Peter Harmsen (Denmark) professor the University of Aarhus, journalist Far Esat and author of Nanjing 1937:Battle for a Doomed City and Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze.
Rich detail on a world long gone
Margaret Blair spent her childhood in Shanghai, and it shows in the richness of detail in this extraordinary novel which brings to life the long-lost world of the expatriate community in China’s most cosmopolitan city in the 1930s. Tracing the actions of two Chinese protagonists who are both enamored with western culture, Ms. Blair described the unique blend of East and West that characterized Shanghai in its fabled heyday. At the same time, her novel is expertly written and her character precisely drawn, providing a stunning read of deep emotional impact.