Rating: 
Summary: vibrant fascinating historical fiction
Review: In the middle of the nineteenth century, seventeen years old Orchid accompanies her aristocratic clan to Beijing to inter her deceased father. Meanwhile the Emperor Hsien Feng decrees that he seeks a wife who must have royal blood so that the offspring are purebred Manchu. Though related to the Manchus, her family faces poverty until Hsien surprisingly selects Orchid.As her clan's situation improves considerably from the Emperor's gifts, Orchid resides in a boring luxurious lifestyle in the Forbidden City in which she can trust no one. Beginning to understand how to secure her tentative position, Orchid becomes determined to birth the heir, which she cleverly accomplishes. As the western imperialists carve up China, Hsien dies leaving his five year old son begat with Orchid as the Emperor, but he is too young to rule. His mother is his only hope to survive in a Machiavellian sea of duplicity and changing loyalties in which no one can be trusted. This is a vibrant fascinating historical fiction tale of China's last Empress. The story line is over-loaded with so much detail that fans who appreciate intrinsic depth into a bygone era will want to read the EMPRESS ORCHID. However, the profundity of each elaborate description of court life and the Forbidden City in the late 1800s also tends to slow down the action in which intrigue and executions are the norm. Those who enjoy historical sociology as the prime theme will cherish Anchee Min's tale, but those who want to swim in the shark infested pool will find this first person account too slow. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A Favorite Subject- Not my favorite book ON this subject.
Review: Just on the virtue that this is a novel about my favorite historical figure, this book went straightaway into my list of 'favorites'. I have many different texts about this period in history, and especially about the Dowager Empress- and I can safely say that there was much about this book that was fictionalized, or brought to 'life' from fables about the Empress. (Such as the official mistakenly giving her family money on the road to her uncle's, and that she paid him back handsomely when she was Empress- this never happened.) I loved, however, how Anchee Min portrayed Hsien Feng, and Orchid's relationship with him- that was something that was missing in Pearl Buck's Imperial Woman (which remains, far and large, my favorite account of Tzu Hsi's life). All in all, this is definitely a book you should read, whether you're a study of Chinese heirarchy and court life or not. And if you enjoy this book, I suggest reading some more about this utterly fascinating woman. She's worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Invites the reader to more
Review: Knowing relatively little about this place or time, this book held my interest and invited me to learn more. I may find out that there were gross misprepresentations of fact but suspect that the book was of sufficient accuracy to be worth the my time. Anchee Min painted a sweeping portrait of life in the Chinese imperial court with its opulence and varied layers motives and relationships. Fictionalized or not, it does give insight into the histroy of China and the events and beliefs that have brought it into the present time. If you are seeking a strictly informational book, you will be disappointed but I doubt that this was ever the author's intent.
Rating: 
Summary: The best
Review: One of the most enjoyable books I've ever come across, THE EMPRESS ORCHID is fun, not too heavy, and full of colorful descriptions and characters. The sheer artistry of the writing is worth the price of admission, but there's a great story as well. Well crafted, like McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" or Sue Monk Kidd's "Secret Life of Bees," this book is nothing but absolute enjoyment. Different and colorful.
Rating:
Summary: A look inside the Fordibben City
Review: Orchird, a poor manchu adolescent entered the Forbidden City - a huge fortification with splendid palaces, gardens, thousands of servants, slaves and eunuchs with a strict millenary rules and etiquette - as one of the six royal wives in an asphyxiating environment of hierarchy where hundred of concubines compete for the emperor favor to become pregnant and mother of the heir. She entered in a static court full of luxury, intrigue, ambition, cruelty, frustration, murder, proud of thousand of years of tradition but isolated from the rest of the world, living in the past, ignoring the present and denying the future.
Becoming a favorite, the mother of the emperor only son and the second empress, manipulating her weak and incompetent husband, taking active part in policy as a counselor and private aid, Orchird entered in a very dangerous game where she has to struggle to mantain her position, save her life and gain control of the power to rule in her son name after the emperor died.
It is an interesting story which give us an idea of how was the situation at the time of the Chinese Empire declive, the military and economic intervention of the european empires in China in the second part of the XIX century.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Talk about a page turner...
Simply stated, once I started this book I was absolutely consumed. The colorful depiction of a young concubine in The Forbidden City, 19th century Peking takes me right there. It's an amazing story of the struggle for love, power, and survival in "The Son of Heaven's" court.
I'm patiently waiting for the trilogy to continue!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The book's main character, Orchid, achieves one of the highest statures that a peasant in the Chinese Empire can attain. That is, she becomes a concumbine to the esteemed emperor. Making his way into his bedroom and into the politics that eventually deteriorate his mind and body, Orchid serves as the first empress to take part in the man-only world of the chinese government. Anchee Min paints an amazing picture of the male-dominant, eroticly-charged world of an empire based on archaic traditions. Empress Orchid is surprisingly fascinating and very hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Stellar
Review: This book also reminded me of MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in its execution and style. But EMPRESS ORCHID is different in that Min takes this book to an entirely new level. The writing is excellent and the character developement is perfect. Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful!
Review: This book is filled with drama, intrique, loyalty, corruption, forbidden love and mystery. The Forbidden City is a totally different world for the book's heroine, Orchid, who becomes one of the Emperor's wives at the age of 17. Ms. Min has written a spellbinding novel, with colorful and interesting charactors, rich detail and a vivid, interesting history of China, complete with details on customs, rituals and distictions between the Manchu's and the Chinese. Orchid and her eunech, An-te-hai will keep the reader spellbound. This is the first book that I've read by Ms. Min and I couldn't put it down! Bravo!! This novel took me to another time and place and I couldn't have been more pleased!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Good & entertaining read
Review: This book provides the reader with a good account of how life in the Forbidden City is like. It let's the reader know learn how the richness and material wealth cannot compensate for the lack of freedom within the walls of the palace.
Indeed, Royalty has never been more imprisoned, physically or spiritually than being in this environment. Reading this will allow the reader to sympathise with the hard lives of the people of China, mostly due to predicaments beyond their control.
Overall, this is an eye-opener and a book that will be worth your time to read.
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