I like Anchee Min; I’ve read and reviewed several of her books and I own most of them, which I will read in the future. However, The Last Empress is possibly her worst book and I would not recommend it. I’m not sure what happened here. I really enjoyed Empress Orchid, and The Last Empress is Read More
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Book Review: Pearl of China by Anchee Min
Min is an excellent writer and always chooses interesting subjects. Pearl of China is no different. Pearl of China is a tricky novel. Min set out to tell the story of Pearl S. Buck, perhaps the most famous and influential writer on China in the 20th century. But Min wanted to tell the story from a Chinese Read More
Book Review: Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
Next year, I am planning to write the biography of a very dear friend of mine from LiXian who has led a fascinating life. To get myself ready, I have decided to start reading more life stories, fiction and non-fiction, of Chinese persons to get more familiar with the writing style. So, since I am reading them, I thought Read More
Threads of Silk
When I was a child, I thought my destiny was to live and die on the banks of the Xiangjiang River as my family had done for generations. I never imagined that my life would lead me to the Forbidden City and the court of China’s last Empress. Born in the middle of nowhere, Yaqian, Read More
Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck – Book Review
Why, yes, this is my fourth review of a book about Cixi. I’m a little obsessed. (You can read my take on Anchee Min’s books here and here and Jung Chang’s here.) When I saw that Pearl S. Buck had a novel about Cixi, I just had to read her version of this fascinating woman. While Read More
Book Review: Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang
Earlier this month, I was pretty harsh on Anchee Min’s The Last Empress. And rightly so. Her boring, flat characterization of one of China’s most controversial leaders was hugely disappointing. Jung Chang succeeds where Min failed. Even though Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China is a non-fiction account, the story of Cixi’s Read More
Mothers and Daughters in Tan's "The Valley of Amazement"
EVER since “The Joy Luck Club” burst onto the literary scene in 1989, Amy Tan’s name has been synonymous with Asian literature. Even though many other authors such as Anchee Min and Lisa See have also found massive audiences, success in the Asian literature market wouldn’t have been possible without Tan. Tan is possibly the Read More
Book Review: My Splendid Concubine by Lloyd Lofthouse
Writing a book is hard. As a writer, I know how difficult it is to put the pen to paper and put what you have to say out there for the world to see and then be ripped apart. I try to be fair in my reviews and, even when they aren’t very good, look Read More