An expansive life journey of a Russian girl born on the Chinese-Russian border under Japanese occupation at the end of WW2 whose hard life, tells the tale of a mother and daughter torn apart by war.

The story roams from the glamorous nightclubs of Shanghai to a desolate island in the South China Sea to a new life in postwar Australia, and finally to Cold War Moscow, White Gardenia sweeps across cultures and continents.

Both mother and daughter must make sacrifices to survive. But is the price of survival too high? Most importantly of all, can they ever find each other again?

I found the main character very negative and self focussed, but the story's travells inviting and interesting. Several interesting relationships play out and I enjoyed the historic side of it very much, especially around post war Sydney.

Give it a go, I think there is something for everyone in this piece.

RELEASE NOTES:

Live Sparks has a little bookshelf, I will leave it there considering we are enjoying some rain at this time