Reviews with content warning for Addiction - The Last Rose of Shanghai

Very well written and compelling read. Due to it's setting in wartime (WWII), there's a lot of challenging content regarding violence and prejudice. However it's not gratuitous, just adds emotional context to living in this time period & place. A rollercoaster of emotions throughout along with the ups & downs of the characters' luck. Tragic at times but worth the read.

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adventurous emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Last Rose is about the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in WWII. The story starts with an American filmmaker in a hotel in Shanghai in 1980 Shanghai, China meeting the millionaire businesswoman Aiyi Shao. Aiyi then tells the filmmaker the story of Shanghai housing many Jewish refugees who fled from German-occupied Europe during WWII. Before the occupation, Aiyi is a wealthy heiress running a jazz club. Then she meets Ernest Reismann who is one of the penniless Jewish refugees. He’s a piano player and connects with Aiyi through music. Aiyi makes multiple complex decisions that have consequences for a lot of different people. She has wealth, loses it all, and then gains it again. She’s quite the character! The ending had a twist which was good closure. There’s nothing rosy about the story, but the writing is incredible. There were so many characters I didn’t like and I felt like I was in the story which says a lot about the storytelling. I already requested her earlier book, The Empress of Bright Moon. I can’t wait to enjoy more of the colorful, emotional writing.

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