Title Tuesday: The Russian Concubine Series

Welcome to  Title Tuesday, my favorite day of the week! This day is dedicated to book suggestions, news, cartoons, and reviews. I write this portion of my blog because I am a big believer in the motivational speaker Charlie Jones' quote which says, "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” I try to meet as many new people as possible and to read everything I can. This is my way of sharing that information with you. You can see a visual summary of the books I have reviewed for both adults and children over on my Facebook page. If you are interested in understanding my rating system for books you can read my Book Review Explanation here and What I Believe here. If you want to check out what I am currently reading or what I want to read next, friend me on Goodreads!

Do you ever get sucked into a story to the point that you just can't put the book down? Between December 28 2018 and January 11 2019 I read all three of Kate Furnivall's books in her Russian series. I know that may not seem super fast to any of you that don't have children. But, I have a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a 9 month old. Being able to read one book a month (purely for myself) is supposed to be a huge deal. So today I want to share my reviews of each of these books with you.

Now, a caveat... these books are not Christian.  While easily 95% of what I read is Christian literature every now and then I do branch out from theology, parenting, children's books and ministry tools to other categories. While I did take a break from fiction last year, I am back up and running with my priorities appropriately in order, so I can in good conscience share these books with you!

Kate Furnivall's Russian Concubine series is an absolutely heart wrenching trilogy. These books tie the struggle of communist Russian and China together in a way that opened my eyes to what life was really like for the people that were collectively swept up in the advancement of the communist cause.

Furnivall's writing is:

• smooth and elegant when describing white Russia in The Jewel of St, Petersberg,
• steamy and expansive while describing the life of Russian refuges in The Russian Concubine,
• coveys the bleak and miserable lumber through life amid communist Russia in The Girl from Junchow.

The Jewel of St. Petersburg

What I loved:

The grit and determination of Valentina Ivanova and the clear explanation of the fact that many of the White Russians had no idea what life was like for everyone else.

What I did not like:

Jen Friis love affair with a married woman, the fact the Friis was willing to put Valentina in danger repeatedly despite their significant age difference.

The Russian Concubine

What I loved: The character of Chang An Lo who was so incredibly dedicated and faithful. The clear differentiation of the stiff Englishman and the refugees.

What I didn't like: The inclusion of Mr. Mason's darkest sins. I think the part about his daughter could have been left out without diminishing his evilness.

The Girl from Junchow

What I Loved:

The dedication of Liev, he was unwavering in his loyalty. The fact that Lydia and her brother worked together to achieve a goal.  

What I didn’t like:

I did not care for how incredibly reckless Lydia was with the lives of the people who cared for her. I also was devastated at the ending of the book. I don’t want to give it away, but it truly had me sobbing while turning the final pages.

Now, each of these books have problematic elements. Extramarital affairs, premarital sex, unplanned pregnancy, and sex used as a bartering tool are present in these books periodically. While Furnivall does write the scenes out clearly, I do believe that they serve as an accurate representation of what would have happened in the given circumstances. This is not a matter of the author just throwing gratuitous sex into the story to keep people reading. But, with that being said, even though the writing is excellent and the story is consuming… the highest that I can give this series is a B+. I cannot give it an A+ because of all the immoral sexual activity. But, in every other aspect I think these books are wonderful. So, if you decide that you want to read them, use caution with the sexual content. I just skipped past those pages. If you are listening to it as an audiobook, just fast forward. I would also caution parents that these books handle (with grace) some very adult themes and this is not a book that I would recommend for anyone under 16 and at that age I would caution that it needs to be discussed carefully.