Empress Orchid (original 2004; edition 2005)

by Anchee Min

Series: Empress Orchid (Book 1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
2,221	57	7,090	(3.67)	98
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML: "A fascinating novel, similar to Arthur Golden's *Memoirs of a Geisha* *. . . A revisionist portrait of a beautiful and strong-willed woman" (Houston Chronicle**). A San Francisco Chronicle* Best Book of the Year From Anchee Min, a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China's last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. In this "absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao", readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min's lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world (The New York Times). "Superb . . . [an] unforgettable heroine." �??People "A sexually charged, eye-opening portrayal of the Chinese empire . . . with heart-wrenching scenes of desperate failure and a sensuality that rises off its heated pages." �??Elle… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	angelle527
Title:	Empress Orchid
Authors:	Anchee Min
Info:	Mariner Books (2005), Paperback, 368 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

Empress Orchid by Anchee Min (2004)

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English (52) Spanish (1) French (1) Swedish (1) All languages (55)

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Showing 1-5 of 52 (next | show all)

The print is a lot smaller than what I am use to. A nice told story of living within the Forbidden City from the viewpoint of concubine who was from the lower class status. Had a few good laughs. (

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MadMattReader | Sep 11, 2022 |

I just couldn't finish this book. It had some interesting/positive elements, but it didn't draw me in and I just kept getting bored and putting it down. (

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kiskadee321 | Aug 23, 2022 |

This book features the life life of Empress Orchid aka Empress Dowager Cixi, the last Empress of China. History has painted her poorly ... as a despot and villain. The author gives her a more favorable light in this book.

Watching China fall was difficult to watch. I'm happy to learn some more of this time period, and about a person who I never get to hear her story.

Still the book went on too long .... and I didn't particularly care for Empress Orchid (didn't hate her either). The book just plodded along and took some effort to get to the end.

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wellington299 | Feb 19, 2022 |

I would like to read a history of this Empress, and I would like to read a historical drama about this Empress. This book fell at what was, to me, an unsatisfying point between those too. It wasn't broad enough, and there wasn't enough historical context or detail, for it to hold my attention as a history. But the style was too minimalist and sparse to really draw me in on a character level. (

)

Monj | Jan 7, 2022 |

Min provides stunning insight into the fascinating political and personal struggles of China's last empress. (

)

LREnglishTeach | Jan 3, 2022 |

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▾Published reviews

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Anchee Minh describes the life at Court in meticulous detail. She seems to take a few historic liberties in composing her novel, but she does manage to convey the very restrictive and isolated nature of imperial life in Beijing more than a century ago. There is good coverage of the Western penetration of China and of the unwillingness and inability of the Court to respond to this challenge. The novel is [also] very well written.

added by sgump | editSoutheast Review of Asian Studies, Daniel A. Métraux (Dec 1, 2005)

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Empress Orchid (Book 1)

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

RUSA CODES Reading List (Read-alike to Winner – Historical Fiction – 2024)

Distinctions

San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (2004)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Empress Orchid

Original title

Empress Orchid

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2004 (english translation)

People/Characters

Empress Dowager Cixi

Sushun

Yizhu, the Xianfeng Emperor of China

Zaichun, the Tongzhi Emperor of China

Niuhuru, Empress Dowager Ci'an

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Mes révélations avec Tseu-hi débutèrent en 1902 et se poursuivirent jusqu'au bout. J'ai conservé le compte rendu exceptionnellement précis de mon association secrète avec l'impératrice ainsi qu'avec d'autres notes et messages d'intérêt que m'avait adressés Sa Majesté, mais j'eus l'infortune de perdre tous ces manuscrits et ces papiers. - Sir Edmund Backhouse (1910 et 1914)
En 1974, à la grande confusion d'Oxford et à la consternation discrète des spécialistes de la Chine de tous pays, Backhouse se révéla être un faussaire... L'escroc était dénoncé mais sa fiction constituait toujours un matériau de tout premier ordre. Sterling Seagrave (1992)
Un des sages de la Chine ancienne a écrit : « la Chine sera détruite par une femme. » La prophétie approche de son accomplissement. - Dr George Ernest Morrison (1892-1912)
Tseu-hi s'est révélée bienveillante et économe. Son caractère privé fut irréprochable. - Charles Denby (1898)
Elle fut l'incarnation du mal et de l'intrigue à l'état pur. - Manuel scolaire chinois (1949-1991)

Dedication

For my daughter, Lauryann, and all the adopted daughters from China

First words

The truth is that I have never been the mastermind of anything.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Pygmalion, département des éditions Flammarion

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (4)

Anchee Min

Empress Dowager Longyu

Empress Orchid

Empress Xiaojingcheng

▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:

"A fascinating novel, similar to Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha . . . A revisionist portrait of a beautiful and strong-willed woman" (Houston Chronicle).

A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year

From Anchee Min, a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China's last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together.

In this "absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao", readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min's lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world (The New York Times).

"Superb . . . [an] unforgettable heroine." �??People

"A sexually charged, eye-opening portrayal of the Chinese empire . . . with heart-wrenching scenes of desperate failure and a sensuality that rises off its heated pages." �??Elle