A beautifully written account of the life of Orchid Yehonala. Written in first person, the reader is taken on this journey of pain, desperation, happiness and fear as Orchid becomes the favored consort of Emperor Hsien Feng.

As a child, Orchid had a decent life until her father, the governor of Wuhu dies, and leaves the family in poverty. Living with an uncle, Orchid is intended to marry a mentally challenged cousin named 'Bottle' when the decree is issued that his is looking for mates.

She soon discovers that life within the Forbidden City is nothing as she expected. And only gets harder as China begins to fall victim to outside forces attempting to take control of the country.  ( )

19th century, China, fiction, Forbidden City, historical fiction, series, royalty ( )

Empress Orchid is about a young woman who is accepted into the royal "family" of China as a concubine to the Emperor. Anchee Min tells of Orchid's experiences with vivid detail of the Forbidden City, the ceremonies, and the rules and expectations of these chosen women during the 19th century. There's quite a bit of history in the book but it's presented in an interesting, easy to follow format.

Anchee Min is now one of my new favorite authors. I look forward to reading the rest of her work. ( )

"Love is survival, seduction is power, and treachery a way of life.."

In this wonderful piece of historical fiction, we get a fictional account of the life of Orchid, the last empress of China. We follow her journey from poverty, to one of thousands of concubines, and eventually becoming one of the Emperor's seven wives. Life in the Forbidden City is tough and ruthless, and the way to the Emperer's attention and affection near impossible. As China's foreign problems increase, Orchid finds her life of loneliness getting even harder as she helplessly watches her country falling to pieces at her feet.

I loved this book. I greatly enjoy reading about different cultures, and I especially enjoy reading about Asian culture. This combined with my love for historical fiction and romance made this novel a perfect fit for me. ( )

This historical fiction vividly introduces you into the last empress' world. It affords an emotional and personal point of view that is often masked from the public. I would read more from this author. ( )