Empress Orchid

by Anchee Min | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0747568332 Global Overview for this book
Registered by Dorothyredboots of York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on 7/18/2006
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8 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Dorothyredboots from York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 18, 2006
From the jacket:-
'To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her slope-shouldered cousin, seventeen-year-old Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor's wives. When she is chosen as a lower-ranking cocubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City. But beneath its immaculate facade lie whispers of murders and ghosts, and the thousands of concubines will stoop to any lengths to bear the Emperor's son. Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way into the royal bed, and seduces the monarch, drawing the attention of dangerous foes. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and that she will be its last Empress.'

Bought this as it was on the Richard and Judy Book Club list.

Journal Entry 2 by Dorothyredboots from York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 25, 2006
This is an interesting book, packed with information about life in the Forbidden City. The novel is based on real people and events and I feel that this is where it all starts to fall apart. I think I might have liked it more if it had been non fiction. The characters don't really come alive and I felt the author was more at home with the factual stuff. I enjoyed the first part of the novel which deals with Orchid's early life in the Forbidden City but my interest waned as Orchid became more powerful and her 'political' life became the important theme of the book.
Pretty easy to read but a bit too long in my view. An interesting read if you want to know more about this fascinating place.

Journal Entry 3 by Dorothyredboots at The Golden Lion in York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, August 19, 2006

Released 17 yrs ago (8/22/2006 UTC) at The Golden Lion in York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom

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Journal Entry 4 by loobygraham from Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 6, 2006
This was an enjoyable but rather frustrating read. I found the characters unconvincing, although the story was compelling. There was a too simplistic division between the good, the bad and the foolish characters in the book, everyone could be neatly pigeon holed in to one of these catergories, so there was no character complexity. This became really problematic when Orchid began to move onto the political scene and the people she was up against seemed like cartoon villains, while her own motivations were too goody-goody to be true.
I was left wanting to know what this woman was really like. Was she the saint the book made her out to be, or a very clever politician?
The book ending with the burial - finally (very long funeral ceremonies in China) - of her husband left many unanswered questions about how she had gone on to rule China, which was the most interesting thing about her anyway. By necessity most of her early life, ie that part covered by the book, must have been conjecture on the part of the author as in this period Orchid was not recognised as a mojor political figure.

Journal Entry 5 by wingAnonymousFinderwing on Monday, October 9, 2006
interesting...but too much minute detail for me...brought the era to life though!

CAUGHT IN LEEDS WEST YORKS UK

Journal Entry 6 by TheGreenMan from York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Picked up as a 'leftover' from the Leeds Meet.

Will see if anyone else from the York BC Meetup group is interested...

Journal Entry 7 by TheGreenMan from York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 23, 2007
taking to tonight's 'erotic literature' -themed BC meetup in York...

Journal Entry 8 by TheGreenMan at The Golden Lion in York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Released 17 yrs ago (1/23/2007 UTC) at The Golden Lion in York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom

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releasing, as promised...

Journal Entry 9 by Phedredelauney from Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 24, 2007
There were snippets about the Forbidden City in a travel book that i've been reading recently that left me wanting more of a taste for what life was like in the Forbidden City and therefore I thought this might be interesting.

Journal Entry 10 by Phedredelauney from Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, April 17, 2007
I enjoyed this book more than I expected but I was a bit disappointed that it ended without finishing off the story. Of course since I finished it the next book has come out which obviously carries the story on. I knew barely anything about China's history in this period before I picked the book up and for that reason as much as anything else I really enjoyed it.

As I finished this while I was in Brussels a few weeks ago I've left it with a friend there to read and journal afterwards. As she is working every hour that god sends at the moment it might be a while before she has chance to read it but I hope she enjoys it when she does.

Journal Entry 11 by Phedredelauney from Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, November 6, 2007
This book has been over in Brussels for 6 months with my friend who has just managed to read it (she's a very busy lawyer so she doesn't get a lot of a chance to read). She enjoyed it and has now returned it to go back to the meetup.

Journal Entry 12 by wingshnedwardswing from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Friday, January 11, 2008
Picked this up on my first trip to the Adelphi OBCZ. Glad to see it's travelled a fair way already. Looks like it might come in handy for rootmartin's Passport to the World VBB, so it'll get to go even further, maybe!

Journal Entry 13 by wingshnedwardswing from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Monday, January 26, 2009
Well, after reading the first chapter I thought "I know nothing about Chinese history" and so I went and got The Penguin Book of World History to swot up on it a bit and ended up getting sucked into that instead for a few days. It certainly helped me understand what was going on plotwise and explained some of the characters' motives. So I recommend the Penguin Book of World History, it's excellent. As for this book: I was irritated by the endless detail about clothes and jewellery. I suppose it was essential for the atmosphere of the book but at times it felt like a fashion catalogue. I found the lives of these Imperial brood mares depressing, especially the cruel punishments that were handed down to them on a whim. As a story of triumph over adversity, though, I guess I enjoyed it.

Right, now I've damned it with faint praise I'm going to send it to Kiri in California. Will send it on once she's confirmed her address.

Journal Entry 14 by wingshnedwardswing from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, January 31, 2009
On its way to Kiri. Hope you enjoy it!

Journal Entry 15 by Kiri from Santa Rosa, California USA on Sunday, February 8, 2009
TBR

Reserved for rootmartin in Passport to the World VBB - Round 10 - Feb 09

Journal Entry 16 by rootmartin from Wellesley, Massachusetts USA on Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thanks!

Journal Entry 17 by rootmartin at Wellesley, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, November 5, 2019
This book has been sitting on my shelf for far too long. Dropping off tomorrow at the Town's Book Give and Take. Hopefully it will travel and be loved.

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