The Song of the Jade Lilly ** (of 4)

Alexandra is a hard-driving commodities trader who uses her transfer from London to Shanghai to search for (love and) the history of her mother. Alexandra was raised in Australia by her loving grandparents after her parents were killed in a car crash. Alex's grandparents survived World War II in China when no other country in the world would accept Jewish emigres fleeing Austria and Germany. Thus, Alexandra's mother is Chinese, having been "adopted" under mysterious circumstances while Alexandra's grandparents were surviving Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Yes, the plot is convoluted.

The characters, unfortunately, are stereotypes. Because Alexandra is of Chinese descent, she, like her mother, are good at math. Alexandra's grandparents are saints, absent any bad habits or negative features, and bursting with nothing but love and encouragement. Alexandra finds a love life within days of landing in Shanghai with a man with a strong chest, a musky smell, and an endless ability to listen intently to whatever Alexandra wants to speak about. In every scene of every country -- Austria, China, Australia -- we are regaled with every morsel of food that is served and every smell on the street. Alas, there are travel guides and encyclopedias that are more compelling reading.