The Last Rose of Shanghai - by Weina Dai Randel (Paperback)

About the Book

1940. Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub. Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany, an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers. He loses nearly all hope until he crosses paths with Aiyi. When she hires Ernest to play piano at her club, her defiance of custom causes a sensation. His instant fame makes Aiyi's club once again the hottest spot in Shanghai. Soon they realize they share more than a passion for jazz, but their differences seem insurmountable, and Aiyi is engaged to another man. As the war escalates, Aiyi and Ernest find themselves torn apart, and their choices between love and survival grow more desperate. In the face of overwhelming odds, a chain of events is set in motion that will change both their lives forever.

Book Synopsis

In Japanese-occupied Shanghai, two people from different cultures are drawn together by fate and the freedom of music...

1940. Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub. Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany, an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers. He loses nearly all hope until he crosses paths with Aiyi. When she hires Ernest to play piano at her club, her defiance of custom causes a sensation. His instant fame makes Aiyi's club once again the hottest spot in Shanghai. Soon they realize they share more than a passion for jazz--but their differences seem insurmountable, and Aiyi is engaged to another man.

As the war escalates, Aiyi and Ernest find themselves torn apart, and their choices between love and survival grow more desperate. In the face of overwhelming odds, a chain of events is set in motion that will change both their lives forever.

From the electrifying jazz clubs to the impoverished streets of a city under siege, The Last Rose of Shanghai is a timeless, sweeping story of love and redemption.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Last Rose of Shanghai

Bustle's Most Anticipated Novels in December of 2021

WildChina Book Club's Best Historical Fiction on China in 2021

Undemosticated's Best Fiction in 2021

National Jewish Book Awards finalist

"Fans of sweeping, dramatic WWII epics that are rich in historical detail, such as Lisa See's Shanghai Girls or Paullina Simons's The Bronze Horseman will be enthralled." --Booklist

"Weina Dai Randel's novel deserves a place of distinction among WWII fiction." --Historical Novel Society

"The Last Rose of Shanghai is a powerful story of the relationship between a Shanghai heiress and a Jewish refugee, set against the backdrop of a nightclub in China on the eve of the Second World War. Weina Dai Randel skillfully shines a light on a little-known moment in history through the lens of two vividly drawn characters whose unique and unexpected relationship is one readers will never forget." --Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star

"Set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, this is an unforgettable, page-turning tale of an impossible affair between lovers from two cultures. Randel casts an unflinching eye at the horrors of wartime Shanghai, where refugees starve while the wealthy and privileged continue to drink and dance, and where daily threats of danger and death only serve to fan forbidden passions to a blazing climax." --Janie Chang, bestselling author of Dragon Springs Road and The Library of Legends

"The Last Rose of Shanghai vividly depicts the clash of East and West as Jewish refugees flee Hitler's Berlin for faraway Shanghai, where they struggle to survive amid the uneasy coexistence of Chinese magnates and Japanese invaders. Sophisticated heiress Aiyi knows she is taking a risk when she hires Jewish pianist Ernest to play jazz in her nightclub, but she has no idea she will be risking her heart, her family, and everything she holds dear as forbidden love blossoms and Japan's hold on her beloved home city tightens. Weina Dai Randel's poignant, sweeping love story paints a vibrant portrait of a little-known slice of World War II history. Not to be missed!" --Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code and The Huntress

"A sweeping novel that transports readers to 1940s Shanghai, The Last Rose of Shanghai is a must-read for historical fiction lovers. Filled with page-turning suspense and a poignant and unforgettable love story, Weina Dai Randel wholly immerses the reader in this richly detailed and powerfully drawn story." --Chanel Cleeton, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Set against a panorama so vivid you can almost hear the jazz in Aiyi Shao's nightclub, Weina Dai Randel brings to life fascinating WWII history new to me and, I imagine, countless other readers. The story of a well-born entrepreneur and the German-Jewish refugee she loves will stay with you long after The Last Rose of Shanghai ends." --Sally Koslow, author of Another Side of Paradise

"In a novel that spans time, space, and culture, The Last Rose of Shanghai is a riveting story of love, heartbreak, and redemption. The smoky night clubs, jazz bars, luxury hotels, family compounds, and refugee settlements of Japanese-occupied Shanghai provide a fascinating background to the lives of those caught in the crossfires of war. Weina Dai Randel is a skilled artist, giving the reader well drawn characters of great depth, complexity, and heart. In the WWII genre, within the genre of historical fiction, The Last Rose of Shanghai stands out for its boldness and originality." --Erika Robuck, bestselling author of The Invisible Woman

Praise for The Moon in the Palace

"A must for historical fiction fans, especially those fascinated by China's glorious past." --Library Journal (starred review)

"A very successful and transporting novel that beautifully captures the sounds, smells, and social mores of seventh-century China." --Historical Novels Review (Editors' Choice)

"The Moon in the Palace depicts Empress Wu's sharp, persistent spirit but does not neglect to make her believably naive and vulnerable, an untried girl among ruthless women. The intrigue and machinations of the imperial court come to life under her hand, a vast and dangerous engine with each piece moving for its own reasons." --Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"A full-immersion, compulsively readable tale that rivals both Anchee Min's Empress Orchid (2004), about the dowager empress Cixi, and the multilayered biographical novel Empress (2006) by Shan Sa, which also features Empress Wu." --Booklist (starred review)