The Last Empress
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Review
'Tzu Hsi emerges as a canny political leader, and she is a vivid and entertaining character - this is history as it plays upon the emotions. Empires crumble, hearts are broken' Kate Saunders, The Times PRAISE FOR EMPRESS ORCHID: 'A wild, passionate, fearless American writer' New York Times 'Empress Orchid is strong on both sexual chicanery and violent conspiracy a fascinating account' Guardian 'I loved Empress Orchid a riveting read' Judy Finnegan, Woman's Own
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Tzu Hsi emerges as a canny political leader, and she is a vivid and entertaining character - this is history as it plays upon the emotions. Empires crumble, hearts are broken' Kate Saunders, The Times PRAISE FOR EMPRESS ORCHID: 'Empress Orchid is strong on both sexual chicanery and violent conspiracy ... a fascinating account' Guardian 'An engrossing story ... enhanced by Min's imaginative power ... Like all good novelists, she implies as much as she says, and her characterisation is subtle and worldly-wise' Glasgow Herald 'I loved Empress Orchid ... a riveting read' Judy Finnegan, Woman's Own
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the follow up story of Empress Orchid and picks up the story as Orchid begins to gain power. It follows her through coaching two new Emperors of China up to the point of her death. At times this book read slightly like a history book, with information dumped on the reader but once you get past that it is a wonderful book that gives the reader and interesting look into life within The Forbidden City. It is one of only a few accounts that is sympathetic with Orchid and throughout the book I genuinely felt for the character. While not as good as Empress Orchid and some events seemed twisted so as to make the Empress seem kind and gentle it was still a great book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's been a few years since I first read Anchee Min's first book on the life of China's Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi which blew me away.
I wasn't even aware that Anchee Min was even working on a second and final instalment of Tz'u-Hsi's life until i was browsing the isles of WHSmiths and came across "The last empress".
I quickly ordered the book from Amazon (much cheeper) and waited impatiently for its arrival.
As soon as "The last empress" arrived I dives straight in and was not dissapointed!
Anchee Min has created another masterpiece which is a must for anybody interested in Tz'u-Hsi, the Manchu dynasty, China or a great story made all the more amazing because it's a true story.
"The last empress" encompasses the later stages of Tz'u-Hsi's life and what are esentially the last years of the Ch'ing (Manchu) dynasty's rule in China.
In the west, the east and even in China itself Tz'u-Hsi has been demonised as "the dragon lady" an evil despot desperate to keep power and China in her hands.
It's wonderfull that Anchee Min has dared to think outside the box and portray Tz'u-Hsi as what she really was, the daughter of an impoverished and disgraced provincial governer who entered the forbidden city as a concubine and left in death as Empress Dowager.
All through the book we see how Tz'u-Hsi fought to save China from the "civilised" west and Japan who systematicaly "raped" China and forced unfair and embarassing treaty after treaty first on Tz'u-Hsi's husband, then her son and finally her nephew (and addopted son).
It disgusted me how the west and Japan took advantage ofChina which didn't want to fight and when it came to the point that they had to were no match for the Iron ships and guns of the west and Japan.
Overall I give this book five stars because I can't give it six.
This book is a masterpiece and along with "Empress Orchid" will hopefully dispell peoples perceptions of Tz'u-Hsi as the evil and tyranical woman who brought the Chinese empire to its knees with her greed and lust for power.
The truth is that the western nations and the newly "modernised" Japanese brought China to its knees and it was only Tz'u-Hsi's strength of character and determination that kept the empire from falling sooner.
In my view Anchee Min has created a lasting and fitting legacy that will in time help to exhonerate the name of possibly the greatest woman China has ever produced, The Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi.
I wasn't even aware that Anchee Min was even working on a second and final instalment of Tz'u-Hsi's life until i was browsing the isles of WHSmiths and came across "The last empress".
I quickly ordered the book from Amazon (much cheeper) and waited impatiently for its arrival.
As soon as "The last empress" arrived I dives straight in and was not dissapointed!
Anchee Min has created another masterpiece which is a must for anybody interested in Tz'u-Hsi, the Manchu dynasty, China or a great story made all the more amazing because it's a true story.
"The last empress" encompasses the later stages of Tz'u-Hsi's life and what are esentially the last years of the Ch'ing (Manchu) dynasty's rule in China.
In the west, the east and even in China itself Tz'u-Hsi has been demonised as "the dragon lady" an evil despot desperate to keep power and China in her hands.
It's wonderfull that Anchee Min has dared to think outside the box and portray Tz'u-Hsi as what she really was, the daughter of an impoverished and disgraced provincial governer who entered the forbidden city as a concubine and left in death as Empress Dowager.
All through the book we see how Tz'u-Hsi fought to save China from the "civilised" west and Japan who systematicaly "raped" China and forced unfair and embarassing treaty after treaty first on Tz'u-Hsi's husband, then her son and finally her nephew (and addopted son).
It disgusted me how the west and Japan took advantage ofChina which didn't want to fight and when it came to the point that they had to were no match for the Iron ships and guns of the west and Japan.
Overall I give this book five stars because I can't give it six.
This book is a masterpiece and along with "Empress Orchid" will hopefully dispell peoples perceptions of Tz'u-Hsi as the evil and tyranical woman who brought the Chinese empire to its knees with her greed and lust for power.
The truth is that the western nations and the newly "modernised" Japanese brought China to its knees and it was only Tz'u-Hsi's strength of character and determination that kept the empire from falling sooner.
In my view Anchee Min has created a lasting and fitting legacy that will in time help to exhonerate the name of possibly the greatest woman China has ever produced, The Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fascinating subject but clunkily written and ponderously repetitive. Nothing flows - the dialogue is glitchy and unreal and the narrative constantly repeats the same thoughts. Perhaps the Empress was incapable of original thought but her life was actually a lot more interesting than found here. I THINK the reader is supposed to empathise with the subject but there is neither sufficient character nor depth of background to make this Empress real. She just plods on, thinking the same old things, doing the same old things, little benefitting China. In the end, you don't care but worth looking up the Empress in the Britannica.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great book !!
Great book, highly recommend it for those who like Geisha's stories..!! Seller was also great, fast delivery and great price, with a product of excellent quality, as it was... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Pedro
Anchee Min - The Last Empress
I read this book with a bookclub. Reading to the end was a bit of a struggle but I made it eventually!
Not the most rewarding book to read.
Not the most rewarding book to read.
Published 12 months ago by Kirky
A riveting, beautiful story...
I ordered The Last Empress after I read Empress Orchid and I was not disappointed at all. Again, Anchee Min succeeded in drawing the reader into the centre of the beautiful but... Read more
Published 23 months ago by GoldDragonFly
the last empress review
i bought this book for my mother for christmas.
i could not find it at any book shop so thats why i went with amazon , it was my first time buying something with amazon and i... Read more
i could not find it at any book shop so thats why i went with amazon , it was my first time buying something with amazon and i... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2010 by Carol Allen
just as good as the last
this book follows on from "Empress Orchid" so if you havent read that - i really would recommend it! Read more
Published on 2 Dec 2009 by Bina
Too much crammed into one book
This book picks up where its predecessor (Empress Orchid) left off. It continues to follow the life of China's last Empress, Tzu Hsi. Read more
Published on 17 July 2009 by Blatant Biblioholic
What a good read
This is one of the best books I have ever read, If you enjoy this then also read Empress Orchid. You can get yourself lost in the story, so well written
Published on 1 April 2009 by Mr. Philip R. Gardner
The Last Empress
If you read the first book you will enjoy this one - it does not disappoint.
Published on 21 Mar 2009 by D. Cummings
Difficult to engage with
In 'Empress Orchid', Orchid herself was a young woman - naive, impressionable, and with good intentions. Read more
Published on 27 July 2008 by Alexandra Coke
excellent book
I read her previous book empress orchid and was moved by it , she makes you feel like you are there... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2008 by N. Combe
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