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rozwei3's review against another edition
4.0
Great story, with lots of emotion and quite funny in places. The contrast between extreme traditionalists and ambitious "inferior" women and eunuchs creates lots of tension. Only deducting a star because I think the language is a little dated, but I read an older edition, so hoping that's now changed
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
Bullet Review:
This was a lot of fun to read. I'm always interested in new cultures and new time periods, so this was perfect for me. I loved Orchid; she's the independent, strong-willed female protagonist we're always promised and never get. There were some dry sections, along with a lot of narration and not so much action, but I still enjoyed this heartily.
Full review:
Orchid is a young woman who moved from Wuhu with her family and father's body to Peking. Living in destitution, her best chance for a good life is to compete against hundreds of other young Manchu ladies to be one of Emperor Hsien's concubines - and maybe one of the lucky 7 to be his wife.
Through her persistence and cunning, Orchid rises from her humble beginnings to be one of the Emperor's wives, to give birth his only male child, and to stay alive amongst the back-stabbing Inner Court.
I feel rather ashamed; I enjoyed this book heartily, devouring the last 50 - 100 pages eagerly, and yet I really had almost no desire to review it. It's taken me a week to the day since I finished it to get back to reviewing it, so please excuse me if my memory is incomplete or this review is what I'm afraid it will be: incredibly boring.
But let me start off with an OFF-TOPIC story: when I was a child, I went to a private school in Hawaii. Out of a class of 30 students (or so), I was one of three Caucasian children. Most of the rest were Hawaiian, Japanese, or Chinese. I sincerely believe my early interactions with so many varied cultures and races is what kept me from being too much of a bigot and a racist (being raised in a fundamentalist evangelical culture tends to make a person that way).
Ever since that early childhood, I have been fascinated with the Chinese and Japanese cultures. I constantly checked out non-fiction books on the subject - but always was disappointed at how little information those children's non-fiction books had. (I would have read adult non-fiction, but the word "adult" at the time scared me into thinking that it was "dirty" and "inappropriate" - ah the life of a fundamentalist evangelical!!) I tried at various points to teach myself the language (nope, didn't work) or to read books by Chinese and Japanese authors. When it was time to select a country to do a report on, I chose China and spent an inordinate amount of time and effort into my China report when I was in 7th grade. I loved that report to be honest; I made this binder for it that was painted in beautiful white, red, and pink cherry blossom flowers.
This love of the people and cultures has continued into my adult life. I wanted so badly to take Japanese in college, but practicality and fear held me back. I resorted to reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" and watching the movie to feed this desire to learn more about these wonderful people.
More recently, a friend sent me a copy of this book to Buddy Read. Normally, I would not bother to read anything set in the mid-19th century. I have been pummeled with that period from my three years of taking American History and how even World History seems more focused on America and Western Europe than any other part of the Globe. But I trust my friend's taste of books, and, like I spent several paragraphs above saying, I love learning more about China and Japan, so a couple of weeks ago, I began my journey into 19th century China.
There are many things I could use this review space to say about the book. I could talk about the fascinating characters, from Orchid, a woman who is actually time-period appropriate and yet every bit the independent "spunky" woman nearly every Historical Fiction novel promises, to An-Te-Hai, her eununch, to Tung Chih, her son. I could talk about the writing style, which was beautiful without bogging down the narrative in silly faux-Asian metaphors. I could mention how gripping it was, watching Orchid fight tooth and nail to make sure her son was appointed Emperor and how she had to use her wits to get pregnant in the first place. There are many, MANY things I could say about the book, and all would be relevant.
But sometimes we want the irrelevant, the OFF-TOPIC responses when we are reading a review. If I wanted a strict list of characters and plot, I could go to Wikipedia, the cover blurb, Publisher's Weekly, a professional review, etc. No, sometimes I want to read about a person's gut reaction to a book, how it made him or her feel. How she was drawn to the characters and couldn't put the book down. How she felt a connection to the events. How she came to get the book and how her OFF-TOPIC backstory made her interested in the book and love it.
And so, that is my review of this book. It's meandering and OFF-TOPIC, but it is not one of the Mad Libs reviews you can find in a bajillion places. It is from my heart. I loved this book - sure, it was slow in places and sometimes I got lost in the writing, but I enjoyed the hell out of it and felt like I learned a lot (as I'm no historian, I have no clue how accurate to the time period it really is, but it at least FELT real). And when I'm looking for a book to read, perusing my friends' reviews, what I want is HEART not just another manufactured, soulless review.
This was a lot of fun to read. I'm always interested in new cultures and new time periods, so this was perfect for me. I loved Orchid; she's the independent, strong-willed female protagonist we're always promised and never get. There were some dry sections, along with a lot of narration and not so much action, but I still enjoyed this heartily.
Full review:
Orchid is a young woman who moved from Wuhu with her family and father's body to Peking. Living in destitution, her best chance for a good life is to compete against hundreds of other young Manchu ladies to be one of Emperor Hsien's concubines - and maybe one of the lucky 7 to be his wife.
Through her persistence and cunning, Orchid rises from her humble beginnings to be one of the Emperor's wives, to give birth his only male child, and to stay alive amongst the back-stabbing Inner Court.
I feel rather ashamed; I enjoyed this book heartily, devouring the last 50 - 100 pages eagerly, and yet I really had almost no desire to review it. It's taken me a week to the day since I finished it to get back to reviewing it, so please excuse me if my memory is incomplete or this review is what I'm afraid it will be: incredibly boring.
But let me start off with an OFF-TOPIC story: when I was a child, I went to a private school in Hawaii. Out of a class of 30 students (or so), I was one of three Caucasian children. Most of the rest were Hawaiian, Japanese, or Chinese. I sincerely believe my early interactions with so many varied cultures and races is what kept me from being too much of a bigot and a racist (being raised in a fundamentalist evangelical culture tends to make a person that way).
Ever since that early childhood, I have been fascinated with the Chinese and Japanese cultures. I constantly checked out non-fiction books on the subject - but always was disappointed at how little information those children's non-fiction books had. (I would have read adult non-fiction, but the word "adult" at the time scared me into thinking that it was "dirty" and "inappropriate" - ah the life of a fundamentalist evangelical!!) I tried at various points to teach myself the language (nope, didn't work) or to read books by Chinese and Japanese authors. When it was time to select a country to do a report on, I chose China and spent an inordinate amount of time and effort into my China report when I was in 7th grade. I loved that report to be honest; I made this binder for it that was painted in beautiful white, red, and pink cherry blossom flowers.
This love of the people and cultures has continued into my adult life. I wanted so badly to take Japanese in college, but practicality and fear held me back. I resorted to reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" and watching the movie to feed this desire to learn more about these wonderful people.
More recently, a friend sent me a copy of this book to Buddy Read. Normally, I would not bother to read anything set in the mid-19th century. I have been pummeled with that period from my three years of taking American History and how even World History seems more focused on America and Western Europe than any other part of the Globe. But I trust my friend's taste of books, and, like I spent several paragraphs above saying, I love learning more about China and Japan, so a couple of weeks ago, I began my journey into 19th century China.
There are many things I could use this review space to say about the book. I could talk about the fascinating characters, from Orchid, a woman who is actually time-period appropriate and yet every bit the independent "spunky" woman nearly every Historical Fiction novel promises, to An-Te-Hai, her eununch, to Tung Chih, her son. I could talk about the writing style, which was beautiful without bogging down the narrative in silly faux-Asian metaphors. I could mention how gripping it was, watching Orchid fight tooth and nail to make sure her son was appointed Emperor and how she had to use her wits to get pregnant in the first place. There are many, MANY things I could say about the book, and all would be relevant.
But sometimes we want the irrelevant, the OFF-TOPIC responses when we are reading a review. If I wanted a strict list of characters and plot, I could go to Wikipedia, the cover blurb, Publisher's Weekly, a professional review, etc. No, sometimes I want to read about a person's gut reaction to a book, how it made him or her feel. How she was drawn to the characters and couldn't put the book down. How she felt a connection to the events. How she came to get the book and how her OFF-TOPIC backstory made her interested in the book and love it.
And so, that is my review of this book. It's meandering and OFF-TOPIC, but it is not one of the Mad Libs reviews you can find in a bajillion places. It is from my heart. I loved this book - sure, it was slow in places and sometimes I got lost in the writing, but I enjoyed the hell out of it and felt like I learned a lot (as I'm no historian, I have no clue how accurate to the time period it really is, but it at least FELT real). And when I'm looking for a book to read, perusing my friends' reviews, what I want is HEART not just another manufactured, soulless review.
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
2.0
More like two and a half stars. Never had a true sense of the characters. Interesting for the inside look at courtly life, and the occasional descriptive moment, but I thought the narrative bounced all over the place, swinging between the present, the past and the future all in the same paragraph.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Tzu Hsi (Orchid) enters the Forbidden City as one of thousands vying to be a concubine of Emperor Hsien Feng. Eventually she bears him a son and is elevated to rank of Empress. Her reputation in modern-day China is diabolical - she is blamed for the fall of the Qing dynasty. But reality is so much more! Certainly, she is flawed, but in a totally male dominated society she manages not only to survive but to wield enourmous power.
The woman, the time and the place are all fascinating. After I'd read the book I came to understand that the author plans a trilogy, and that this is the first installment. That would explain the somewhat abrupt ending.
The woman, the time and the place are all fascinating. After I'd read the book I came to understand that the author plans a trilogy, and that this is the first installment. That would explain the somewhat abrupt ending.
alinaprotti's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
slavicreader's review against another edition
This pains because I was over halfway through it, but it's been over 5 years since I stopped reading it. Still haven't gobe back to it. Bad sign!
gabmc's review against another edition
2.0
I really, really, really wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The subject matter was interesting but the writing just did not grab me. It's historical fiction based on the life of Empress Orchid, who was to become the last Empress of China. Orchid was a young Manchu girl whose father was the governor of Wuhu. Despite being governor, when he died his family was left in poverty. The Emperor, Hsien Feng, announces that he is looking for future mates. He has over 3000 concubines and 7 Imperial Consorts. Orchid is chosen as an Imperial Consort and eventually has a son to Hsien Feng, which raises her profile even further. The novel is written in first person and I had to keep reminding myself that it was a novel and not an autobiography. I found the dialogue to be excruciating to read - it was so stilted and unrealistic. The book goes into a lot of detail about life in the Forbidden City and all the different Court rituals which was very interesting. It was a turbulent period for China, with many foreign countries declaring war because they wanted trade to open up. The Emperor was a weak man with bad advisers, and one, Su Shun, made Orchid's life very difficult after Hsien Feng's death. Even though this is the first book in a trilogy, and even though I like historical fiction, I don't think I will read the rest of the series.
novelestic's review against another edition
2.0
I am disappointed. This needed a lot of patience. The pace dragged on tediously and it was unbearable at some point. If not for the notably inconsistent pacing, it had the potential to effectively deliver a strong, thought-provoking message. I think this book just isn't for me.
brittanitanksley's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0