#BlogTour: The Shanghai Wife by Emma Harcourt @emma_harcourt @Harper360UK @RandomTTours #TheShanghaiWife #EmmaHarcourt #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

Forbidden friendship, political conspiracy and incendiary passion draw Australian woman Annie Brand deep into the glamour and turmoil of 1920s Shanghai.

Leaving behind the loneliness and trauma of her past in country Australia, Annie Brand arrives to the political upheaval and glittering international society of Shanghai in the 1920s. Journeying up the Yangtze with her new husband, the ship’s captain, Annie revels in the sense of adventure but when her husband sends her back to Shanghai, her freedom is quickly curtailed.

Against her will, Annie finds herself living alone in the International Settlement, increasingly suffocated by the judgemental Club ladies and their exclusive social scene: one even more restrictive than that she came from. Sick of salacious gossip and foreign condescension, and desperate to shake off the restrictions of her position in the world, Annie is slowly drawn into the bustling life and otherness of the real Shanghai, and begins to see the world from the perspective of the local people, including the servants who work at her husband’s Club.

But this world is far more complex and dangerous than the curious Annie understands and, unknowingly, she becomes caught in a web of intrigue and conspiracy as well as a passionate forbidden love affair she could not have predicted: one with far–reaching consequences…

The Shanghai Wife is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

The Shanghai Wife is a beautifully written story about an interesting period in China’s history. It’s a book that spans a few genres as it’s part historical, part romance and even part thriller towards the end.

Annie was an interesting main character who I both wanted to hug and shake at different parts of the book. I loved her rebellious nature and that she didn’t want to conform to the normal social rules of the day. However I felt frustrated with her niavity and some of the things she manages to get involved in. I found myself wishing I could somehow step into the book and help her.

The historical details in this book were incredibly vivid and I felt transported back to 1920s China. I hadn’t read much about Chinese history so I loved learning a bit more about the time. It was definitely a turbulent time in the country’s history with lots of political upheaval, riots and danger. It was interesting to see the contrast between this, the lives of the other expats and the romantic scenes at the beginning. It made the book seem quite realistic and I enjoyed looking more on the internet.

Overall I did enjoy this book which wasn’t what I was expecting it to be – in a good way. The pace of the book was well developed and I enjoyed going from the more detailed descriptions at the beginning to the faster, more grittier bits at the end. I’d definitely recommend it to a friend and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Emma Harcourt has worked as a journalist for over 25 years, in Australia, the UK and Hong Kong. In 2011, she completed the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course and The Shanghai Wife was borne. Emma lives in Sydney with her two daughters. She is currently working on her second novel.