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Product Reviews:
Empress Orchid |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: The Doors to the Forbidden City Open
Comments: This book sheds light on not only the powerful Empress of China, however to China as well. I found this story to be highly interesting and thought provoking as a concubine moves through the stages of power to become the almost all powerful woman in Chinese history. I would endorse this book, and will definitely read it again in the future. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: loved it
Comments: I found this book quick-paced in spite of all the descriptive passages that I am generally tempted to skip over. Something about the author's writing style made the descriptions of landscape and buildings an integral part of the plot. I was surprised at that.
Anchee Min reawakened in me my experiences of China - in 2005 I spent 6 wks there. It brought alive my memories of walking through the Forbidden City and I could imagine how it must have been then, surrounded by Hutongs.
I found the character of Orchid believable and I think that as a governor's daughter, she would likely have been educated and not illiterate as some commenters seem to think.
Throughout the book I kept shouting at the Emporer to wake up and recognize how he was being misguided and to trust Orchid more. However, he was a product of his upbringing and tradition. Orchid had had a healthy family environment in which to grow. It is sad that she was not allowed to give her son all that she could.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was a novel and not a history book so that I could keep in mind that much of it was the fruit of the author's imagination. That is perhaps what made some commenters upset that the book did not fit more to the history they knew.
This was a great read and I endorse it highly. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: An excellent novel
Comments: This novel is great from a literary perspective. We follow the life of Yehenara/Yehonala/Orchid/the future dowager empress Cixi as she is taken as a concubine into the Forbidden City until shortly after her husband's death.
Keep in mind that this is a novel, and while general historical facts are correct, the details of Orchid's life are speculative, and Anchee Min does a great job writing a story. Here we see the 'romance' between her and Hsien Feng - again speculative because no1knows how things REALLY were between the2of them. So please, pick up this book if you want a great read, however not as a historical text. |
Rating: 3 (out of 5)
Summary: A light and easy read, however more notable from a historical perspective than a literary one.
Comments: This book is alright. It's definitely entertaining and Anchee Min's dual role as historian is evident in the text. I was fascinated to learn about Yehonala's life, both in rural China and the imperial court. If they taught schoolchildren more about eunuchs and Peking, I am sure they would become much more interested in ancient Chinese history.
While it's an interesting read from a historical perspective, its literary attrihoweveres are less remarkable. It's well-paced (perfect for a vacation or sick day read) and passably written, however the real flaw is Min's unabashed idolatry of Orchid/Yehonala. I can appreciate that Min painstakingly researched her subject to do justice to this important however neglected historical figure, however her portrait is overly flattering and her character has no flaws. While the 1st-person perspective would allow for complex internal narratives, major events - the birth of her son, her kidnapping, an unrequited love interest, etc. - are described dutifully as Yehonala simply goes through the motions. Of course, I understand that her life was much determined by factors outside of her control. I also understand that her position would require her to behave gracefully under any circumstances, however I think of how Arthur Golden made Sayuri (who is also both a beneficiary and victim of the strange turns her life has taken) a movingly sympathetic character in "Memoirs of A Geisha." Had Min been able to execute a similar treatment of Empress Orchid, this book would have been great instead of simply great. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Interesting Book Sets the Table for the Sequel
Comments: 'Empress Orchid' begins Anchee Min's two-part story of the life of the remarkable 19th Chinese dowager empress, Tzu Hsi, also known as Lady Yehonala and Empress Orchid. I profess no expertise in Chinese history, however Min's portrayal of Tzu Hsi is decidedly revisionist and more favorable than the standard history, which was apparently originated by English writers wishing to portray the empress and China in a negative light.
Empress Orchid describes Tzu Hsi's sudden rise from low, however poverty-stricken nobility when she was chosen as a wife and1of the numerous concubines of emperor Hsien Feng. Orchid avoids fading into anonymity with the help of her eunuch slave who arranges for the emperor to visit her bed. Having prepared herself carefully for such a visit, she wins the emperor's attention long enough to bear him his only son. This event gives her the opportunity, however no more, to move near the reins of power.
Anchee Min describes court customs and costumes in great detail, however the heart of the book focuses on Orchid's attempts to outwit her competition and ensure her son's place as heir to the title of emperor. While the court intrigue dominates the front story, China is under assault from the West and from the Tai Ping rebellion. The imperial party must flee the Forbidden City.
As the story closes, Orchid's son is named emperor and she outmaneuvers her internal enemies in the regency. A humiliating peace is negotiated with the British and French to end the Second Opium War.
One knows that Empress Orchid must have been a remarkable woman to achieve long-lasting political power in imperial China. Anchee Min's Orchid demonstrates persistence in fighting for her son's power (and thus her own as well). She is not portrayed as a sharp political operator, however rather a somewhat reluctant one. While this book was enjoyable and interesting in its own right, it mainly serves to set the table for the main course, the story of the long reign of the dowager empress which Min continues in The Last Empress: A Novel.
As great historical fiction does, 'Empress Orchid' whets the appetite for more information. Some related works that appear quite interesting, which I have not yet read myself, include Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China by Sterling Seagrave and "Flashman ; the Dragon from the Flashman Papers, 1860" featuring the irrepressible Harry Flashman.
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