A review of ‘The Shanghai Circle’ by a member of the Online Book Club 13th of January 2024
5 out of 5 stars
I must confess that this is the most emotional book I have ever read. The birth of Thomas at sea left me holding my breath and praying for the baby’s survival. This is a book written in a Chinese setting, following their culture. In Shanghai, the Triads dominated the business world. The main businesses were drug sales, getting money through prostitution, and gambling. Cheung Pak-ho was the head of the Sung Triad and was succeeded by his son, Joseph. He had a grudge against the Guest family, which he passed on to Joseph with the aim of revenge.
Charles Guest had a daughter called Davina, who succeeded him in running the family business. Irina, from Russia, had sought refuge in Shanghai after the Japanese invaded Russia. Her family was once wealthy but lost the property during the war. She seeks a way of survival in Shanghai and is introduced to prostitution by Kristina. The Japanese invaded China, and this forced the Shanghai people to flee to Hong Kong. How did they survive in Hong Kong?
I like the characters in the book. Each character has a unique personality and some secret agendas in pursuit of success. Joseph wants to overtake the Green Gang but later surrenders and works with them. The book also builds a lot of fantasy in the reader’s mind. The most fascinating site that caught my mind was the birth of Thomas in the sea. I love the author’s twist from one character in one chapter to another in the next. This captured my attention, and I sought to follow each character till the end.
I dislike most parts of the Chinese culture depicted in the book. Women in China were considered weaklings and unable to lead. The dominance of rape as a form of punishment for women was also devastating. The Triads also didn’t have healthy competition in business. When the Green Gang discovered Joseph’s plans to outdo them, they gave a serious punishment to his family. However, these negatives do not reduce the rating of the book. The perfect editing and the positives of the book make me give it a perfect rating. I rate The Shanghai Circle by Tony Henderson 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. The book tells us about Chinese history. I recommend it to a mature audience due to the many sexual and violent scenes shown. The themes of culture and betrayal are evident.