Jennifer (jennbarr) - reviewed Not a bad book on 7/13/2009 + 8 more book reviews

I read a lot of Russian History and came across this book. A story about Russian emigres in China just before Communist takeover of China, it largely focuses on the love story of Lydia and Chang. However, if you go deeper it also relates the take of the displaced Russian emigre after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. [For those who may have missed it, the title refers to the mother and "payments" to a wealthy man for her and her daughter's well-being. She is in China, hence the term concubine. I will not post more for fear of giving up the plot.] Anyway, not bad historical fiction. I would suggest her other story about the gulag, The Red Scarf. Although there are some historical leeway in that one, if you enjoyed this one, you probably will enjoy that one as well.

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