
The Last Rose of Shanghai
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Josh Bloomberg
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Emily Woo Zeller
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By:
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Weina Dai Randel
About this listen
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.
©2021 Weina Dai Randel. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“[Emily Woo] Zeller delivers the chapters told from the perspective of Aiyi, whose privileged upbringing, beauty, and good business sense are not enough to protect her from the hardships of war. [Josh] Bloomberg performs the chapters focused on Ernest, a German-Jewish refugee who arrives in the city looking for a safe haven. Zeller's comfort with Asian languages and accents and Bloomberg's with European ones underscore Aiyi's and Ernest's divergent spheres. Together the narrators build on the couple's conflicted emotions as their relationship grows from being business associates to much more.” (AudioFile Magazine)
“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)
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In a small, provincial town behind the Iron Curtain, Sasha lives in a house full of secrets, one of which is her own dream of becoming an actress. When she leaves for Moscow to audition for drama school, she defies her mother and grandparents and abandons her first love, Andrei. Before she leaves, Sasha discovers the hidden war journal of her uncle Kolya, an artist still missing in action years after the war has ended. His pages expose the official lies and the forbidden truth of Stalin’s brutality.
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Impressive from start to finish
- By brian on 03-02-22
By: Elena Gorokhova
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The Thread Collectors
- A Novel
- By: Shaunna J. Edwards, Alyson Richman
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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1863: In a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician.
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Absolutely stunning!
- By Amazon Customer on 04-14-24
By: Shaunna J. Edwards, and others
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Catching the Wind
- By: Melanie Dobson
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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What happened to Brigitte Berthold? That question has haunted Daniel Knight since he was 13, when he and 10-year-old Brigitte escaped the Gestapo agents who arrested both their parents. They survived a harrowing journey from Germany to England, only to be separated upon their arrival. Daniel vowed to find Brigitte after the war, a promise he has fought to fulfill for more than 70 years.
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A Labyrinth of Intrigue
- By Jean on 12-22-18
By: Melanie Dobson
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The Cartographer's Secret
- By: Tea Cooper
- Narrated by: Casey Withoos
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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A gripping historical mystery for fans of Kate Morton and Natasha Lester’s The Paris Seamstress, The Cartographer’s Secret follows a young woman’s quest to heal a family rift as she becomes entangled in one of Australia’s greatest historical puzzles.
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What Happened to Evie?
- By Anonymous User on 11-25-21
By: Tea Cooper
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The Secrets We Left Behind
- By: Soraya M. Lane
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Occupied France, 1940. When the staff at a field hospital draw straws to find out who will join the evacuation from Dunkirk, Nurse Cate is left behind. But when the Nazis arrive to claim prisoners of war, she takes her chance and flees into the night, taking one patient with her. Fifty miles away, the surrendering soldiers of the Royal Norfolk Regiment are shot dead by the advancing Germans. Beneath the pile of bodies two men survive, crawling to the safety of a nearby farmhouse, where sisters Elise and Adelaide risk their lives to take them in.
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Great
- By Auntie JoJo 607 on 12-04-21
By: Soraya M. Lane
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The Library of Legends
- A Novel
- By: Janie Chang
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, 19-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than 100 students, faculty, and staff must walk 1,000 miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends.
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Wonderful and Umique!
- By D. Fields on 02-18-22
By: Janie Chang
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A Woman in Time
- A Novel
- By: Bobi Conn
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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The McKenzie women, empowered with a formidable history rooted in the foothills of Appalachia, have passed down their folk-healing wisdom through generations. Rosalee, the last living headstrong daughter in Granny McKenzie’s line, soaked up everything she could about the secrets of the forest before a series of tragedies left her alone, without the protection of the women who came before her.
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BORING
- By Jack Kelley on 02-21-23
By: Bobi Conn
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A Single Swallow
- By: Zhang Ling, Shelly Bryant - translator
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Adam Verner, Feodor Chin, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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On the day of the historic 1945 Jewel Voice Broadcast - in which Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces, bringing an end to World War II - three men, flush with jubilation, made a pact. After their deaths, each year on the anniversary of the broadcast, their souls would return to the Chinese village of their younger days. Now, seventy years later, the pledge is being fulfilled by American missionary Pastor Billy, brash gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson, and local soldier Liu Zhaohu. All that’s missing is Ah Yan - also known as Swallow.
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A Must-Read
- By 20eagle16 on 05-13-21
By: Zhang Ling, and others
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The Daughter's Tale
- A Novel
- By: Armando Lucas Correa
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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BERLIN, 1939. The dreams that Amanda Sternberg and her husband, Julius, had for their daughters are shattered when the Nazis descend on Berlin, burning down their beloved family bookshop and sending Julius to a concentration camp. Desperate to save her children, Amanda flees toward the south of France, where the widow of an old friend of her husband’s has agreed to take her in. Along the way, a refugee ship headed for Cuba offers another chance at escape and there, at the dock, Amanda is forced to make an impossible choice that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
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Beautiful and heartbreaking
- By INGRID on 07-06-19
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Beneath the Bending Skies
- By: Jane Kirkpatrick
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Mollie Sheehan has spent much of her life striving to be a dutiful daughter and honor her father's wishes, even when doing so has led to one heartbreak after another. After all, what options does she truly have in 1860s Montana? But providing for her stepfamily during her father's long absences doesn't keep her from wishing for more. When romance blooms between her and Peter Ronan, Mollie finally allows herself to hope for a brighter future—until her father voices his disapproval of the match and moves her to California to ensure the breakup. Still, time and providence are at work.
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Montana the land of many cultures
- By Shyeyes on 12-09-22
By: Jane Kirkpatrick
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Wild, Beautiful, and Free
- A Novel
- By: Sophfronia Scott
- Narrated by: Channie Waites
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Born the daughter of an enslaved woman and a Louisiana plantation owner, Jeannette Bébinn is raised alongside her white half sister—until her father suddenly dies. His vindictive wife refuses twelve-year-old Jeannette her inheritance and sells her into slavery. Now on her own, Jeannette must fight the injustices she faces because of her mixed race. She escapes enslavement and travels from Mississippi to Philadelphia to New York to Ohio, all while searching for purpose, love, and her place in a country torn asunder by the burgeoning Civil War.
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Beautiful
- By AP on 05-19-23
By: Sophfronia Scott
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The Moonglow Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Lori Wilde
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Once Moonglow Cove, Texas was the home of the Clark sisters - brought up by their grandmother at the Moonglow Inn. Nicknamed “The Moonglow Sisters”, as children they were inseparable. Then, a wedding-day betrayal tore them apart and they scattered across the globe and away from each other. But the sisters have at last come home. There’s Maddie: smart, sensible, and stubborn. Shelley, who ran off to find her bliss. And Gia, a free-spirit determined to keep the peace. It’s her impending wedding that keeps them together...but Gia has a secret.
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surprisingly delightful
- By Rebecca Brown on 04-01-20
By: Lori Wilde
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The Night of Many Endings
- A Novel
- By: Melissa Payne
- Narrated by: Almarie Guerra, Janet Metzger, Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Orphaned at a young age and witness to her brother’s decline into addiction, Nora Martinez has every excuse to question the fairness of life. Instead, the openhearted librarian in the small Colorado community of Silver Ridge sees only promise. She holds on to the hope that she’ll be reunited with her missing brother and does what she can at the town library. It’s her home away from home, but it’s also a sanctuary for others who, like her brother, could use a second chance.
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so lovely
- By LindaMercury on 10-26-21
By: Melissa Payne
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Dear Emmie Blue
- A Novel
- By: Lia Louis
- Narrated by: Katy Sobey
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In this charming and poignant novel that "oozes charm and wit and speaks beautifully about friendship and love, and the differences between the two" (Laura Pearson, author of I Wanted You to Know), teenager Emmie Blue releases a balloon with her email address and a big secret into the sky, only to fall head-over-heels for the boy who finds it. But 14 years later, everything Emmie has planned is up in the air.
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5 Stars!!!
- By Trosado on 08-11-20
By: Lia Louis
What listeners say about The Last Rose of Shanghai
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- amy j
- 12-22-21
Predictable
Meh. So much potential and fell flat for me. Every character including the two main characters, were beyond selfish to the point of annoying. I couldn’t even feel sorry for them. They eventually come full circle at the end and sacrificed greatly however to get to that point the back and forth almost made me dnf.
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- YippeeYippee
- 05-01-22
A very enthusiastic thumbs up!
This is the 1st all 5 star review I've given of an audiobook. The characters are completely developed and stay true to themselves throughout the book. They were all very relatable and pulled on my heart strings.
The narration was excellent. The performers stayed consistent throughout the story and somehow even helped me picture how they moved and looked.
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- Holly
- 11-09-22
Great descriptions
I enjoyed this story and the narration. I read a lot and listening to this story was the first time I experienced real physical reactions to descriptions of characters and their experiences. The description of torture in the prison Ernest was held in almost made me throw up. The overall story was a super cool perspective on a lesser talked about perspective during world war 2. I did not like the ending.
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- Ryan Kenyon
- 04-19-22
Hi see why it’s a best seller!
Honestly, with the romance aside the rest of the book was phenomenal. I enjoyed every minute listening to it on the road while driving to and from work. Thank you for such a piece of work!
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- theresah
- 03-25-22
amazing story of personal struggle
The last rose of Shanghai
By Wednesday Dai Randel
The beautiful story of love and preservance in World War 2, Shanghai is captured by the duplicitous Japanese. Oppressed and exploited by the Japanese as the war continues on and on the refugees from Europe to Asia are thrust into the greed and stark violence of the war. A very young Jewish refugee finds employment and love in the clubs of Shanghai. They struggle against the terror and destructive nature of division and prejudices of China, and Japan. It's a remarkable story of over coming our own nature to submit or fight. It's a personal story, a remarkable story of over coming the limits of culture.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-21-23
Meh with a twist
3.5 stars from me. I thought it was interesting to see a WWII historical fiction with a main character who is Jewish but in Shanghai. The writer has almost a lyrical style which is enjoyable to listen to. The plot was just kind of meh and the twist came too late.
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- P. Gardner
- 11-28-23
Another side of the world war
I love knowing that the story was based on historical events even though the details are fiction. Some say it fell flat but I didn’t know where it was going until the end because I kept getting wrapped up in Ernest and Aiyi story line. If you are looking for another viewpoint on WWII I do recommend this as a read.
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- hilda hatfield
- 01-15-22
Love shanghai
Love it most enjoyable time spend listening to this book.Would recommend
to all my fellow readers
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4 people found this helpful
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- Mary Ellen
- 03-05-22
Okay.
Two narrators, a male and a female, saved me from not finishing. Independently, they have nice voices; however, they didn't match my perceptions of the characters. The story is written and performed as blah, blah, blah. The author mentioned a couple cultural historical places and actions (I'm not spoiling.) that were new to me, and I would have to search for verification of facts in fiction or author created scenes (I leaned towards F in F and kept reading. Again no spoilers, the scenes felt believable.) My history of the orient is weak, which is why I chose this to read.
I am taking away a couple things to Google. Nothing that wouldn't spoil are memories that will stay with me.
I did struggle to finish. I had hoped for author notes that explained the cultural and historical references but there were none.
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- Christine Jaber
- 04-17-22
What a book!
At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book but it got such good reviews so I stuck with it and I am so glad I did because this a very good book! I have to admit I got frustrated with how sad the story got but life can be sad so this book takes you on a journey and twist and turns, so listen to this book if you want to be entertained!
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