Name: Empress Orchid
ISBN: 9780618562039

Anchee Min

A fictional portrait of the last empress of China follows Orchid, a beautiful teenager from an aristocratic family, who is chosen to become a low-ranking concubine of the emperor and rises to a position of power in the Chinese court.

Empress Orchid

Rebecca Light

This book started off so great. Poetic, interesting, like it was revving up for a truly intriguing story. But it never got there. Ultimately I was disappointed. Quite a snooze.

It is the final days of the Chinese Empire. Trade in Opium with Europe is slowly corroding the power of the Ch'ing Dynasty. Orchid, a beautiful seventeen-year-old from an aristocratic, but impoverished family, is pushed into the maelstrom when she finds herself unexpectedly chosen to become a lower-ranking concubine of the Emperor. The world inside the Forbidden City is erotically charged and highly ritualised, but beneath its immaculate face lie whispers of murder and ghosts. The thousands of concubines will go to any lengths to bear the Emperor a son and become his Empress. Determined not to be a victim of the jealousies and foul play, Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasing a man, bribes her way into the royal bed and seduces the monarch. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and she will be its last Empress.

Shreerag Plakazhi

I am no scholar of Chinese history so I cannot imagine judging this book for its historical accuracy. However, as a piece of fiction, it is absolutely lovely. Anchee Min is able to bring a startling empathy to the book which I imagine is driven by her upbringing as the face of China's propaganda and subsequent fall from grace. She is able to combine romanticization of the Imperial times with a critical view of the regime so effectively, you're somewhat forced to believe this book was written in the time period it is set in. My only fault with the book seems to be that except for Orchid, most other characters in the book are slightly unidimensional. This might just be the fault of the first person narrative. After all we are only given glimpses into this world through the eyes of Orchid and she is not the most unbiased guide to it.

Gordon McLean

Nicely paced and wonderfully descriptive, the decadence of the Forbidden Palace leaps off the page. Anchee Min doesn't seem to take sides, even with the subject (Orchid), presenting her story in an even handed manner. Plenty of intrigue and twists and turns.

Off to order the next book!

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 concubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City. But beneath its immaculate façade 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.

Empress Orchid

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