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Anya's War
Anya Rosen and her family have left their home in Odessa for Shanghai, believing that China will be a safe haven from Hitler's forces. At first, Anya's life in the Jewish Quarter of Shanghai is privileged and relatively she has crushes on boys, fights with her mother, and longs to defy expectations just like her hero, Amelia Earhart.Then Anya finds a baby—a newborn abandoned on the street. Amelia Earhart goes missing. And it becomes dangerously clear that no place is safe—not for Jewish families like the Rosens, not for Shanghai's poor, not for adventurous women pilots.Based on a true story, here is a rich, transcendent novel about a little-known time in Holocaust history.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 22, 2011
15 people are currently reading
641 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Alban Gosline
14 books7 followersAndrea Alban (a.k.a. Andrea Gosline) was born in 1959 in Baltimore, MD but spent her childhood reading voraciously in San Francisco, where she still lives with her family. On a weekly basis, she visited the Merced Branch Library and returned home with a pile of books on many different subjects. She received her B.A. cum laude in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.
Andrea self-published her first poetry book at the age of sixa hand-lettered scroll tied with red ribbon. Today, she is mother to Jake and Lily and the author of three picture books: The Happiness Tree (2009 Florida Children's Book Award nominee); Ten Little Wishes, and Januarys Child: The Birthday Month Book. Her forthcoming debut novel, Anyas War, is loosely based on her fathers childhood as one of the Shanghai Jews. (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan; February 1, 2011)
Andreas inspirational parenting titles include: Little Moments of Peace; Welcoming Ways; and Celebrating Motherhood, a NAPPA Gold Award recipient.
Andrea is a dynamic speaker at schools, museums, libraries and literary festivals throughout the Bay Area and beyond. She serves on the faculty of Book Passage and its annual Childrens Writer Conference and consults privately with writers of all ages to shape, polish and package their manuscripts.
Read Andreas blog at calmandconfidentmoms.blogspot.com. Visit her websites: www.albanbossi.com and www.redroom.com/author/andrea-alban-g...."
Andrea self-published her first poetry book at the age of sixa hand-lettered scroll tied with red ribbon. Today, she is mother to Jake and Lily and the author of three picture books: The Happiness Tree (2009 Florida Children's Book Award nominee); Ten Little Wishes, and Januarys Child: The Birthday Month Book. Her forthcoming debut novel, Anyas War, is loosely based on her fathers childhood as one of the Shanghai Jews. (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan; February 1, 2011)
Andreas inspirational parenting titles include: Little Moments of Peace; Welcoming Ways; and Celebrating Motherhood, a NAPPA Gold Award recipient.
Andrea is a dynamic speaker at schools, museums, libraries and literary festivals throughout the Bay Area and beyond. She serves on the faculty of Book Passage and its annual Childrens Writer Conference and consults privately with writers of all ages to shape, polish and package their manuscripts.
Read Andreas blog at calmandconfidentmoms.blogspot.com. Visit her websites: www.albanbossi.com and www.redroom.com/author/andrea-alban-g...."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 14, 2011
In her debut novel for young adults, San Francisco writer Andrea Alban mines her own family history to weave a compelling coming-of-age story of a fourteen-year old Russian-Jewish girl and her family in 1937 Shanghai. Anya and her family had left their comfortable life in Odessa, where Mama was an opera singer and Papa was a journalist, because Papa wouldn't join the Communist Party, and sought safety from the Russian Secret Police in far-off Shanghai, then a safe-haven for many Jews.
The story opens with Anya writing a list of wishes in her diary. Their servant, Li Mei, has told her that planting wishes under a full moon gives them the best chance of coming true. What does a 14-year old girl in 1937 Shanghai wish for?
She wishes Amelia Earhart, her idol, will be found safe somewhere in the Pacific. She also struggles with telling her mother the truth about her hopes for the future--going to university in the United States, not becoming an opera singer like her mother. "I am absolutely, one hundred percent certain that I don't want to sing opera. I think." And she's trying to think of something witty to say to a boy she likes at the bowling club, hoping her right bosom will grow extra fast to catch up without her left side, and last but not least, wishing "the Japanese would stop killing Chinese children by accident."
But Anya's life changes when she discovers, on her way home from purchasing the family's food for Sabbath dinner, an abandoned basket with an unwanted newborn girl baby inside. What should she do? The baby was thrown away by her family, but Jews don't throw out baby girls, Anya tells herself. "All girls are precious. We're all the same." She impulsively decides to take the baby home with her, where she is helped by her best friend, Giselle, and Li Mei. Will her mother allow her to keep the baby safe? But Anya soon learns that no place is safe, especially for her new friend Gabriel and his father, who fled anti-semitism in Italy, or even in Shanghai, where unexpected danger lurks.
Alban paints a detailed picture of the exotic Jewish life in Shanghai, from the trip to the kosher butcher to the synagogue to celebrating the Sabbath rituals in their home, with a meal cooked by their Chinese servant. She writes with great affection for her characters and their hopes and fears, and young readers will readily identify with Anya and her companions. The author incorporates some romance as well, as Anya dreams about boys and even gets her first (very innocent) kiss.
An author's note explains how Alban grew up hearing stories of her father's Jewish childhood in the French Quarter of Shanghai, China, and how the small community of 4,000 Jews swelled to 20,000 with the influx of Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. The Jews that arrived after 1937 were herded by the Japanese invaders into the Hongkew Ghetto, a little-known chapter of Holocaust history.
This book is the first in a trilogy that will go through the end of World War II, and subsequent volumes will tell more about Anya's family and this fascinating chapter in history.
The story opens with Anya writing a list of wishes in her diary. Their servant, Li Mei, has told her that planting wishes under a full moon gives them the best chance of coming true. What does a 14-year old girl in 1937 Shanghai wish for?
She wishes Amelia Earhart, her idol, will be found safe somewhere in the Pacific. She also struggles with telling her mother the truth about her hopes for the future--going to university in the United States, not becoming an opera singer like her mother. "I am absolutely, one hundred percent certain that I don't want to sing opera. I think." And she's trying to think of something witty to say to a boy she likes at the bowling club, hoping her right bosom will grow extra fast to catch up without her left side, and last but not least, wishing "the Japanese would stop killing Chinese children by accident."
But Anya's life changes when she discovers, on her way home from purchasing the family's food for Sabbath dinner, an abandoned basket with an unwanted newborn girl baby inside. What should she do? The baby was thrown away by her family, but Jews don't throw out baby girls, Anya tells herself. "All girls are precious. We're all the same." She impulsively decides to take the baby home with her, where she is helped by her best friend, Giselle, and Li Mei. Will her mother allow her to keep the baby safe? But Anya soon learns that no place is safe, especially for her new friend Gabriel and his father, who fled anti-semitism in Italy, or even in Shanghai, where unexpected danger lurks.
Alban paints a detailed picture of the exotic Jewish life in Shanghai, from the trip to the kosher butcher to the synagogue to celebrating the Sabbath rituals in their home, with a meal cooked by their Chinese servant. She writes with great affection for her characters and their hopes and fears, and young readers will readily identify with Anya and her companions. The author incorporates some romance as well, as Anya dreams about boys and even gets her first (very innocent) kiss.
An author's note explains how Alban grew up hearing stories of her father's Jewish childhood in the French Quarter of Shanghai, China, and how the small community of 4,000 Jews swelled to 20,000 with the influx of Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. The Jews that arrived after 1937 were herded by the Japanese invaders into the Hongkew Ghetto, a little-known chapter of Holocaust history.
This book is the first in a trilogy that will go through the end of World War II, and subsequent volumes will tell more about Anya's family and this fascinating chapter in history.
December 27, 2010
A great window into a fascinating and horrific time period set in Shanghai and from a child's perspective.
Loved how the author explored the innermost thoughts of Anya, and painted a picture of everyday reality with the ominous backdrop of what is yet to come. I can''t wait to read more about Anya's world - I am looking forward to a Book 2! A must read for all middle school and high school reading
Loved how the author explored the innermost thoughts of Anya, and painted a picture of everyday reality with the ominous backdrop of what is yet to come. I can''t wait to read more about Anya's world - I am looking forward to a Book 2! A must read for all middle school and high school reading
Read
November 7, 2020DNF I couldn't get into this one.
April 28, 2021
Anya Rosen's family fled Communist Odessa, Russia for Shanghai, China where Jews can practice their religion in peace. While Anya lives a life of privilege in Shanghai, life there just isn't entirely FAIR. As a girl, Anya is treated as less important than her little brother Georgie who gets to participate in religious rituals with their father and is spoiled by their mother. Anya dreams of becoming a doctor like her Aunt Pauline but her mother dreams of Anya following in her footsteps becoming an opera singer. Anya worries a lot about her looks, boys and the mean girls at school. She's also worried about her idol, Amelia Earhart, who has gone missing. If Anya were President of the United States, she would never call off the search! Then Anya discovers an abandoned Chinese baby girl in the alley near their house. Anya risks everything to save the baby to protest the unjust Chinese custom of letting girls die. On the same night, she makes a new friend, Gabriel Benatar, with whom she feels a strong connection. Overnight, a typhoon blows in and Anya's life will soon change forever. Does she have the courage to change her own destiny the way she tried to change the baby's?
This story is loosely based on the author's family history during the Holocaust. I had never heard of Jews living in China before 1937 or of this wealthy international community. The story is full of stories from Ancient Greece, the talmud and China; phrases in multiple languages are spoken throughout and I really liked the multicultural aspect of the novel. I could picture the neighborhood in my mind and see Anya, with her curly hair, riding her red bike around. The baby is hardly central to the plot and serves as a way to inform the reader about how little girls were valued in 1930s China. That gives Anya something to connect with because she feels undervalued in her own family as a Jewish girl. I was expecting more about the baby and that being the main plot. What follows after Anya finds the baby is a breathless pace through the next 24 hours. I couldn't put the book down. I wish there was an epilogue or something that tells us what happened to the characters after the story ends. I didn't know about that incident either.
Anya is a likable character. She's 14 and confused like most 14-year-olds. In some ways she's very mature and introspective and in others, she's very 14. She envies her little brother and dreams about the boy she likes. She's very caring and compassionate towards her birds and her baby. She feels a connection to Kisa because they're both girls from patriarchal cultures. I wanted her to succeed in following her dreams. At times she's immature-she's only 14 after all and her mother is toxic. Anya's mother hates China and she's always cranky. She's missed out on the arts and cultural opportunities she had back in Europe and her dream of being a famous opera singer is transferred to her daughter. Gosh this woman is lucky to be alive and she's so negative! She's very harsh on her only daughter and critical of her husband. She doesn't attempt to understand the Chinese servants or care about their cultural and religious beliefs at all. They have to work until TWO A.M!!! to run the house the way she wants it. Yikes! Anya's father is kind and fun. He has strong convictions and joining the Communist party was not one of them. He can be selfish at times and can't stand up to his wife but he seems to love his family and wants them to all be happy. Anya's maternal grandmother, Babushka, is even more toxic than her daughter. Babushka is old world, superstitious and overly critical. She worries a LOT and doesn't know the meaning of privacy. Babushka is unable to function like a normal human being in the modern world. She's too old-fashioned and too stubborn. Everyone is afraid of Babushka, even her own husband! She rules the family with an iron fist. Anya's little brother Georgie is a typical little brother. He's a bit spoiled but he seems to want independence as much as Anya does. Georgie also seems to idolize her sister and follows her around. He's not a bad kid as far as little brothers go.
The Chinese cook Lei Mei is tough but caring. She shares her culture and superstitions with Anya and Anya enjoys hearing Lei Mei's stories. Lei Mei is a big influence on Anya's adapting to life in China, even if Anya doesn't realize it. The young cook is an ally and friend when she wants to be and stern parental figure when it's required. Lei Mei is strong-minded and determined to help Anya. I really liked her. Anya's best friend Giselle is hardly in the story. She's a bit more spoiled than Anya and more sheltered. She idolizes movie stars and sneaks over to Anya's house at night when the adults aren't paying attention. I get the impression Giselle is more of a free spirit than her parents realize. I'm not sure Anya's mother would like to know that. Giselle comes through when Anya needs her and is a good friend. Bobby Sassoon is the cute boy at school Anya has a crush on. He's well aware of his charm and not very appealing. Daniel and Gabriel Benatar are introduced late in the story. I liked Daniel right away when he mentioned his Nonna's recipe box in his head. (What recipe box? Nonnas don't use recipes!) He's fun, charming and shows another way Jews had to adapt to survive. Gabriel is a nice boy. At first I thought he was too eager to meet Giselle but he was motivated by wanting to meet more peers rather than a pretty girl. He listens to Anya and doesn't stand in the way of her dreams.
I'm glad I read this story because I learned some new things about Jewish history and Chinese history. It feels a little young for the 14-year-old protagonist's age group though and unfinished.
This story is loosely based on the author's family history during the Holocaust. I had never heard of Jews living in China before 1937 or of this wealthy international community. The story is full of stories from Ancient Greece, the talmud and China; phrases in multiple languages are spoken throughout and I really liked the multicultural aspect of the novel. I could picture the neighborhood in my mind and see Anya, with her curly hair, riding her red bike around. The baby is hardly central to the plot and serves as a way to inform the reader about how little girls were valued in 1930s China. That gives Anya something to connect with because she feels undervalued in her own family as a Jewish girl. I was expecting more about the baby and that being the main plot. What follows after Anya finds the baby is a breathless pace through the next 24 hours. I couldn't put the book down. I wish there was an epilogue or something that tells us what happened to the characters after the story ends. I didn't know about that incident either.
Anya is a likable character. She's 14 and confused like most 14-year-olds. In some ways she's very mature and introspective and in others, she's very 14. She envies her little brother and dreams about the boy she likes. She's very caring and compassionate towards her birds and her baby. She feels a connection to Kisa because they're both girls from patriarchal cultures. I wanted her to succeed in following her dreams. At times she's immature-she's only 14 after all and her mother is toxic. Anya's mother hates China and she's always cranky. She's missed out on the arts and cultural opportunities she had back in Europe and her dream of being a famous opera singer is transferred to her daughter. Gosh this woman is lucky to be alive and she's so negative! She's very harsh on her only daughter and critical of her husband. She doesn't attempt to understand the Chinese servants or care about their cultural and religious beliefs at all. They have to work until TWO A.M!!! to run the house the way she wants it. Yikes! Anya's father is kind and fun. He has strong convictions and joining the Communist party was not one of them. He can be selfish at times and can't stand up to his wife but he seems to love his family and wants them to all be happy. Anya's maternal grandmother, Babushka, is even more toxic than her daughter. Babushka is old world, superstitious and overly critical. She worries a LOT and doesn't know the meaning of privacy. Babushka is unable to function like a normal human being in the modern world. She's too old-fashioned and too stubborn. Everyone is afraid of Babushka, even her own husband! She rules the family with an iron fist. Anya's little brother Georgie is a typical little brother. He's a bit spoiled but he seems to want independence as much as Anya does. Georgie also seems to idolize her sister and follows her around. He's not a bad kid as far as little brothers go.
The Chinese cook Lei Mei is tough but caring. She shares her culture and superstitions with Anya and Anya enjoys hearing Lei Mei's stories. Lei Mei is a big influence on Anya's adapting to life in China, even if Anya doesn't realize it. The young cook is an ally and friend when she wants to be and stern parental figure when it's required. Lei Mei is strong-minded and determined to help Anya. I really liked her. Anya's best friend Giselle is hardly in the story. She's a bit more spoiled than Anya and more sheltered. She idolizes movie stars and sneaks over to Anya's house at night when the adults aren't paying attention. I get the impression Giselle is more of a free spirit than her parents realize. I'm not sure Anya's mother would like to know that. Giselle comes through when Anya needs her and is a good friend. Bobby Sassoon is the cute boy at school Anya has a crush on. He's well aware of his charm and not very appealing. Daniel and Gabriel Benatar are introduced late in the story. I liked Daniel right away when he mentioned his Nonna's recipe box in his head. (What recipe box? Nonnas don't use recipes!) He's fun, charming and shows another way Jews had to adapt to survive. Gabriel is a nice boy. At first I thought he was too eager to meet Giselle but he was motivated by wanting to meet more peers rather than a pretty girl. He listens to Anya and doesn't stand in the way of her dreams.
I'm glad I read this story because I learned some new things about Jewish history and Chinese history. It feels a little young for the 14-year-old protagonist's age group though and unfinished.
May 31, 2015
This book was a page turner for me. I couldn't put it down! The research that went into this book created an all-consuming view of a horrible past for the Jews. The author writes in a way that takes the reader 'right there' inside the story.
I'm so proud to know Andrea; it's great to have a friend that is such an accomplished writer!
I'm so proud to know Andrea; it's great to have a friend that is such an accomplished writer!
December 29, 2022
wtg. love it love it.
I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
June 29, 2012
This is the kind of book people write up because they have too much time on their hands and just go fired from their job.
I always compare books to food, but this time is an exception. So go rest your eyes or something before you read what I'm about to write next.
...................
..................................
................................................
...................................................................
.....................................................................................
Okay. Here goes:
You know those cakes that look all pretty and stuff in the shop window, and you feel that need to buy it so much because its appearance is so pretty and you feel like you'll never see a prettier cake in your life ever again and besides, it would be the PERFECT cake to buy for that special occasion although you could care less for the person or event it's celebrating and you know that you're probably going to be the only person eating that cake because there will be a lot of other cakes and dessert delicacies there at the event? So you go ahead, say SCREW IT and buy the cake, only to "realize" that you'd gotten the date of that notorious event wrong and it's actually next week, so you go home, walk into your kitchen, rip apart that fancy box which the cake had been implanted in, get out your prettiest china plate to match the prettiest cake you've ever seen in your life, cut yourself an ample slice of that gorgeous masterpiece, and slowly take a bite, preparing to savor the moment and the taste.
Then you realize.
Oh no.
You've been robbed. You've been cheated, been as blind as the old lady next door.
You failed to consider the facts before you'd gone ahead and bought that false jewel.
As pretty as cakes look on the outside, as magnificently adorned, garnished, whipped, ornamented, or even sauteed to perfection, it's actually the plain cake that will win you over. Both the frosting on top and the cake inside have to fit as well as, well as well as PB&J.
(Yes, i did just notice that i used the word "sautee". You can't sautee a cake, can you?)
Okay, I've given part one of my comparison, I just need to explain how that fits into this book, and countless other sh!tty books such as this one.
This book had promise. A great idea, plot, and a fabulously clever book cover. (Now i'm just exaggerating. But i liked the book cover). But from page three, you began to notice something wrong. Books need a direct PLOT, something that should be prominent sometime in the first to second shapter.
This didn't happen.
Page after page after page after page was overflowing with a strenuous amount of information, facts, and other not necessarily useful stuff to know. The exposition seemed to go on forever, and by the time I'd gotten to the 10 page, I felt ready to die. THERE WAS NO DIRECT PLOT. All it was, was a large, meandering, useless junky trashy book of INFORMATION! INFORMATION IS GOOD. BUT WHEN IT'S EXPLOITED AND HAS EXHAUSTED ITSELF OUT LIKE IN THIS BOOK, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THE CHARACTERS TO BECOME INTERESTING, THE PLOT TO BECOME PLOTTY, OR FOR A STORY TO ACTUALLY DEVELOP.
I absolutely hate it when authors do this to their readers. They seem to think they can get away with presenting a person with a bright idea, (which in my mind is as good as any Christmas present) then completely going under the roof and taking that bright idea apart, piece by piece by piece.
Yes, I am done with my review. Or rant. Or whatever this sort of thing may be called. I just realized that I didn't even technically write a review. It was more like the confessions of some madwoman from an Edgar Allan Poe story who's gone bipolar and burned all her books.
I just made that up.
Okay, I have a confession. That cake comparison? I'd made that up completely. Actually, I don't like cake very much at all. But i can tell a bad cake from a normal cake.
I know what you're thinking, WHO FRIGGEN CARES ABOUT THE CAKE, YOU JUST WASTED TEN MINUTES OF MY LIFE.
I'm sorry.
I apologize.
But i just felt the need to write out my feelings on the ridiculous way that books are getting published these days.
They can be sold with a bright, garishly attracting cover, yet when readers actually go and read the book, they realize that it's nothing but a giant, dry, crackly base cake.
I always compare books to food, but this time is an exception. So go rest your eyes or something before you read what I'm about to write next.
...................
..................................
................................................
...................................................................
.....................................................................................
Okay. Here goes:
You know those cakes that look all pretty and stuff in the shop window, and you feel that need to buy it so much because its appearance is so pretty and you feel like you'll never see a prettier cake in your life ever again and besides, it would be the PERFECT cake to buy for that special occasion although you could care less for the person or event it's celebrating and you know that you're probably going to be the only person eating that cake because there will be a lot of other cakes and dessert delicacies there at the event? So you go ahead, say SCREW IT and buy the cake, only to "realize" that you'd gotten the date of that notorious event wrong and it's actually next week, so you go home, walk into your kitchen, rip apart that fancy box which the cake had been implanted in, get out your prettiest china plate to match the prettiest cake you've ever seen in your life, cut yourself an ample slice of that gorgeous masterpiece, and slowly take a bite, preparing to savor the moment and the taste.
Then you realize.
Oh no.
You've been robbed. You've been cheated, been as blind as the old lady next door.
You failed to consider the facts before you'd gone ahead and bought that false jewel.
As pretty as cakes look on the outside, as magnificently adorned, garnished, whipped, ornamented, or even sauteed to perfection, it's actually the plain cake that will win you over. Both the frosting on top and the cake inside have to fit as well as, well as well as PB&J.
(Yes, i did just notice that i used the word "sautee". You can't sautee a cake, can you?)
Okay, I've given part one of my comparison, I just need to explain how that fits into this book, and countless other sh!tty books such as this one.
This book had promise. A great idea, plot, and a fabulously clever book cover. (Now i'm just exaggerating. But i liked the book cover). But from page three, you began to notice something wrong. Books need a direct PLOT, something that should be prominent sometime in the first to second shapter.
This didn't happen.
Page after page after page after page was overflowing with a strenuous amount of information, facts, and other not necessarily useful stuff to know. The exposition seemed to go on forever, and by the time I'd gotten to the 10 page, I felt ready to die. THERE WAS NO DIRECT PLOT. All it was, was a large, meandering, useless junky trashy book of INFORMATION! INFORMATION IS GOOD. BUT WHEN IT'S EXPLOITED AND HAS EXHAUSTED ITSELF OUT LIKE IN THIS BOOK, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THE CHARACTERS TO BECOME INTERESTING, THE PLOT TO BECOME PLOTTY, OR FOR A STORY TO ACTUALLY DEVELOP.
I absolutely hate it when authors do this to their readers. They seem to think they can get away with presenting a person with a bright idea, (which in my mind is as good as any Christmas present) then completely going under the roof and taking that bright idea apart, piece by piece by piece.
Yes, I am done with my review. Or rant. Or whatever this sort of thing may be called. I just realized that I didn't even technically write a review. It was more like the confessions of some madwoman from an Edgar Allan Poe story who's gone bipolar and burned all her books.
I just made that up.
Okay, I have a confession. That cake comparison? I'd made that up completely. Actually, I don't like cake very much at all. But i can tell a bad cake from a normal cake.
I know what you're thinking, WHO FRIGGEN CARES ABOUT THE CAKE, YOU JUST WASTED TEN MINUTES OF MY LIFE.
I'm sorry.
I apologize.
But i just felt the need to write out my feelings on the ridiculous way that books are getting published these days.
They can be sold with a bright, garishly attracting cover, yet when readers actually go and read the book, they realize that it's nothing but a giant, dry, crackly base cake.
February 8, 2011
This is historical fiction for real lovers of historical fiction. Although there are a few well-crafted sequences of suspense that will appeal even to those who typically shun historical fiction, most of the narrative is devoted to detailing Anya's daily life in Shanghai, and will be best appreciated by those who truly love to immerse themselves in another time and place.
Full review at Reading Everywhere.
Full review at Reading Everywhere.
September 2, 2011
Author Andrea Alban packs a lot of character development, culture, and history in her novel about two days in Shanghai. Teens will find the story compelling and Anya’s character to be likeable and entirely relatable. Despite what is happening around her, Anya is still a teenage girl who is worried about her bra size, cute boys, and telling her parents about her dreams for the future.
April 9, 2018
Uprooted from her home in Odessa, Anya and her family must make their way in 1937 Shanghai. As if the political climate isn’t bad enough, the boy she likes is impossibly out of her league. She and her family do their best to adapt to Chinese customs, while holding fast to their Jewish traditions but when Anya finds an abandoned baby girl and decides to bring her home, it appears nothing will be the same again.
ANYA’S WAR is a beautifully- written story about a Jewish girl on the cusp of womanhood. With evocative descriptions of places and emotions, I was transported into the life of this incredibly colorful family. This is an excellent read for children aged 10 and up.
ANYA’S WAR is a beautifully- written story about a Jewish girl on the cusp of womanhood. With evocative descriptions of places and emotions, I was transported into the life of this incredibly colorful family. This is an excellent read for children aged 10 and up.
January 21, 2011
Anya’s War is a tender coming-of-age tale of a Jewish girl whose family escaped to Shanghai from the impending Nazi takeover of their home in Russia. Fourteen year-old Anya Rosen’s father believed that China would be a safe reprieve for Jews escaping from Hitler’s vow to punish the Jewish people. Although the characters are fictional, the story is real and based upon the author’s ancestors.
Alban’s compelling characters elucidate the very real terror of Jews living in China during the early years of the Holocaust. Anya’s War is rich with metaphor and reality, a powerful combination during an explosive era of world war and genocide. Alban delivers a persuasive dose of a dichotomous society where timeless class structure results in domination of the wealthy over the poor. Anya was raised in a moderately wealthy family in Odessa, which was transformed into an upper-class family in China. She soon became immersed within a culture that included suffering, yet devoted servants and the condescending wealthy.
Anya arrives as a typical adolescent, filled with curiosity, plans within plans and a burgeoning interest in boys. Like many adolescent girls of the time, Anya has natural heroes. She greatly admires Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt. She also plans to live in The United States and become a physician, like her aunt. Like all teenagers, Anya fights with her parents. She is especially defiant with her dominating mother, who has other plans for Anya’s career. At the same time, Anya explores deepening feelings for a boy in her class at school.
Woven into Anya’s life are her doting parents, grandparents, brother, friends and servants. Except for her parents, these characters possess rudimentary depth. Yet, the events and circumstances surrounding Anya are described with delightful depth. Alban’s descriptions of life in China are terrific and she pulls the reader along with vibrant flow and intensity.
Because she lives in relative wealth and attends the Jewish school in Shanghai, the morass of subjugation, starvation and hopelessness prevalent among Chinese remains just below Anya’s radar. Anya races around Shanghai in her bicycle, visiting friends and running errands. She has a new camera which she uses to take pictures along her way. Anya takes advantage of her newly-acquired ability to bargain with sellers in the market.
One day, Anya discovers an discarded newborn girl in a basket. She brings the baby home, to the horror of the entire household. Anya immediately loves and cares for the abandoned child. She is determined to keep the baby and proffers the child a name. At the same time, her father brings home a new Jewish family in Shanghai, including a boy who sweeps Anya off her feet.
One day, Anya’s younger brother follows her on an unapproved trip into Shanghai, during which a Chinese bomber accidentally drops bombs upon the city. The resulting disaster leaves Anya’s brother seriously injured. Alone and deeply frightened, Anya must find a way to save her brother’s life.
Alban brings to light that mystifying, confusing time of life in which Anya is neither child nor adult, but some confusing stage in between. This story becomes an exploration of adolescent desire and passion, a newfound freedom chained with responsibility, underpinned by the desire to remain a part of a nurturing, loving family.
Alban’s writing style is structured, cogent and evocative. Her protagonist and the primary characters are entertaining, well developed and delivered with expressive dialog. They induce depth and fervor. Anya’s character is powerful and seductive. One can feel her empathy, defiance, curiosity and passion. However, the secondary characters are less well developed, leaving the reader with a somewhat murky sense of their personality features. The family’s Jewish identity is carefully elucidated through the manner in which they honor the Sabbath, observe holidays, recall the past and enjoy valued traditions. Interspersed in the dialog are Yiddish words used to convey more expressive meaning.
Anya’s War is a powerful novel of cultures, adolescent emotions, aspiration, passion, fear and anticipation. Within it, we glimpse wartime China, its deep-seated traditions, structures, classes and beauty. Alban also delivers the devastation, anxiety and terror of war. Here we find a bright, expressive teenager named Anya, who is struggling to become an independent young adult, learning valuable life lessons from venerable servants, friends and family. The pace of this novel increases exponentially, with an explosive conclusion.
Alban’s compelling characters elucidate the very real terror of Jews living in China during the early years of the Holocaust. Anya’s War is rich with metaphor and reality, a powerful combination during an explosive era of world war and genocide. Alban delivers a persuasive dose of a dichotomous society where timeless class structure results in domination of the wealthy over the poor. Anya was raised in a moderately wealthy family in Odessa, which was transformed into an upper-class family in China. She soon became immersed within a culture that included suffering, yet devoted servants and the condescending wealthy.
Anya arrives as a typical adolescent, filled with curiosity, plans within plans and a burgeoning interest in boys. Like many adolescent girls of the time, Anya has natural heroes. She greatly admires Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt. She also plans to live in The United States and become a physician, like her aunt. Like all teenagers, Anya fights with her parents. She is especially defiant with her dominating mother, who has other plans for Anya’s career. At the same time, Anya explores deepening feelings for a boy in her class at school.
Woven into Anya’s life are her doting parents, grandparents, brother, friends and servants. Except for her parents, these characters possess rudimentary depth. Yet, the events and circumstances surrounding Anya are described with delightful depth. Alban’s descriptions of life in China are terrific and she pulls the reader along with vibrant flow and intensity.
Because she lives in relative wealth and attends the Jewish school in Shanghai, the morass of subjugation, starvation and hopelessness prevalent among Chinese remains just below Anya’s radar. Anya races around Shanghai in her bicycle, visiting friends and running errands. She has a new camera which she uses to take pictures along her way. Anya takes advantage of her newly-acquired ability to bargain with sellers in the market.
One day, Anya discovers an discarded newborn girl in a basket. She brings the baby home, to the horror of the entire household. Anya immediately loves and cares for the abandoned child. She is determined to keep the baby and proffers the child a name. At the same time, her father brings home a new Jewish family in Shanghai, including a boy who sweeps Anya off her feet.
One day, Anya’s younger brother follows her on an unapproved trip into Shanghai, during which a Chinese bomber accidentally drops bombs upon the city. The resulting disaster leaves Anya’s brother seriously injured. Alone and deeply frightened, Anya must find a way to save her brother’s life.
Alban brings to light that mystifying, confusing time of life in which Anya is neither child nor adult, but some confusing stage in between. This story becomes an exploration of adolescent desire and passion, a newfound freedom chained with responsibility, underpinned by the desire to remain a part of a nurturing, loving family.
Alban’s writing style is structured, cogent and evocative. Her protagonist and the primary characters are entertaining, well developed and delivered with expressive dialog. They induce depth and fervor. Anya’s character is powerful and seductive. One can feel her empathy, defiance, curiosity and passion. However, the secondary characters are less well developed, leaving the reader with a somewhat murky sense of their personality features. The family’s Jewish identity is carefully elucidated through the manner in which they honor the Sabbath, observe holidays, recall the past and enjoy valued traditions. Interspersed in the dialog are Yiddish words used to convey more expressive meaning.
Anya’s War is a powerful novel of cultures, adolescent emotions, aspiration, passion, fear and anticipation. Within it, we glimpse wartime China, its deep-seated traditions, structures, classes and beauty. Alban also delivers the devastation, anxiety and terror of war. Here we find a bright, expressive teenager named Anya, who is struggling to become an independent young adult, learning valuable life lessons from venerable servants, friends and family. The pace of this novel increases exponentially, with an explosive conclusion.
July 13, 2011
Anya's War was not what I expected. I knew it was about a Jewish family around the time of World War II--but this family moved to Shanghai, China, where they could live freely as Jews. And in China, the coming war is presented from a different perspective. The main threat comes not from the Nazis, but from the Japanese.
Even so, the tension that comes up most often in the narrative (other than family squabbles) is not from the Japanese military invasions, but rather the obvious and occasionally awkward contrast between Jewish and Chinese culture. Both are painted as fairly superstitious, rule-based ways of life, but the rules for each are very different. Anya doesn't seem to have a very firm grasp of the religion she practices, and breaks her Jewish rules many times over the few days chronicled in the book. And occasionally, she will wish that she had paid more attention to Li Mei's Taoist charms and rituals, in the off chance that they might actually work.
The narrative is strong, and the tensions in the book constantly propel the reader forward to the end. But there are some weaknesses in the book too. For one thing, there is relatively little character development. Anya and her mother both change a small amount, and there is an absolutely beautiful passage when Mr. Rosen is talking about loving and caring for his wife. But on the whole, all these different events come and go, and the relative effect on the characters is surprisingly minimal.
Another weakness in the book is the title. I honestly don't know what it refers to. In the story, World War II has not officially started, and though the growing tension and persecution was the main reason they moved, it is not clear that the title refers to that. I thought for a while that the issue of the Chinese "throwing out" their baby girls might be something that Anya herself would "wage war" against, but this is not the case either. She cares for the one baby girl, but doesn't seem to think about starting any kind of campaign to save the lives of Chinese babies. When the bombs went off, I thought that it could be the start of fighting or of some war, but the bombs turned out to be an accident when transporting unstable Chinese bombers to a safer location. It may seem picky, but I do think that the book as a whole would be a lot stronger if it had a title that clearly connected with the story. Without a clear connection between the title and the story, I have a very hard time discerning what is the main point of this story.
But even without a "main" point, reading this book could be fruitful. The book is based off of the author's (Andrea Alban) own experience, and provides a truly unique view of some Jews' experience in the late 1930s and early 1940s. I certainly learned a lot about Jewish and Chinese culture! I would say that you should approach this book as something light, interesting, and slightly educational, but don't expect it to be a page-turning thriller or a life-changing drama.
for a full review/summary, go here: http://skippingbarefoot.blogspot.com/...
Even so, the tension that comes up most often in the narrative (other than family squabbles) is not from the Japanese military invasions, but rather the obvious and occasionally awkward contrast between Jewish and Chinese culture. Both are painted as fairly superstitious, rule-based ways of life, but the rules for each are very different. Anya doesn't seem to have a very firm grasp of the religion she practices, and breaks her Jewish rules many times over the few days chronicled in the book. And occasionally, she will wish that she had paid more attention to Li Mei's Taoist charms and rituals, in the off chance that they might actually work.
The narrative is strong, and the tensions in the book constantly propel the reader forward to the end. But there are some weaknesses in the book too. For one thing, there is relatively little character development. Anya and her mother both change a small amount, and there is an absolutely beautiful passage when Mr. Rosen is talking about loving and caring for his wife. But on the whole, all these different events come and go, and the relative effect on the characters is surprisingly minimal.
Another weakness in the book is the title. I honestly don't know what it refers to. In the story, World War II has not officially started, and though the growing tension and persecution was the main reason they moved, it is not clear that the title refers to that. I thought for a while that the issue of the Chinese "throwing out" their baby girls might be something that Anya herself would "wage war" against, but this is not the case either. She cares for the one baby girl, but doesn't seem to think about starting any kind of campaign to save the lives of Chinese babies. When the bombs went off, I thought that it could be the start of fighting or of some war, but the bombs turned out to be an accident when transporting unstable Chinese bombers to a safer location. It may seem picky, but I do think that the book as a whole would be a lot stronger if it had a title that clearly connected with the story. Without a clear connection between the title and the story, I have a very hard time discerning what is the main point of this story.
But even without a "main" point, reading this book could be fruitful. The book is based off of the author's (Andrea Alban) own experience, and provides a truly unique view of some Jews' experience in the late 1930s and early 1940s. I certainly learned a lot about Jewish and Chinese culture! I would say that you should approach this book as something light, interesting, and slightly educational, but don't expect it to be a page-turning thriller or a life-changing drama.
for a full review/summary, go here: http://skippingbarefoot.blogspot.com/...
May 22, 2016
Anya is a young Jewish girl living in China with her family after they left their home in Odessa to escape Hitler. One day, while going on an errand, she finds an abandoned baby girl near her house. She tries to chase after a woman she suspects is the mother, but loses her. So she feels she has no other choice but to bring the baby home.
I had thought the story was going to be about this baby girl she finds, but soon after she brings the baby home, it becomes about boys. One boy who she knew in school, and another she meets that night through her father's acquaintance. I then thought it would've been about this boy and the baby, but then there's another turn of events; a bombing. This bombing was the most exciting part of the story. I wish the aftermath of this had lasted longer, though. Before I knew it, the story was ending. So, to me, this story felt like jumping from one thing to another rather quickly with fast resolutions.
I did enjoy learning about what it was like in China during this time, as well as the customs of both the Chinese and the Jews. This is a good story for young kids to read and to learn about this period. And it will be an easy read for them. There's just some terms in different languages, and probably some of the Jewish customs for Sabbath, that they may not understand.
What is really interesting is that it's based on a true story from the author's family. That makes this story pretty interesting.
I had thought the story was going to be about this baby girl she finds, but soon after she brings the baby home, it becomes about boys. One boy who she knew in school, and another she meets that night through her father's acquaintance. I then thought it would've been about this boy and the baby, but then there's another turn of events; a bombing. This bombing was the most exciting part of the story. I wish the aftermath of this had lasted longer, though. Before I knew it, the story was ending. So, to me, this story felt like jumping from one thing to another rather quickly with fast resolutions.
I did enjoy learning about what it was like in China during this time, as well as the customs of both the Chinese and the Jews. This is a good story for young kids to read and to learn about this period. And it will be an easy read for them. There's just some terms in different languages, and probably some of the Jewish customs for Sabbath, that they may not understand.
What is really interesting is that it's based on a true story from the author's family. That makes this story pretty interesting.
April 4, 2013
Currently I am reading all things "Shanghai" and since my mom was a girl growing up in Shanghai, I found Anya's War to be an interesting perspective. Simple read but a fresh perspective of a complex subject in a very multi-cultural city during the beginning of WWII.
May 17, 2011
This book wasn't really what I thought, but I still enjoyed it. The author captured the thoughts and feelings of a 14-year-old girl really well.
August 19, 2018
So much potential with this one, but I struggled to get fully engaged until the last great chapters. Learned a lot about shabbat customs, though, which was more interesting than the actual plot
November 6, 2023
The book I chose to read for my October reading was Anya’s War by Andrea Alban. In this book Anya the main character is 14 years old. She and her family lived in Odessa but had to move away to get away from Hitler forces, and incoming Nazi’s. Later in the book a bomb was dropped by a chinese bomber and had injured Anys brother. I really like how this book included real life events and the own life of Anya and her family.Throughout this book Anya is learning the values of being a young adult and is experiencing big things at a young age and needs to know that not everything is going to go our way or turn out the way we want. She's experiencing big events at a young age that can help her develop life skills on how to be an adult. I rate this book like a 8/10 because it was good and well written and the thought of it including real life events to get readers interested and the life of a young adult experiencing these events will just keep you interested in keep reading. With all these plots that had happened throughout the book made impacts in her life and on how she could change her life or herself. When her and her family moved away to be safe she could learn that not everything is going to be covered and safe for her. Some don't have to worry about someone coming to attack them and their family or possibly killing them but as she is running she is experiencing events and she can learn that major events do happen and are possible. What I liked about this book is that it included real life details and that it gave the situations of people going through it and having to adapt their life to the events that happen in it. I liked how it showed fear for the girl and her having to run from people killing her and her having to take care of her brother and to stay away and run with her family in order to be safe. What I didn't like is that I felt like the book wasn't as long for all the details but if you really look at it it's really not a bad thing about the book. This book was really interesting and I would like to read more books like this. I didn't like how there weren't as many details in a bigger book but for the size of the book it gave a good amount of details for the little pages. Some things about this book that I could actually apply to my real life is that some things will happen in life and sometimes it may not always go your way. Like in the book you saw that she had to move away with their family to be safe from the Nazi’s. She had to leave her home town to go live somewhere else and this was all unexpected. Like you have to think about how much little time they had to pack and just up and leave to keep their families safe. In some other Countries there are people that have to go through this. Maybe on a daily basis or every week but there are people around the world that have to go through this in order to have a better life and to keep everyone in their family safe. Some people have to take care of their siblings in emergency situations. Sometimes in the real world you wouldn’t have to move away and people just live a happy life or normal life by just living and not having to worry about these things. Yeah they may see it on the news but sometimes depending on what country you live in then sometimes you wouldn't have to worry about leaving your country to go live somewhere else to be safe. You don't have to worry about getting shot in your house or on the street or having people bomb your country. Yeah you may hear it on the news and stuff but sometimes those are far aways like what was going on with South Korea and North Korea. Sometimes certain countries have their own conflicts and there are better places to live that are safer than others. If I were to be recommending this book to a friend I would end up recommending it. Who knows if they would actually read it but I would recommend it and say that it is an interesting book to read and that I like how it talks about real life situations and how it involves things that go through people's lives. And not just for people who don't really have things going on in their lives. Like if I were to be recommend this to mia she would say that sounds interesting but I don't think she will actually read the book because she'll say why would I have it read it when you can just tell em the summary and what's going to like happen throughout the book but if she did then she can get more details throughout the book and will find out more informations and can possibly see more things that can change a person's life.
May 7, 2019
This story, based on the experiences of the author's family, takes place during the years leading up to World War II when Shanghai was the only port in the world that was open to Jewish refugees fleeing fascism in Europe and Stalinism in Russia. I visited the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum last fall and was immediately intrigued when I found this book at my school's book fair.
The story takes place over just a few days, as Anya Rosen, the oldest child of a family who moved to Shanghai from Odessa, finds an abandoned baby in the streets. As she attempts to insure to safety of the baby girl, Anya deals with family conflicts, clashes of cultures, and finally the grim arrival of war in the place she had believed could be a refuge.
I loved the fast pacing of the story, and the even-faster workings of Anya's mind as she juggles her hopes and dreams with the rapid succession of events that throws her family into turmoil. The characters are engaging, fun, and colorful. Anya's thoughts are all over the map, and her young energy drives the story along.
The mixing of cultures provides flavor, as bits of language, tradition, and folklore from the Russian-Jewish, Chinese, French, and American traditions meet and mix, sometimes within the space of a sentence.
The story doesn't answer all of the questions that the reader might have. There is a fair amount left unresolved. But I still found the emotional arc of the story to be satisfying, and I loved how immersed I felt in the life of Shanghai in the 1930s.
The story takes place over just a few days, as Anya Rosen, the oldest child of a family who moved to Shanghai from Odessa, finds an abandoned baby in the streets. As she attempts to insure to safety of the baby girl, Anya deals with family conflicts, clashes of cultures, and finally the grim arrival of war in the place she had believed could be a refuge.
I loved the fast pacing of the story, and the even-faster workings of Anya's mind as she juggles her hopes and dreams with the rapid succession of events that throws her family into turmoil. The characters are engaging, fun, and colorful. Anya's thoughts are all over the map, and her young energy drives the story along.
The mixing of cultures provides flavor, as bits of language, tradition, and folklore from the Russian-Jewish, Chinese, French, and American traditions meet and mix, sometimes within the space of a sentence.
The story doesn't answer all of the questions that the reader might have. There is a fair amount left unresolved. But I still found the emotional arc of the story to be satisfying, and I loved how immersed I felt in the life of Shanghai in the 1930s.
January 31, 2021
Anya's War is the retold story of the author's family's past in the 1930s in Shanghai.
What I liked the most was Anya's spirit: fearless, opinionated and kind. She stands for what she believes in. She's a good main character.
As for the story, it's kind of all over the place. From the sinopsis, the reader gets the idea that the baby is key in the story, but I found the plot to be about many things. And even confusing at times. I thought the book would cover a wide timeline but no. And then I was almost finished and not a lot was happening. There was no rush to end it, the book is pretty short anyway.
What I did like, though, was reading about Jews relocated in China during the Nazi era and how life was there. It offers another perspective.
Spoiler?
In the copy I was lent, there's a photo of the real Anya at the end. Truth is, I have no idea who that is, given that the author says she based the story on his father's years in Shanghai. He was the one who found the baby. So who's the girl in the photo? A mystery.
What I liked the most was Anya's spirit: fearless, opinionated and kind. She stands for what she believes in. She's a good main character.
As for the story, it's kind of all over the place. From the sinopsis, the reader gets the idea that the baby is key in the story, but I found the plot to be about many things. And even confusing at times. I thought the book would cover a wide timeline but no. And then I was almost finished and not a lot was happening. There was no rush to end it, the book is pretty short anyway.
What I did like, though, was reading about Jews relocated in China during the Nazi era and how life was there. It offers another perspective.
Spoiler?
In the copy I was lent, there's a photo of the real Anya at the end. Truth is, I have no idea who that is, given that the author says she based the story on his father's years in Shanghai. He was the one who found the baby. So who's the girl in the photo? A mystery.
Read
February 21, 2021I was so convinced I would like this book that I bought it without having looked at it yet, because it's not available in most libraries. That ended up being a shame because it's what can only be described as poorly written. There's a huge mismatch in the purported age of the protagonist versus the voice of their thoughts through the narrative. She's supposed to be the age of a freshman in high school, but the person we're reading about, in every single respect from voice to thoughts to activities to how other people interact with her, is that of a six year old child. That's a pretty big mismatch. And then, because there's a really heavy handed attempt at evoking a six year old child's actual thoughts (which the author believed were the same as the thoughts of a freshman in high school), the narrative is all over the place, disjointed with pointless observations, and displaying a general lack of memory of what it's like to be a child or adolescent of virtually any age.
November 6, 2023
Interesting perspective on a Jewish family that leaves Odessa to Shanghai before WWII. Based off of true family history... I liked parts of the story as it showed what life would be like to be in Shanghai at the time- but it felt disconnected and didn't flow very much. You had a good view into a Jewish family's rituals but you had to know about Judaism, Italy, and Russian/Ukraine history to understand some of the things talked about. Definitely not a young adult book- as it would be too scholarly to be understood. I have read 100's of WWII fictional stories and found this one harder to understand than most if you don't have a strong religiously Jewish background. I do not feel like the book had a real ending and I wish the storyline had been developed further instead of being a small glimpse into a partial year of the life of a young girl recently displaced. Some of the storyline was also so odd, the entirety of Kisa's role in the book, so overall it was a disjointed read.
January 8, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this book. At times I did feel like the book was difficult to understand. It moves quickly between flashbacks, descriptions of the setting, and action in the narrative. While the book does not span a long period, it is filled with events and actions of the main character, Anya. There are many conflicts in this book that range from the Jewish people who have moved to Shanghai either from Germany or Russia during WWII, to a family attempting to adjust to the cultural differences amid their refugee state of being, to a fourteen-year-old girl trying not to disappoint her mother and father, deal with her annoying younger brother, and how to figure out the best way to get the attention of boys her age. All of this while contemplating the status of Amelia Earhart in her journey around the world, and what it says, more largely, about the changing of times worldwide.
I would recommend this book to high school and above readers.
I would recommend this book to high school and above readers.
June 20, 2022
This book was loosely based off of the events of the author's family. It gave interesting insight into Chinese and Jewish traditions and superstition at this time, especially concerning Chinese women. I enjoyed reading this book but became more immersed in the story when the bomb went off. It was quite exciting then. I thought that the beginning of the book felt anticlimactic. It almost feels like the story line with the baby Kisa was just dropped in the second half of the book. I did also appreciate that the author highlighted how the move affects one's psyche, as told through the mother. I do wish that it had said more about life in Odesa. Overall, I would give this book 3.65 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2019
A historical fiction book about a girl named Anya. Anya lives in Shanghai. Anya is Jewish and her family left Odessa and moved to Shanghai in 1937. They live in the French Concession. Anya found an abandoned baby in the gutter and took the baby back to her home. The book is full of historical facts and about what life was like for a girl who is a refugee. I recommend to readers twelve and up because I had some trouble with the language.
December 26, 2021
middle grades
third-person POV
standalone
historical
Set in Shanghai's French Quarter just before WWII. Anya Rosen's Jewish family left Odessa, Russia believing it would be a safe haven. Loosely based on events in the author's family's life.
I read about 40 pages and quit. It was well-written and normally I love historical novels but I just wasn't in the mood to finish - I had too many other things to read that I found more appealing at the moment.
third-person POV
standalone
historical
Set in Shanghai's French Quarter just before WWII. Anya Rosen's Jewish family left Odessa, Russia believing it would be a safe haven. Loosely based on events in the author's family's life.
I read about 40 pages and quit. It was well-written and normally I love historical novels but I just wasn't in the mood to finish - I had too many other things to read that I found more appealing at the moment.
January 24, 2019
I wanted to learn so much more about the Russian Jews who went to China as I wasn't aware that this was something that happened. This was not that book. I never really got into the characters. Anya didn't feel like she was an authentic character I could relate to. No one really felt like they were in danger until we got to Shanghai. Pass this one up.
July 13, 2017
Would give 3.5 stars. Part of Holocaust/WWII history I didn't know. Jews fled to China from Russia. This was based on the author's father's life but story changed to the viewpoint of a 14 yr old girl.
July 20, 2021
The book certainly had issues, but it was interesting historically. It read as though initially Anya was a much younger child, with the action taking place over several months or more, but maybe the author decided mid-book to increase her age and compress the action into a couple of days.
October 31, 2021
The writing style is chaotic I had a hard time understanding the story in the first half, not for me I guess😅
The timeline was just 2 days remembering the eventful Shabbath and I like how the author put such details to the Jewish cultures in the book.
The timeline was just 2 days remembering the eventful Shabbath and I like how the author put such details to the Jewish cultures in the book.
April 6, 2018
The book was great, some parts were a little confusing...I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought so.
But overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
But overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
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