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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
informative
informative
medium-paced
Ho iniziato questo libro sulla scia di una nuova passione per le biografie, ma non avevo grandi aspettative. Sono stata invece sorpresa e ammetto il mio dispiacere per non aver mai sentito parlare prima di questa donna che ha guidato la Cina fuori dal medioevo, che ha governato 1/3 della popolazione mondiale e ne ha rinnovato il volto. Un libro che consiglio vivamente!
How could a woman with such a fascinating life lend itself to such a boring book??
Estive bastante inclinada para dar o 2 pois o livro é um pouco de desilusão. .. Adorei os Cisnes Selvagens mas este não lhe chega sequer aos "calcanhares"...
Mas como a história desta personagem histórica é interessante nunca perdi realmente o interesse... Daí o 3... Mas dado com muita relutância!
Mas como a história desta personagem histórica é interessante nunca perdi realmente o interesse... Daí o 3... Mas dado com muita relutância!
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5/5
Overall, I found this to be a very thorough book on Empress Dowager Cixi's life. I think Chang offered up a lot of new perspectives, especially through personal diaries and letters of her contemporaries, that give her a depth and complexity largely missing from her narrative. As one of my favorite women in history, I greatly enjoyed this shift in her narrative. I would also like to commend Chang for the readability of this book. History can be very dry and monotonous but I find she truly made this flow like a story. I also loved the inclusion of paintings and photographs. It truly made her seem more human and relatable.
My two biggest criticisms fall in formatting and bias. In regards to formatting, I would have liked to see footnotes to sources. I realize that takes a lot of people out of the reading but I feel it's integral in establishing authority. Having something to refer back to, in my opinion, lends credibility as the reader can go and see sources to form their own opinion of the author's view. Which leads me to my biggest criticism, while engaging, this reads as extremely biased. Chang mentions the episodes of Empress Dowager Cixi's life that were not flattering but quickly and not very in depth. Further, there are minimal sources given from her critics. Here is where I think footnotes would come in handy. This way her interpretation could be critically looked at more easily.
Regardless of these complaints, this was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Modern China or Empress Dowager Cixi.
Overall, I found this to be a very thorough book on Empress Dowager Cixi's life. I think Chang offered up a lot of new perspectives, especially through personal diaries and letters of her contemporaries, that give her a depth and complexity largely missing from her narrative. As one of my favorite women in history, I greatly enjoyed this shift in her narrative. I would also like to commend Chang for the readability of this book. History can be very dry and monotonous but I find she truly made this flow like a story. I also loved the inclusion of paintings and photographs. It truly made her seem more human and relatable.
My two biggest criticisms fall in formatting and bias. In regards to formatting, I would have liked to see footnotes to sources. I realize that takes a lot of people out of the reading but I feel it's integral in establishing authority. Having something to refer back to, in my opinion, lends credibility as the reader can go and see sources to form their own opinion of the author's view. Which leads me to my biggest criticism, while engaging, this reads as extremely biased. Chang mentions the episodes of Empress Dowager Cixi's life that were not flattering but quickly and not very in depth. Further, there are minimal sources given from her critics. Here is where I think footnotes would come in handy. This way her interpretation could be critically looked at more easily.
Regardless of these complaints, this was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Modern China or Empress Dowager Cixi.
Not an easy read but very interesting and felt I learned a lot from it.
Interesante como de cierta manera Cixi se puede controlar a China siendo mujer que no tenía derecho a nada ante la muerte su cónyuge
informative
medium-paced