, was to board on a ship and flee. But even after their arrival, Kitty and Esther won’t forget about each other. From that day on, their lives will never be the same. If Esther tries to rebuild a life for herself, Kitty is forced to acknowledge that the man she is in love with is a violent and manipulative liar. She’s introduced to the soft-spoken Wing who is mistreated by her lover on a daily basis, but they manage to bring some sort of solace into each other’s life.
Conlin’s writing was beautiful and evocative and the way she described Shangai, its smells, its traffic, its peculiarities was utterly breathtaking. It was like being there, with the characters, wandering those streets, living those scenes.
The ending was bittersweet and sad, but I appreciated how realistic it was.
Thank you Black and White Publishing for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own
HEA:
"But the words don’t come. So instead, he attempts a smile, and the sounds drop away."
It’s quite unusual for me to read and review historical books. It’s a genre I’m definitely not accustomed to, but when I read the synopsis of this novel, set in Shangai during the World War II, I knew I had to give it a try. And I’m glad. I’m really, really, glad.
This novel talks about three people: Esther, Kitty and Wing (Yi). The two women meet each other on a ship, from Genoa to Shangai, where they are forced to share a cabin for eight days. Both women are on the run and the only way to avoid death, was to board on a ship and flee. But even after their arrival, Kitty and Esther won’t forget about each other. From that day on, their lives will never be the same. If Esther tries to rebuild a life for herself, Kitty is forced to acknowledge that the man she is in love with is a violent and manipulative liar. She’s introduced to the soft-spoken Wing who is mistreated by her lover on a daily basis, but they manage to bring some sort of solace into each other’s life.
Conlin’s writing was beautiful and evocative and the way she described Shangai, its smells, its traffic, its peculiarities was utterly breathtaking. It was like being there, with the characters, wandering those streets, living those scenes.
The ending was bittersweet and sad, but I appreciated how realistic it was.
Thank you Black and White Publishing for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own
April 22, 2019
This is a fascinating story of lives in Shanghai during the Second World War. The characters are interesting and believable and the setting is described in all its squalid and difficult detail. Really enjoyed this book.
April 9, 2020
Excellent! A new favorite author!!
April 17, 2019
Two women. A world at war.
Can they survive the Shanghai Ghetto?
The Lives Before Us is the latest novel from Juliet Conlin and has just been published with Black & White Publishing. It is a book that invoked such emotions as the characters came alive for me. I travelled across the world with them and followed them into this new and strange environment where their lives would be changed forever.
I had never heard of the Shanghai Ghetto, until now. In the late 1930s, Shanghai was categorized as a free port, allowing access to the country without visa or passport. With the persecution of the Jewish community already a reality, many made the long journey from the port of Genoa to the heaving and overwhelming city of Shanghai in the hope of a better life than the alternative. As the Nazi regime took a foothold in Europe, the choice for many of the Jewish community was exile to this strange land.
Esther and Kitty, both young women in their prime, flee their homes in Berlin and Vienna for a better life, a chance to survive, to live. Esther has her young daughter to care for, following the death of her husband. Leaving her parents behind, her intention is for them to follow her as soon as she establishes herself in Shanghai. Kitty leaves Vienna chasing a dream, with her beau gone ahead of her, setting up their home for when Kitty arrives.
With rumours aplenty that Shanghai is a haven, a place welcoming of the Jewish community, they journey with a sense of optimism about this new life. But after weeks of a treacherous sailing, they are soon faced with a very different reality, on arrival into this strange place.
‘They are squeezed onto a bus to be taken to a heim, one of the refugee camps set up by the Shanghai Jewish community……They ride along a wide street before turning into a maze of smaller roads, the bus grinding it’s way through traffic, past open-fronted houses, women openly nursing their babies, beggars squatting on the pavements; past Chinese coolies, calling out “ay-ho, hah-ho”, carrying long bamboo stocks across their shoulders with cargo so heavy it threatens to snap the sticks in two. They drive past skeletons of houses, destroyed buildings, ruins from a war most Europeans have never heard of. And a thousand different smells mingling, some unexpectedly pleasant, and others – most others – stomach turning’
Esther and Kitty start their journeys in Shanghai on two very different paths. We witness the horrors they both face as they try to navigate this extraordinary place, with a culture so different to their own. Adding to the increasing challenges they both face, is the arrival of the Japanese military, who invoke a much stricter regime for the Jewish community, with the formation of a restricted section for ‘Stateless Refugees’. Known as the ‘Shanghai Ghetto’, it was a compact area in the Hongkew district of Japanese-occupied Shanghai and it became home to the Jewish community, until 1945.
The Lives Before Us is a novel that was inspired by real-life testimonials, diaries, essays and Juliet Conlin’s interviews with survivors of the time. Described as ‘a story of survival, community, exile and friendship’, it brings the reader on an extraordinary voyage into the lives of these brave and remarkable people. Esther and Kitty may be fictional characters but their arrival in Shanghai from Genoa and the years that followed are all loosely based around fact.
‘The Jewish refugees encountered an almost unbearable climate, desperate living conditions, shocking crime, a fierce battle for limited resources and an overpopulated city. Survival was only possible through ingenuity, industriousness, solidarity and – perhaps most importantly – hope.’
– Author’s Note
Juliet Conlin brings alive the potent scent and smells of Shanghai, the poverty of both the local community and that of the immigrants, with a vivid narrative that is exceptionally powerful and heart-wrenching, compelling and fascinating.
The Lives Before Us is such an important book, highlighting a period in our history that we must never forget, a book I highly recommend!
Can they survive the Shanghai Ghetto?
The Lives Before Us is the latest novel from Juliet Conlin and has just been published with Black & White Publishing. It is a book that invoked such emotions as the characters came alive for me. I travelled across the world with them and followed them into this new and strange environment where their lives would be changed forever.
I had never heard of the Shanghai Ghetto, until now. In the late 1930s, Shanghai was categorized as a free port, allowing access to the country without visa or passport. With the persecution of the Jewish community already a reality, many made the long journey from the port of Genoa to the heaving and overwhelming city of Shanghai in the hope of a better life than the alternative. As the Nazi regime took a foothold in Europe, the choice for many of the Jewish community was exile to this strange land.
Esther and Kitty, both young women in their prime, flee their homes in Berlin and Vienna for a better life, a chance to survive, to live. Esther has her young daughter to care for, following the death of her husband. Leaving her parents behind, her intention is for them to follow her as soon as she establishes herself in Shanghai. Kitty leaves Vienna chasing a dream, with her beau gone ahead of her, setting up their home for when Kitty arrives.
With rumours aplenty that Shanghai is a haven, a place welcoming of the Jewish community, they journey with a sense of optimism about this new life. But after weeks of a treacherous sailing, they are soon faced with a very different reality, on arrival into this strange place.
‘They are squeezed onto a bus to be taken to a heim, one of the refugee camps set up by the Shanghai Jewish community……They ride along a wide street before turning into a maze of smaller roads, the bus grinding it’s way through traffic, past open-fronted houses, women openly nursing their babies, beggars squatting on the pavements; past Chinese coolies, calling out “ay-ho, hah-ho”, carrying long bamboo stocks across their shoulders with cargo so heavy it threatens to snap the sticks in two. They drive past skeletons of houses, destroyed buildings, ruins from a war most Europeans have never heard of. And a thousand different smells mingling, some unexpectedly pleasant, and others – most others – stomach turning’
Esther and Kitty start their journeys in Shanghai on two very different paths. We witness the horrors they both face as they try to navigate this extraordinary place, with a culture so different to their own. Adding to the increasing challenges they both face, is the arrival of the Japanese military, who invoke a much stricter regime for the Jewish community, with the formation of a restricted section for ‘Stateless Refugees’. Known as the ‘Shanghai Ghetto’, it was a compact area in the Hongkew district of Japanese-occupied Shanghai and it became home to the Jewish community, until 1945.
The Lives Before Us is a novel that was inspired by real-life testimonials, diaries, essays and Juliet Conlin’s interviews with survivors of the time. Described as ‘a story of survival, community, exile and friendship’, it brings the reader on an extraordinary voyage into the lives of these brave and remarkable people. Esther and Kitty may be fictional characters but their arrival in Shanghai from Genoa and the years that followed are all loosely based around fact.
‘The Jewish refugees encountered an almost unbearable climate, desperate living conditions, shocking crime, a fierce battle for limited resources and an overpopulated city. Survival was only possible through ingenuity, industriousness, solidarity and – perhaps most importantly – hope.’
– Author’s Note
Juliet Conlin brings alive the potent scent and smells of Shanghai, the poverty of both the local community and that of the immigrants, with a vivid narrative that is exceptionally powerful and heart-wrenching, compelling and fascinating.
The Lives Before Us is such an important book, highlighting a period in our history that we must never forget, a book I highly recommend!
April 12, 2019
I knew that I would fall in love with this book as soon as I had read the first few pages and I sat about for a long while once it was over, wondering how on earth my review could do this book justice. This is historical fiction at its very best; a moving journey with two strong and brave yet strikingly different women at its heart, entwined with the life of a young boy from Shanghai. Whilst reading, my senses were assaulted by a cacophony of sights, sounds and smells; I really felt as if I was positioned right in the centre of the Shanghai Ghetto; inhaling its squalor and destitution as an onlooker standing at a window over Kitty, Esther and Wing.
I found my heart breaking for both Esther and Kitty in very different ways; it seemed that they were both bombarded with setback after setback and every time they managed to overcome the challenges hurled at them, they would be dealt yet another crushing blow. The enduring tenacity and the strength of these two women, who were entirely alone, combined with the kindness of those who let them into their lives, often with less than little to give, left me feeling both a sadness and a happiness at the sense of camaraderie which emerged from their collective struggle in the toughest of times.
For me, this novel was an education in an area of the Second World War of which I have very little knowledge, and on which I have read very little. The rawness of the effect of poverty in the Shanghai Ghetto evoked by Conlin, was for me a shocking revelation. The instability and precariousness of Wing’s entire existence was at best unsettling and at worst truly tragic. I found myself heavily invested in his survival as well as that of Kitty and Esther.
Conlin’s depth of knowledge and expertise on the plights of those affected by the Second World War is obvious throughout the book. I am reliably informed (straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak!) that she embarked upon a veritable quest to perfect this novel, including learning basic mandarin and travelling 5000 miles for research, not to mention personally interviewing Shanghai Ghetto survivors and reading countless history books on the subject.
This is a compelling story of heartbreak, instability and compassion; a beautifully written and captivating tale of survival. Conlin presents a masterclass in historical fiction in what is a sensorially astounding and truly accomplished novel. I shall be talking about this 5* story for a long time.
My thanks go to Black and White publishing for sending me a a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
I found my heart breaking for both Esther and Kitty in very different ways; it seemed that they were both bombarded with setback after setback and every time they managed to overcome the challenges hurled at them, they would be dealt yet another crushing blow. The enduring tenacity and the strength of these two women, who were entirely alone, combined with the kindness of those who let them into their lives, often with less than little to give, left me feeling both a sadness and a happiness at the sense of camaraderie which emerged from their collective struggle in the toughest of times.
For me, this novel was an education in an area of the Second World War of which I have very little knowledge, and on which I have read very little. The rawness of the effect of poverty in the Shanghai Ghetto evoked by Conlin, was for me a shocking revelation. The instability and precariousness of Wing’s entire existence was at best unsettling and at worst truly tragic. I found myself heavily invested in his survival as well as that of Kitty and Esther.
Conlin’s depth of knowledge and expertise on the plights of those affected by the Second World War is obvious throughout the book. I am reliably informed (straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak!) that she embarked upon a veritable quest to perfect this novel, including learning basic mandarin and travelling 5000 miles for research, not to mention personally interviewing Shanghai Ghetto survivors and reading countless history books on the subject.
This is a compelling story of heartbreak, instability and compassion; a beautifully written and captivating tale of survival. Conlin presents a masterclass in historical fiction in what is a sensorially astounding and truly accomplished novel. I shall be talking about this 5* story for a long time.
My thanks go to Black and White publishing for sending me a a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2019
The Lives Before Us is the story of Kitty and Esther, Jewish women fleeing Vienna and Berlin as World War 2 threatens and they face being sent to live in ghettos or worse. Shanghai is one of the few places which still accepts refugees at this point and the women meet when they share a cabin on board the boat there. Esther is a widow, seeking sanctuary for herself and her young daughter Anni. Kitty is travelling to join her wealthy, Russian fiancee Vitali who has promised a life of luxury. However, life in Shanghai turns out to be very different from what either of them expected.
I was fascinated by the historical background to this book. I have read a lot of fiction set in the Second World War but was wholly unaware of this episode of history and had no idea that many Jewish refugees from Europe travelled to Shanghai. I also had never heard of the ghettos in Shanghai. So this is a book I learned a lot from which is always a bonus to me when I read.
Juliet Conlin writes so vividly about her characters’ surroundings and experiences. Her descriptions of the women’s time on the boat to Shanghai seemed so real that I almost felt seasick myself. Her portrayal of the heat, the dust, the noise, the bustle and the smells of Shanghai leaps off the page, such was the clear image created by her words.
There is a journey for both women throughout this book both literal and metaphorical. Wherever they went, the Jewish refugees were an underclass. Ghetto life was clearly such a struggle. Everything seemed to conspire against Esther. Just when things seemed to go right for her and Anni, something always happened to dash her hopes. Kitty, was not initially such a likeable character seeming somewhat frivolous. She thought she was going to a better life but cruelly deceived by lover and like many people, found herself at a real low point, doing what she had to to survive. A third character is this book is Kitty’s servant and loyal friend, young Wing. I don’t want to say too much about him but he was a brilliant character and a lifesaver in so many ways.
The Lives Before Us shows the human capacity for resilience, strength and courage at life’s lowest points. It is a compelling and deeply moving read. Though there is despair and desperation, there is also hope and compassion. Juliet Conlin has blended dark history beautifully into the novel and created a remarkable and unforgettable story.
I was fascinated by the historical background to this book. I have read a lot of fiction set in the Second World War but was wholly unaware of this episode of history and had no idea that many Jewish refugees from Europe travelled to Shanghai. I also had never heard of the ghettos in Shanghai. So this is a book I learned a lot from which is always a bonus to me when I read.
Juliet Conlin writes so vividly about her characters’ surroundings and experiences. Her descriptions of the women’s time on the boat to Shanghai seemed so real that I almost felt seasick myself. Her portrayal of the heat, the dust, the noise, the bustle and the smells of Shanghai leaps off the page, such was the clear image created by her words.
There is a journey for both women throughout this book both literal and metaphorical. Wherever they went, the Jewish refugees were an underclass. Ghetto life was clearly such a struggle. Everything seemed to conspire against Esther. Just when things seemed to go right for her and Anni, something always happened to dash her hopes. Kitty, was not initially such a likeable character seeming somewhat frivolous. She thought she was going to a better life but cruelly deceived by lover and like many people, found herself at a real low point, doing what she had to to survive. A third character is this book is Kitty’s servant and loyal friend, young Wing. I don’t want to say too much about him but he was a brilliant character and a lifesaver in so many ways.
The Lives Before Us shows the human capacity for resilience, strength and courage at life’s lowest points. It is a compelling and deeply moving read. Though there is despair and desperation, there is also hope and compassion. Juliet Conlin has blended dark history beautifully into the novel and created a remarkable and unforgettable story.
March 28, 2019
I loved this World War 2 era book, set in the exotic city of Shanghai, which follows the lives and adventures of three very different people. In Nazi occupied Europe in 1939 escape routes for Jews are few and far between. Esther and her young daughter are fleeing and one of the only cities that is still a free port open to all nationalities is Shanghai, so they board an ocean liner in search of a safer future. Once on board they meet Kitty, also Jewish, who is travelling to Shanghai on the promise of a life of wealth and luxury with her Russian suitor. However once she arrives, she learns that she will be hidden away as a mistress, her only companion the young houseboy Yi. Despite this unpromising start she seems to be settling in , but as the Russian's angry and violent side comes to the surface she soon finds herself scraping a living working as a dance hall girl. As the war drags on, and the Japanese enter the fray, the dangers the women fled from seem to be following them.
Strong characters, vividly described , are at the heart of this wonderful book. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for each of the three narrators in their different but difficult circumstances. The city of Shanghai almost feels like another character. Books set during this period are always fascinating, but this is the first I have read set in Shanghai and I really enjoyed the different perspectives and experiences described. despite their sometimes brutal and harrowing nature. The author does not shy away from the barbaric side of war, and the violence and depravity imposed on civilians living in a war zone which makes for difficult reading at times, but she also shines a light on the value of friendship and the importance of looking out for those we love.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Strong characters, vividly described , are at the heart of this wonderful book. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for each of the three narrators in their different but difficult circumstances. The city of Shanghai almost feels like another character. Books set during this period are always fascinating, but this is the first I have read set in Shanghai and I really enjoyed the different perspectives and experiences described. despite their sometimes brutal and harrowing nature. The author does not shy away from the barbaric side of war, and the violence and depravity imposed on civilians living in a war zone which makes for difficult reading at times, but she also shines a light on the value of friendship and the importance of looking out for those we love.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
September 15, 2019
Audio version of this book 📚- Really enjoyed this book, unusual storyline told from the perspective of German Jews who fled to Shanghai. Great narration
April 15, 2019
Review originally published here: https://joyfulantidotes.com/2019/04/1...
I’ve read a lot of WWII books set in England. My favourite aspect of these books is how people bond to get themselves through a hard time. I especially love the female friendships that come from these struggles. I found the exact same with The Lives Before Us and was really invested in what would come of the friendship between Esther and Kitty.
I know some people might turn their noses up at another WWII book but this book doesn’t follow the same formula. I think a big reason for this was the setting in Shanghai. Admittedly, I knew nothing about Shanghai offering refuge for Jews during the war, and I knew next to nothing about the invasion of the Japanese, so The Lives Before Us opened up a whole new world to me.
Now don’t get me wrong, because Shanghai was supposed to be some kind of refuge doesn’t mean that this book was any less dark than a WWII story based in mainland Europe. The struggle people went through to have a fighting chance at a better life was heartbreaking. In fact, there was one scene in particular that really got to me. On the liner, there was an elderly couple, the Rosenbaums. They try to sell a watch to Esther and Kitty and the desperation and embarrassment they go through for a little bit of money broke my heart.
In fact, it was the Rosenbaums who brought the most emotion to the book. That is not to say that Esther and Kitty’s stories were any less sad. But Esther was a very strong woman and I had no doubt that she would be able to front anything out. Kitty was another strong women but not a very likable person, at first. She was quite frustrating in the choices that she made.
Finally, I want to touch on how well Juliet Conlin made Shanghai come to life. In my mind, I lived in the city and could clearly see the richest areas down the areas with the most despair. This is done especially well with the inclusion of Wing, Kitty’s errand boy. Through Wing, we see how desperate Shanghai also was for the locals.
Overall, although this was a book about despair and the struggle to survive, it is also very much a book about kindness, love and the power of community. A must read for everyone!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read a lot of WWII books set in England. My favourite aspect of these books is how people bond to get themselves through a hard time. I especially love the female friendships that come from these struggles. I found the exact same with The Lives Before Us and was really invested in what would come of the friendship between Esther and Kitty.
I know some people might turn their noses up at another WWII book but this book doesn’t follow the same formula. I think a big reason for this was the setting in Shanghai. Admittedly, I knew nothing about Shanghai offering refuge for Jews during the war, and I knew next to nothing about the invasion of the Japanese, so The Lives Before Us opened up a whole new world to me.
Now don’t get me wrong, because Shanghai was supposed to be some kind of refuge doesn’t mean that this book was any less dark than a WWII story based in mainland Europe. The struggle people went through to have a fighting chance at a better life was heartbreaking. In fact, there was one scene in particular that really got to me. On the liner, there was an elderly couple, the Rosenbaums. They try to sell a watch to Esther and Kitty and the desperation and embarrassment they go through for a little bit of money broke my heart.
In fact, it was the Rosenbaums who brought the most emotion to the book. That is not to say that Esther and Kitty’s stories were any less sad. But Esther was a very strong woman and I had no doubt that she would be able to front anything out. Kitty was another strong women but not a very likable person, at first. She was quite frustrating in the choices that she made.
Finally, I want to touch on how well Juliet Conlin made Shanghai come to life. In my mind, I lived in the city and could clearly see the richest areas down the areas with the most despair. This is done especially well with the inclusion of Wing, Kitty’s errand boy. Through Wing, we see how desperate Shanghai also was for the locals.
Overall, although this was a book about despair and the struggle to survive, it is also very much a book about kindness, love and the power of community. A must read for everyone!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2019
Well this is an unusual angle on a war story, telling the tale of two very different women who meet on board a ship taking them to Shanghai, a free port rumoured to be safer than their home cities. For a while it was - but then the Japanese invaded and life turned upside down. Very well written (unsurprisingly, as the author did go to Lancaster University ...!)
August 5, 2019
This was a total unexpected gem
I thought my supply of Ww2 novels had been exhausted This was a brilliant read loved the characters and such a brilliant narrator such a well researched novel I really enjoyed it I'm surprised it's never cropped up in my recommendations
I thought my supply of Ww2 novels had been exhausted This was a brilliant read loved the characters and such a brilliant narrator such a well researched novel I really enjoyed it I'm surprised it's never cropped up in my recommendations
December 12, 2019
Excellent journey to discover how different and similar are cultures far away from each other. The characters change and evolve. It will be difficult to forget Wing.
April 5, 2020
This tale of survival, love, friendship and resilience centres around two women's choice to flee to Shanghai rather than perish in the gas chambers under Hitler's rule. Berlin and Vienna are no longer safe to Jews so Kitty and Esther make up their minds to move to Shanghai, a place they've heard great things about, somewhere to start afresh, safely, away from the Nazi threat. Their destination isn't all that was promised or expected however and before them they witness levels of poverty that previously they never knew existed. Shanghai is a city of great wealth also which was shown in contrast to the efforts the poor made to merely survive. This story is a true tale of survival. It is a gem of a book, giving an account of how Jews in China too suffered during the occupation, mistreated in ghettos just as their European counterparts were. It is a story of love and friendship from the point of view of Esther, Kitty and Wing, a young Chinese servant boy given to Kitty to take care of her. Each character is strong in its own right, they are well written and very likeable. Each has her/his own past and determination to survive and be triumphant at all costs. I really enjoyed this book. It described atrocities of the holocaust from another vantage point, one that I was entirely unaware of before I read this book. It's one I highly recommend!!
April 7, 2022
I have learned and studied World History but nothing about how WWII affected China or in this case Shanghai. So it was enlightening to read how the jewish people were treated in this city.
I felt the poverty, the filth, the deprivation and the stark reality and darkness faced by these characters as Conlin made me feel like i was there with them.the sights, the smells..
The horror these people faced, survived, endured and those who didn't, your emotions take over.
The strength of humans, the goodness and some of the most horrific aspects especially the antisemitism it really made me sick.
This was my first with this author, it won't be my last, she has a way of pulling the reader right into the lives of her characters. I love when an author does this.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
I felt the poverty, the filth, the deprivation and the stark reality and darkness faced by these characters as Conlin made me feel like i was there with them.the sights, the smells..
The horror these people faced, survived, endured and those who didn't, your emotions take over.
The strength of humans, the goodness and some of the most horrific aspects especially the antisemitism it really made me sick.
This was my first with this author, it won't be my last, she has a way of pulling the reader right into the lives of her characters. I love when an author does this.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
February 9, 2020
This detailed slow burning novel flowed along nicely, although occasionally a little too slowly.The stories of the main characters were planned and executed well and were cleverly linked together. However, to my mind the descriptions of what happened in Shanghai during world war 2, trumped the characters’ stories. I was surprised how badly theJewish community were treated and how appalling the conditions were in the ghetto where they were located. The descriptions of Shanghai were excellent and realistic and I felt that I was a almost living there. There were lighter parts to the story also, especially when the customs of the local people were described.
If you are interested in a historical novel with a good story then I would recommend this book to you. I’ve given it a 5 star rating
If you are interested in a historical novel with a good story then I would recommend this book to you. I’ve given it a 5 star rating
June 10, 2019
It was fine...wanted more.
April 22, 2019
Time taken to read - 2.5 days
Pages - 400
Publisher - Black & White Publishing
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
A beautifully written, sweeping story of survival, community and love ...
It it April 1939, and, in Berlin and Vienna, Esther and Kitty face a brutal choice. Flee Europe, or face the ghetto, incarceration, death.
Shanghai … They’ve heard it whispered that Shanghai might offer refuge. And so, on a crowded ocean liner, these women encounter each other for the first time.
Kitty has been lured to the other side of the world with promises of luxury, love and marriage. But when her Russian fiancé reveals his hand, she’s left to scratch a vulnerable living in Shanghai’s nightclubs and dark corners. Meanwhile, Esther and her daughter shelter in a house of widows until Aaron, a hot-headed former lover, brings fresh hope of survival.
Then, as the Japanese army enters the fray and violence mounts, the women are thrown together in Shanghai’s most desperate times. Together they must fight a future for the lives that will follow theirs.
My Review
Esther and Kitty, two very different girls but both escaping Europe to Shanghai to evade the war. Kitty is running to a new life, a fiance, money, a new home, perfect. Esther has her wee girl, leaving to the unknown but willing to work. On the ship over the ladies meet and forge a connection, a friendship before parting to what awaits them. Things aren't quite as they planned, circumstances change, war rages and as the Japanese soldiers invade their small part of the world we experience the war and injustices through the ladies eyes.
I have to admit my ignorance, I don't know a whole lot about the wars and the history of the world but Shanghai was never an area I read or heard of during these times, World War two in this book. The imagery created by Conlin, in some of the darkest parts you could taste the poverty/filth/deprivation and feel the stark reality and darkness faced by these characters. Emotive is a word I find using more and more when reading these kind of books but in parts of this it evoked raw emotion. The horror these people faced, survived, endured and those who didn't, your breath catches, holds and strains as you inhale word after word rooting for it to go good.
So so many themes in this book but for me the biggest were humanity, relationships and the shape of who we are, how tough humans can be and more importantly just how quick things can turn and change. The strength of humans, the goodness and some of the most horrific aspects especially the antisemitism it really made the hairs of the back of my neck stand and my gorge rise. This was my first dance with this author, it won't be my last, she has a way of pulling the reader right into the settings, location and lives of the characters, 4/5 for me this time.
Pages - 400
Publisher - Black & White Publishing
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
A beautifully written, sweeping story of survival, community and love ...
It it April 1939, and, in Berlin and Vienna, Esther and Kitty face a brutal choice. Flee Europe, or face the ghetto, incarceration, death.
Shanghai … They’ve heard it whispered that Shanghai might offer refuge. And so, on a crowded ocean liner, these women encounter each other for the first time.
Kitty has been lured to the other side of the world with promises of luxury, love and marriage. But when her Russian fiancé reveals his hand, she’s left to scratch a vulnerable living in Shanghai’s nightclubs and dark corners. Meanwhile, Esther and her daughter shelter in a house of widows until Aaron, a hot-headed former lover, brings fresh hope of survival.
Then, as the Japanese army enters the fray and violence mounts, the women are thrown together in Shanghai’s most desperate times. Together they must fight a future for the lives that will follow theirs.
My Review
Esther and Kitty, two very different girls but both escaping Europe to Shanghai to evade the war. Kitty is running to a new life, a fiance, money, a new home, perfect. Esther has her wee girl, leaving to the unknown but willing to work. On the ship over the ladies meet and forge a connection, a friendship before parting to what awaits them. Things aren't quite as they planned, circumstances change, war rages and as the Japanese soldiers invade their small part of the world we experience the war and injustices through the ladies eyes.
I have to admit my ignorance, I don't know a whole lot about the wars and the history of the world but Shanghai was never an area I read or heard of during these times, World War two in this book. The imagery created by Conlin, in some of the darkest parts you could taste the poverty/filth/deprivation and feel the stark reality and darkness faced by these characters. Emotive is a word I find using more and more when reading these kind of books but in parts of this it evoked raw emotion. The horror these people faced, survived, endured and those who didn't, your breath catches, holds and strains as you inhale word after word rooting for it to go good.
So so many themes in this book but for me the biggest were humanity, relationships and the shape of who we are, how tough humans can be and more importantly just how quick things can turn and change. The strength of humans, the goodness and some of the most horrific aspects especially the antisemitism it really made the hairs of the back of my neck stand and my gorge rise. This was my first dance with this author, it won't be my last, she has a way of pulling the reader right into the settings, location and lives of the characters, 4/5 for me this time.
May 28, 2019
A period in wartime history I wasn’t familiar with, just the kind of book I love to read. Jewish immigrants fleeing Europe in the light of the persecutions by the Nazis. Coming from all backgrounds, they are flung together over a period of a few months, salvaging from their lives anything of any value. They flee to Shanghai, a place of safety or so they have heard however it’s quickly taken over by the Japanese and their struggle to find their homeland goes on.
Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book
Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book
July 29, 2023
i loved this!!!! 4.5!
the writing was so beautiful!! i feel like it really conveyed the overall struggle that jewish refugees faced everyday in world war 2. the matter-of-fact mentions of deaths or disappearances of characters we get used to was done really well - it being so sudden and yet not dwelled on much really spoke to the fact that mourning was not something they could afford during the war.
the story itself is incredible. 2 women meeting in such common circumstance and then being separated, only to both live incredibly unique but also similar lives. then once they rueunite, we see the rarity of their relationship and the way their stories intertwined. the relationships were really well writing and fleshed out - like kitty and yì’s, esther and anni’s, and of course kitty and timothy’s.
the writing was so beautiful!! i feel like it really conveyed the overall struggle that jewish refugees faced everyday in world war 2. the matter-of-fact mentions of deaths or disappearances of characters we get used to was done really well - it being so sudden and yet not dwelled on much really spoke to the fact that mourning was not something they could afford during the war.
the story itself is incredible. 2 women meeting in such common circumstance and then being separated, only to both live incredibly unique but also similar lives. then once they rueunite, we see the rarity of their relationship and the way their stories intertwined. the relationships were really well writing and fleshed out - like kitty and yì’s, esther and anni’s, and of course kitty and timothy’s.
June 26, 2020
I knew a little about Jewish people in Shanghai during WW2 but not much, so was interesting to read more about that. Not so keen on the style it was written - the dates felt clunky... Managed to cry at the ending 😂
September 30, 2021
I loved this book. I have never read anything by Juliet Conlin before, but stumbled upon this by searching for books read by narrators I enjoy. This was read by Anna Bentinck and is just a joy. Focusing on Shanghai during WW2.
January 11, 2022
A well written chronicle of refugees enduring wartime in Shanghai.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews