A woman who grew from one of millions to be one of the chosen hundreds to finally the one venerated above all others, who stayed that way through thriving peace and cultural upheaval until the end of her days. Within this respective novel, the girl Orchid, the imperial concubine Yehonala, the Empress Mother Tzu Hsi, and the venerable Old Buddha play out their shared life within the bodily confines of a single woman. Both that novel and this required my reader self to step back a moment from their usual outpost of critiquing from the realms of factual accuracy and moral codes, and instead plunge headfirst into the lives of these individuals, both of whom entire empires held in reverence. It wasn't too long ago that I read Memoirs of Hadrian, another novel concerned with the fictional portrayal of a historical personage who ruled for much of their life over a vast and complex culture. What I do award these five stars for is the wonderful piece of work that Buck created, a fictional recounting of the life of the last Empress of China. The most concrete experience I have with the country is having been taught the Chinese phrases for 'left turn', 'right turn', and 'straight ahead' during a road trip many years ago, and I assure you, neither my intercultural credibility nor my accent has improved since then. Buck including rare images from the author's estate.Before I attempt to say anything about this novel, I simply wish to note that I do not in any way award these five stars out of some misguided sentiment that this book accurately portrays China and all its entailing history as its own cultural members would. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Much has been written about Tzu Hsi, but no other novel recreates her life-the extraordinary personality, together with the world of court intrigue and the period of national turmoil with which she dealt-as well as Imperial Woman. When the emperor dies, she finds herself in a role of supreme power, one she'll command for nearly fifty years. Already set apart on account of her beauty, she's determined to be the emperor's favorite, and devotes all of her talent and cunning to the task.

Born from a humble background, Tzu Hsi falls in love with her cousin Jung Lu, a handsome guard-but while still a teenager she is selected, along with her sister and hundreds of other girls, for relocation to the Forbidden City. Buck brings to life the amazing story of Tzu Hsi, who rose from concubine status to become the working head of the Qing Dynasty. From the Nobel Prize–winning author of The Good Earth: the New York Times–bestselling biography of Tzu Hsi, the concubine who became China's last empress.

Imperial woman by pearl s buck