Free Books The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1) Online

Specify Of Books The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1)

Title	:	The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1)
Author	:	Kate Furnivall
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 517 pages
Published	:	June 27th 2007 by Berkley Books (first published May 1st 2007)
Categories	:	Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Romance. Cultural. China. Russia

The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1)

Kate Furnivall

Paperback | Pages: 517 pages

Rating: 3.74 | 8908 Users | 940 Reviews

Commentary During Books The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1)

A sweeping novel set in war-torn 1928 China, with a star-crossed love story at its center.

In a city full of thieves and Communists, danger and death, spirited young Lydia Ivanova has lived a hard life. Always looking over her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old must steal to feed herself and her mother, Valentina, who numbered among the Russian elite until Bolsheviks murdered most of them, including her husband. As exiles, Lydia and Valentina have learned to survive in a foreign land.

Often, Lydia steals away to meet with the handsome young freedom fighter Chang An Lo. But they face danger: Chiang Kai Shek's troops are headed toward Junchow to kill Reds like Chang, who has in his possession the jewels of a tsarina, meant as a gift for the despot's wife. The young pair's all-consuming love can only bring shame and peril upon them, from both sides. Those in power will do anything to quell it. But Lydia and Chang are powerless to end it.

Be Specific About Books Concering The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1)

Original Title:	The Russian Concubine
ISBN:	042521558X (ISBN13: 9780425215586)
Edition Language:	English
Series:	The Russian Concubine #1
Characters:	Lydia Ivanova, Chang An Lo, Valentina Ivanova, Liev Popkov, Alexei Serov, Theo Willoughby, Alfred Parker
Setting:	Junchow,1928(China)

Rating Of Books The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1)

Ratings: 3.74 From 8908 Users | 940 Reviews

Commentary Of Books The Russian Concubine (The Russian Concubine #1)

Not only are the plot and characters poorly constructed, this book is riddled with lazy racial stereotypes, and fetishistic/exotifying language.The premise of the novel is intriguing, but the number of cliches, and age-old, unimaginative references to China ("dragon's breath", "lotus flower", etc) leap out in a very unappetizing manner. It is as if the author is insistent that the reader adopt a very stereotypical mental image of China; even the native Chinese folk who inhabit the country this

The Russian Concubine started out like Cool Whip: light & fluffy. But I thought to myself, "Sometimes Cool Whip is good!" Unfortunately, midway through, I began to feel as if I'd eaten an entire tub of that crap. Then came page 331, and I knew I couldn't read another line and still respect myself in the morning: "...Enjoy this breath, Po Chu, because it will be your last if you call my beloved a whore again..." "She begged. Ah, Tiyo Willbee, how she begged..." "Begged? For what?" "For our

I REALLY tried to like this book. I forced myself to keep reading, thinking and hoping that I would get hooked by the characters at some point. But, I have officially given up. Considering this is a period romance set in China during the 1920s, you'd think this was right up my alley. I certainly did. However, I was never interested in the characters that much. (And as a high school teacher a love story about 16-year-olds is disturbing on many levels.) Also, I felt that some passages read like a

DNF at page 109I'm three quarters Cantonese and though I can't do kung fu to save my life, but I can rip this book apart.First of all, I dnf-ed this book because it was 517 pages and I was not into it. I have a good number of reasons why.Basically, this book is Tsarina and Tiger's Curse, only without the crappy fantasy element of the former and a bit less of the latter's unintended potential racism. It starts with an intense but cheesy prologue where they introduce our MC as a supposedly "Strong

First, something that keeps coming up - the title. My best guess is that it's called Russian Concubine because there are hints of Valentina being a slave to money from men - letting men have her to keep her family fed, clothed, her daughter in school etc. While she was not a concubine she essentially sold herself and used her sexuality to gain what she wanted or needed. It started in the first scene where she virtually offers herself up to save her childs life and towards the end she marries a

[possible spoiler/s ahead:]A deftly woven tale of political intrigue, betrayal and lies in a turbulent historical point in China, but at its heart a touching love story between two peopleborn worlds apartwho ultimately find love and communion in each other. The Russian Concubine is very well researched and the authenticity of the setting and characters portrayed by Furnivall is spot-on. I can see why people would hate this book, judging from some reviews on the site here, thinking it a

I chose this book from the book store mainly because of the front cover. The picture is very beautiful, and the title is intriguing. Although, after reading through the book, I don't really understand why it's called The Russian Concubine. Yes, Lydia and Chang are lovers, but concubine just gives a different connotation. Chang wouldn't be able to afford a concubine.The book has such a wonderful array of rich and overlapping characters. If you meet a character once, you can be sure to meet them