White Gardenia

By: Belinda Alexandra

Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein

Beginning in a small village on the Chinese-Russian border in the final days of World War II, White Gardenia tells the story of a mother and daughter separated by war. In a district of the city of Harbin, a haven for white Russian families since Russia's Communist revolution, Alina Kozlova must make a heartbreaking decision if her only child, Anya, is to live. White Gardenia sweeps across cultures and continents, from the glamorous nightclubs of Shanghai to the harshness of Cold War Soviet Russia in the 1960s, from a desolate island in the Pacific Ocean to a new life in post-war Australia. Both mother and daughter must make sacrifices, but is the price of survival too high? Most importantly of all, will they ever find each other again?©2002 Belinda Alexandra (P)2003 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

"Deidre Rubenstein's well-modulated contralto voice brings empathy and compassion to Alexandra's first novel....Powerful dramatization." (AudioFile)

Ok but abrupt end

The book is just like a narrative of Russian emigre. Plot is not as complicated as the Tuscan Rose

Amazing Journey

I especially enjoyed the amazing vocal acting in this blended story of romance, suspense, humor, personal loss and redemption. What a cast of characters elicited by one voice!

Unexpectedly the best book I’ve read all year…

I’ll admit I didn’t read the description before jumping into this. I picked it because I like the author so I knew it would be good. I had no idea it would pull me in within seconds of starting. I couldn’t put it down. The journey I went on was gritty and heartbreaking while reminding me of the power of human tenacity and will to live. This is a story not just about the protagonist’s journey through displacement but easily about the millions of people who have faced these struggles as a result of war, the whole world over.

I wonder if I’ll find another book I loved as much as this one…

Very Enjoyable

This is the first Belinda Alexander book that I have read. The story is great and I could not put it down.
The narrater was very good. I was very sorry to get to the end.

Ana, grow up

What did you like best about White Gardenia? What did you like least?

Liked this part of history which I had never read about before and it helped me understand what the world was like at that time. I like the characters but did not like how emotionally immature Ana was through out the book. I think t he author repeatedly went overboard on Ana's crying and inability to adapt to changes. I would have liked to read the book with Ana as a stronger character.

What other book might you compare White Gardenia to and why?

Very similar to her other books Wild Lavender and Silver Wattle.

What about Deidre Rubenstein???s performance did you like?

Very good and excellent accents.

Do you think White Gardenia needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Would be nice to see Ana grown up in the years of raising her daughter and helping an elderly Mother. Also to develope her relationships with her husband and friends. Plus to see the history unfold as to these years in Australia.

Any additional comments?

I did like the books and would recommend it but only to women.....a man wouldn't like all the crying in Ana's character.