The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning

This is definitely a “go run right out and get this book now”! This book made my heart break. The story is gorgeous, and painful, and it felt so real. It’s about friendship and love, and fighting for all that you love – and living through things that can either make you or break you. I could not put it down, and it definitely got me out of my book slump!

The story begins in 1939 when Romy and her family are forced to flee Nazi invaded Austria to Shanghai. From 1939 to 1945 we read how Romy, her family, and her two friends, Li and Nina survive the war. Their stories are heartbreaking, but also heartwarming – their friendships are what hold the story together.

Romy meets Nina on the boat to Shanghai, and they become fast friends. Unfortunately, Nina has to leave Romy and her family when she is sent to live in different immigrant section of Shanghai with her uncle. Romy’s parents, knowing that Nina’s living conditions won’t be that great, try to convince Nina’s uncle to let her stay with them – but he won’t give his permission.

Once settled in Shanghai, Romy is living pretty much in comfort, if not luxury. It’s in her apartment building that she meets Li, the girl who lives across the hall. Romy and her parents strike up a friendship with Li and her family, and they become quite close.

But war is horrible, and things happen that tests their strength and even their friendship. This part of the book was so compelling that I felt like I could smell the food cooking from the street stalls, and hear the sounds of Shanghai. In fact, food plays a big part of the story, as well as the fascinating portions that talk about Chinese medicine, which Romy takes an interest in.

But that’s not all that this book has to offer. We also meet Alexandra, Romy’s granddaughter, who in 2016 travels from Australia to Shanghai trying to locate her deceased mother’s family, or at least the truth about her mother’s adoption by Romy. Romy is very secretive about her daughter’s adoption, and Alexandra sets out to uncover the secret. But again, there were so many orphans left after the war and records were destroyed – if they existed at all. All she has is a diary, a copy of certificate of adoption, and her mother’s jade necklace with the engraved lily.

If you love stories with a lot of grit, a lot of heart, and a bit of a mystery – this one is for you.