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Book Review of Empress Orchid

Empress Orchid
Empress Orchid
Author: Anchee Min
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
shukween avatar reviewed A Different Coming of Age Story on + 118 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


Roughly the equivalent to the early years of Anne Boleyn--the Eastern version. Or possibly Evita. Empress Orchid is a fast paced yet delicate novel detailing the unlikely rise of an impoverished but decently pedigreed remote governor's daughter to become one of the seven Imperial wives of the last real emperor of China, circa 1861. The book offers an amazingly detailed look at what life was like in the Forbidden City, is impeccably researched and leaves one wondering what one would do when faced with the same challenges. I immediately ordered its sequel, The Last Empress, as I had to know how the story ends.