From the author of the international bestseller, Red Azalea, comes the stirring, croucally charged story of the woman known as 'the white-boned demon' - the ambitious wife of Chairman Mao whose actions led to the death of millions in the Cultural Revolution. From the young, unwanted daughter of a concubine, defiant in her refusal to have her feet bound, to the wayward, beautiful actress on the stages of Shanghai, to the ruthless, charismatic partner of the great revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong, Anchee Min moves seamlessly from the intimately personal to the broad sweep of world history in this fascinating portrait of an extraordinary woman driven by ambition, betrayal and a desperate need to be loved. Finely nuanced and always ambiguous, Min penetrates the myth surrounding Madame Mao with passion and sensitivity to paint a surprising picture of one of history's most vilified women. Rich with compressed drama and all the lyrical poetry of great opera, Becoming Madame Mao is a startling and moving achievement.
Becoming Madame Mao
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'Artfully constructed and fascinating in its depiction of recent Chinese history.' The Daily Telegraph 'Anchee Min takes what is known of Jiang Ching's life and spins a tantalising tale.' The New York Times
About the Author
Born in Shanghai in 1957, Anchee Min has a personal connection to story of Madame Mao. At seventeen, she was sent to a labour collective, where after a number of years a talent scout recruited her for Madame Mao's Shanghai Film Studio. Min emigrated to the United States in 1984 with help of the actress Joan Chen.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By H. Lawrence
Format:Paperback
Having read empress orchid, and really enjoying it, i decided to also read becoming madame mao, and was disappointed to find the writing style and story telling completely different. Although a fascinating story, i found that half way through the book, i wasn't too bothered about finishing it.
It's definitely worth a read if you want to learn more about the history of china from a different perspective, but considering the life madame mao led, its made to sound much duller than it could have been written, even when following the facts.
It's definitely worth a read if you want to learn more about the history of china from a different perspective, but considering the life madame mao led, its made to sound much duller than it could have been written, even when following the facts.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A beautifully crafted novel that uncovers the barely known, myth like first-lady of China, Jiang Chian - the wife of Chairman Mao through his period of power.
Looking through her eyes, this ficticious biography offers an insight on how she got her reputation as a hard faced lover of torture and war, it also offers a different view than any other Mao biography, essay or book. To watch Madame Mao play her role through each act in her life is to follow Mao's success and her downfall.
Looking through her eyes, this ficticious biography offers an insight on how she got her reputation as a hard faced lover of torture and war, it also offers a different view than any other Mao biography, essay or book. To watch Madame Mao play her role through each act in her life is to follow Mao's success and her downfall.
A great idea for a novel is transformed into a spectacular biography. The story has a strong use of chinese poetry the whole way through it, giving a romantic and genuine feel to it.
(...)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Polly Green
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A fascinating insight into the woman who was married to Chairman Mao. The descriptions of her life, and her thoughts, both of herself and others was intriguing and very interesting. The book was beautifully written, and really drew in the reader. There were just enough hints of how this woman would turn out, but at the same time making one feel some sympathy for her. An excellent read for those interested in modern history.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
enthralling
This is a well written and confident novel which gives us the author's view of the essence of the woman who became Madame Mao. Read more
Published 5 months ago by thetruthshallsetyefree
1.0 out of 5 stars
Becoming Madame Mao
Not a biography as I had first thought, it was only on opening the book that I learnt that though the author had, and I quote, 'Tried (her) best to mirror the facts of history'... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Petty Witter
3.0 out of 5 stars
madame mao
whilst this book is a good story. I found the way the dialogue goes from one person to another without realising it, it made some of the reading hard work. Read more
Published 20 months ago by savina
4.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommend
Although I alwasy enjoy books set in China, I don't really know much about Chinese recent history and so I didn't know whether this book was puporting to be "based" on Jiang... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Carrie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating story with historical connection
Fascinating story about Mao's wife. It is well written, and connects to the history of China very well. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2007 by Ann-Katrin B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Madam Mao
Initially i thought this was based on the real life of Mao's third wife. However, after reading Mao's true story this story is more fiction based ad very different (i suppose Mao... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2007 by M. Mukhtar
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