Last Year in Hong Kong: A Love Story

Returning to the setting of his bestselling Dynasty, Elegant eschews his customary saga format to write a leaner story about one couple's love affair during the countdown year before Hong Kong is absorbed by mainland China. American Lucretia Barnes, recently divorced after a three-year marriage to an unscrupulous lawyer, now barely ekes out a living teaching drawing to architecture students at Chinese University. While she is wavering between staying on in the Crown Colony or leaving for home, she meets handsome, attentive Dorje Rabnet. Of Tibetan and English parentage, Dorje, who works as a civil engineer, is a devout Buddhist and hates the prospect of the Chinese takeover. Though his mentor, a respected 85-year-old banker, warns him off the politically suspect Lucretia--she's sure to have been labeled anti-Chinese by the Beijing government--Dorje can't resist her fiery spirit. He begins showing Lucretia the ""real"" Hong Kong, and they soon fall in love. Dorje has a secret political mission, however, which leads to his sudden disappearance. Elegant's credentials as a journalist and old Asia hand are in evidence as he captures the brash, vital and violent atmosphere of Hong Kong, but his wooden characters too often serve as political mouthpieces. Moreover, a melodramatic ending leaves the reader feeling manipulated. Author tour. (May)