A Cold Season In Shanghai

This is a lovely story beautifully told, but I must admit, it left me feeling so sad. I appreciate the particular kind of closure brought to the story, but I didn't feel our main character had much closure--and that she was, therefore, still unfulfilled and sad.

I was hooked from page 1 of this amazing story about how time and circumstances work to unravel families and friendships. It is a tale of love, in various forms, but also of love refracted through the lens of obligation, tradition, maturity, history. The richness of the setting, which S.P. Hozy delights in painting via the lives and fortunes of her characters, adds the right touch of exotica to every page. I loved the feeling of traveling back in time to peer into the world of Hozy's fictitious but believable men and women. Hozy's writing is clean and direct, so that it immerses you in the time period rather than wallpapering the action with flowery descriptions that bog down the plot. This story will hold you in its clutches and have you anticipating every new development.