Kate Furnivall
Kate Furnivall was raised in Penarth, a small seaside town in Wales. Her mother, whose own childhood was spent in Russia, China and India, discovered at an early age that the world around us is so volatile, that the only things of true value are those inside your head and your heart. These values Kate explores in The Russian Concubine.
Kate went to London University where she studied English and from there she went into publishing, writing material for a series of books on the canals of Britain. Then into advertising where she met her future husband, Norman. She travelled widely, giving her an insight into how different cultures function which was to prove invaluable when writing The Russian Concubine.
It was when her mother died in 2000 that Kate decided to write a book inspired by her mother's story. The Russian Concubine contains fictional characters and events, but Kate made use of the extraordinary situation that was her mother's childhood experience - that of two White Russian refugees, a mother and daughter, stuck without money or papers in an International Settlement in China.
“he was sick of the accidents, sick to his stomach. It was the darkness workers didn't see things. The shifts were too long, the tools too blunt, the wage too low.And he was the one they blamed.”
“The sight of you brings joy to my heart and makes my blood thunder in my veins. I know not how long I will be allowed to stand here. So there are words I must say. That you are the moon and the stars to me, and the air I breathe. To love you is to live. So if I die.... I will still live in you.”
“Elena gave a low laugh. "Maleeshka, little one, it's me you're talking to, not the Cossack. I am a whore and I know the smell of men and the smell of sex. You stink of both.”
“Choose.She closed the door and stamped her feet on the icy ground, smiling as she drew in a deep breath of Russian air and felt her heart race. There was a future ahead, one that she and Chang An Lo would carve together. It was a risk, but life itself was a risk. That much she'd learned form Russia, that much she'd learned from Jens. With a farewell wave to Alexei and a final touch of the Chinese amulet around her neck to tempt the protection of Chang An Lo's gods one last time, she looped her bag onto her shoulder and headed for the gateway.”
“To sjećanje izmamilo joj je osmijeh na lice i ona je pustila da joj misli polete prema njemu kao pčele koje slijede neodoljivi miris orhideje.Nije se borila protiv toga.Ne ovaj put.Samo noćas,dopustit će si slatko,bestežinsko zadovoljstvo da sklizne natrag u prošlost.”
“Pogledala je dolje u svoje isprepletene prste i šaptom pitala :Koliko čovjek smije riskirati za ljubav?”
“...je li se i Bog tako osjećao kad je stvorio čovjeka?Da je stvorio prekrasan stroj za ubijanje?”
“Odreci ga se.Nikad nećete biti sretni zajedno.Ne mogu,kao što ne mogu ni prestati disati.”
“...ne možeš loviti prošlost kako bi izbjegla budućnost...”
“Naslonila je glavu na prozorsko staklo i udahnula.Toliko je dugo čekala da je zaboravila koliko je uzbudljivo živjeti u sadašnjosti.Imati ono što želiš.Htjeti ono što imaš.”
“Water was a state of mind. If you think it your friend when you swim in the river or wash away the dirt, why call it your enemy when it comes from the heavens? From the cup of the gods themselves.”