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cosmith2015's review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoyed this book. Mr. Chang did a great job bringing the Dowager Empress to life. I particularly enjoyed how he divided the book. Several chapters would be dedicated to the same span of time, but each chapter would be about different things. One might be policies, another was her day to day life.
korzna's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the history and the detail. it was dry at times.
goldenluck's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
This was very well written and about such a fascinating era of China that is rarely spoken about. I do think the author seemed to idolize Cixi a little bit which made me wonder about how unbiased the narrative was, however it sounds like she's a pretty demonized figure in other works so this may have been a justified overcorrection.
pollycharlie's review against another edition
5.0
Chang painted a picture of Cixi that's so different from what I was taught. I don't know what to believe anymore until I saw the notes section of the book. A great researched book!
beachy123's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This was my first foray into Chines history I am ashamed to say! But it has given me a thirst to find out more.
horfhorfhorf's review against another edition
3.0
Informative but very, very clinical. Between asides and footnotes, it's clear Chang did her research across all available resources, even the ones nobody else had thought to look to yet. Still, a bit dry for my taste.
stevenyenzer's review against another edition
4.0
Although it's clear that Chang has a historical revisionist ax to grind in writing this history, it's nonetheless a fascinating look at the development of late 19th-century China. Cixi's story is enthralling and well-told.