Inspiriting, heartbreaking, and bittersweet, NIGHT ANGELS tells yet another story of heroes in the shadows of WWII, in Vienna. The agonizing decisions women and men faced during that time, and their staggering courage, will challenge the reader again and again, asking: Could you do what they did? Weina Dai Randel writes from the heart. Her novels are a perfect balance of poetic prose and propulsive writing. Highly recommended.

The story of Dr. Ho Fengshan, the diplomat who issued thousands of visas to save Jews in Vienna, came to me while I was writing The Last Rose of Shanghai. In fact, it was brought to my attention by the same friend who urged me to write The Last Rose of Shanghai. Why did I write Night Angels?It’s not popular to perceive a Chinese diplomat as a hero; it hurts me to say this -- novels about Chinese people are not often considered mainstream in the US. But I believe it’s important to pay homage to t...

3.5 ⭐rounded upAuthor Weina Dai Randel’s story, inspired by true events, explores the risks courageous people took to protect the vulnerable from the grasp of the Nazis. What makes her book stand out is the unique perspective - China’s position during wartime. While many authors concentrate on European or American perspectives, Randel focuses on a Chinese man and his American wife. Dr. Ho Fengshan, a consul general of China in Vienna, and his American wife, Grace, risk it all to help Viennese Je...

This is a shameless exploitation of my father's story and a gross distortion of Holocaust history under the guise of "historical fiction". For a detailed explanation, see attached link. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20...For further reading about this topic, please read. "Novel about Chinese Rescuer Of Jews Raises Questions About Fact vs Fiction in Holocaust Stories" by Jordyn Haime of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Link below:https://www.jta.org/2023/02/14/global...Ho Manli, daughter of Dr...

I tried. I really did. Historical fiction based on the life of Dr. Ho Fengshan, the consul general of China, who was posted in Vienna with his American wife, Grace and their efforts to help Jewish people leave Austria rather than be deported to concentration camps. It should have been a wonderful book - a lot of readers think so - but I couldn’t get past the writing (things that didn’t make sense, no “soul” or depth to the writing) or the very poor character development. Grace, who seemed to be ...

In many ways, this is a prequel to The Last Rose of Shanghai which follows the fate of Jewish refugees in World War II. This book imagines the life of Dr Ho Fenshan, a Chinese Consul in Vienna, who saved many thousands of lives by providing visas to Jews when many other countries had stopped. It took me a while to get into this. In order to fully understand the circumstances under which Dr Ho was operating, the reader has to wade through a great deal of detail about the political situation in Eu...

I have read so many books about World War II but Night Angels is certainly one of the books I will carry in my heart always. The chapters alternate between diplomat Dr. Ho Fengshan and his wife, Grace. Of course, the author reveals in her notes that while the doctor was an actual person and his storyline is fact. The Lola and Grace storyline was imagined. Regardless of that fact,I cried so many times in this novel. Especially in the last 1/3 of the book. I had never heard the story of Dr. Fengs...

My January Amazon first read, and quite the disappointment if I’m being honest. A promising topic and point in history, this book was disappointing. Poor, lacklustre character development, rushed plots/events, and dismal flow. I hate rating books based on true events poorly, and although the topic was good, the writing left me bored. I’d really hoped it was just a “slow start” type of book, but it is just slow and dull throughout.

This was such an engrossing read based on the true story of a Chinese diplomat in Vienna that issues thousands of visas to Jewish people when all other Western countries had closed their doors or turned a blind eye to what was happening under Hitler's rule during the Holocaust. I couldn't put it down.

The ending left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth (artistic license and all), but I am glad to have learned about the legacy of Dr. Ho Fengshan.

Got this free through Amazon Prime first reads.
Wasn't taken by the style of writing at first but once you get over that, it's a great story. I enjoy historical WW2 fiction and to find one on a story I knew little to nothing about was great. If had me Google the the people and that's always a sign of a good book.