Night Angels

A Novel

by Weina Dai Randel

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Pub Date Feb 01 2023 | Archive Date Feb 15 2023

Lake Union Publishing

General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction

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Description

From the author of The Last Rose of Shanghai comes a profoundly moving novel about a diplomatic couple who risked their lives to help Viennese Jews escape the Nazis, inspired by the true story of Dr. Ho Fengshan, Righteous Among the Nations.

1938. Dr. Ho Fengshan, consul general of China, is posted in Vienna with his American wife, Grace. Shy and ill at ease with the societal obligations of diplomats’ wives, Grace is an outsider in a city beginning to feel the sweep of the Nazi dragnet. When Grace forms a friendship with her Jewish tutor, Lola Schnitzler, Dr. Ho requests that Grace keep her distance. His instructions are to maintain amicable relations with the Third Reich, and he and Grace are already under their vigilant eye.

But when Lola’s family is subjugated to a brutal pogrom, Dr. Ho decides to issue them visas to Shanghai. As violence against the Jews escalates after Kristallnacht and threats mount, Dr. Ho must issue thousands more to help Jews escape Vienna before World War II explodes.

Inspired by a remarkable true story, Night Angels explores the risks brave souls took and the love and friendship they built and lost while fighting against incalculable evil.

A Note From the Publisher

Weina Dai Randel is the award-winning author of The Last Rose of Shanghai as well as The Moon in the Palace and The Empress of Bright Moon, a historical duology about Wu Zetian, China’s only female emperor. Weina is the winner of the RWA RITA Award, a National Jewish Book Award finalist, a Goodreads Choice Award semifinalist, and an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee. Her books have been translated into twelve languages and sold worldwide. Born in China, Weina came to the United States at twenty-four. She holds an MA in English from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. Interviews with Weina have appeared on WFAA’s Good Morning Texas and in such publications as China Daily, World Literature Today, the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Los Angeles Review of Books. After living in Texas for years, Weina now resides in Boston with her loving husband, two children, and a family of chipmunks in the backyard. For information, visit www.weinarandel.com.

Advance Praise

Praise for Night Angels

“Schindler’s List takes an Eastern twist in Night Angels, the incredible true story of the Chinese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in WWII Vienna. Quiet, scholarly Ho Fengshan has just been made consul general in Vienna, preoccupied with his troubled American wife, Grace, and disquieted by the new anti-Semitic laws sweeping Austria. Grace’s friendship with Jewish musician Lola forces both Fengshan and his wife to the breaking point: How much can one sacrifice to save innocent lives? Weina Dai Randel pens an unforgettable tale of quiet heroism and blazing defiance in the face of evil.” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

“An illuminating look at a little-known, inspiring piece of history we should never forget.” —Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars

“Weina Dai Randel’s Night Angels is a gorgeous WWII historical tale of daring diplomatic pursuits that had me turning the pages way past my bedtime. Based on the true heroic story of Dr. Ho Fengshan, Randel’s prose is rich and powerfully layered. By day, Fengshan is a warrior for his country and a fighter for humanity while secretly issuing thousands of visas to Jews to Shanghai to escape Nazi persecution. It is a sweeping novel filled with love, loss, high stakes, sacrifice, and redemption that will break your heart and fuel your soul.” —Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire

Praise for Night Angels

“Schindler’s List takes an Eastern twist in Night Angels, the incredible true story of the Chinese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in WWII Vienna. Quiet, scholarly Ho...