i really liked this book, the writing style fascinated me.

although we covered a bit of China's history with Mao Zedong in school, i was not very familiar with who he was exactly. and so, it was out of interest of Mao that i pulled this book from the school library's shelf.

not only did this novel help me to understand who Mao was, it also gave me insight on his own private life and habits.
yet, the text is not only about Mao. it is about his actress of a wife, Jiang Qing.

she was a strong and powerful woman in history, though one who was not quite as influential as others.
i think she was important because, through this book, i learned of her adolescent hardship and how that contributed greatly to her suspicious nature as she grew older. this is important because her life is one that can be studied with vivid intrigue. she never really knew who she was, and today there are many who share this trait. and even though she never held a firm grasp on her true spirit, she was able to fight for what she believed was right and to most importantly, hold her own.

i am not saying i agree with what she did throughout her career, but only that she was a strong figure that demanded her rightful respect.

she had trouble with love.

though she fell in love, she was not used to it and it scared her. this led to bitterness and a cold heart by the time she was married to Mao. it also left her heart nearly drained of affection by the time she birthed her first daughter.

This is a richly imagined telling of Madame Mao. I think I enjoyed it more for the insight on what it must have been like to be married to, and dominated by, The Chairman. I have a penchant for stories about women who live subverted lives and do everything in their power to survive under the circumstances. Granted, I often can't agree with their choices and actions, but I am fascinated with the ingenious ways they find to survive. And, sadly, this is history folks.

This book incorporates some of Mao's writings and poems which I found appropriate. I enjoyed reading the book but found some difficulty because of many characters involved. I found Madame's Mao life very colorful starting from her family background, career as an actress and her role as Chairman Mao's wife.

Some interesting points mentioned about Mao were having many concubines (most of which were actresses) for longevity but his health dwindled maybe because of poor diet and old age. I was a little disgusted at one point Chairman Mao instructed his wife to pursue a favorite concubine to stay with him at their quarters in Beijing.

In the book, Chairman Mao did not trust his wife completely and had turned over his power to one of his cabinet members (based on a document found at his quarters). Here I am not sure if this document was forged or not since many were after Mao's supremacy. This was a clear disappointment for Madame Mao as she herself worked hard to gain Mao's attention and dominance over China.

During her lifetime, some important facts I come to know about Madame Mao, she had 3 Chinese names, 4 husbands including Mao, 1 daughter (Nah) whom she was not much of a mother too and was known as the White bone demon because of her influential support to the proletarian Cultural Revolution which destroyed and changed many lives across China.

After Mao's death, she was arrested in 1976 until her suicidal death in 1991. I really wonder while serving jail time if it was true that she was making daily production of Chinese dolls for export?

Anchee Min through her beautiful prose has managed to narrate a story of politics, rivalry, ambition, betrayal, murder and revenge. An extraordinary story of the rise and fall of Jiang Qing. Who at the height of her power was one of the most powerful and influential persons in China.

It's amazing how history repeats itself. I could have easily interchanged Madame Mao with Grace Mugabe, Chairman Mao with Robert Mugabe, the communist party with Zanu PF.

Recommended reading for those who love historical fiction, or for those who would like to learn about Madame Mao and the history of China through the eyes of Madame Mao. With historical fiction, you learn history in a very entertaining way

It has been quoted before that the real heroine is the author Anchee Min.
What a lovely person she is. Her writing is true poetry.

I enjoyed the history in this book. I have always been intrigued with China and it's culture. This book has satisfied much of my curiosity.
I look forward to reading Ms. Min's other books and to let her writing style flow through my brain.

What a courageous woman Madame Mao was, or possibly she was just insane.
Which ever she was a force to be reckoned with.

I found this a very difficult book to read becausing of the constantly changing Point of View. I couldn't get by this artifical contrivance by the author and did not read more than 2 chapters before giving up.

A Powerful woman

Aizraujošs stāsts par Ķīnas vēsturi un tās leģendāro vadoni - Ķīnas Tautas republikas dibinātāju Mao Dzedunu un viņa ceturto sievu Dzjanu Cjinu. Cik trausla ir robeža starp varu un kritienu no troņa, ziedošanos mīlestības vārdā un / vai sava ego apmierināšanu.

Pāri visam propogandas spēks, kas “ietetovē” tautas prātā domas, kas vajadzīgas valdošajai varai.

Interesanti iepazīt vairāk Ķīnas vēsturi un vienlaikus spēcīgu sievietes likteni, kura piešķīra sev galveno lomu uz “Kultūras revolūcijas” skatuves.

I thought this book was really interesting stylistically. I like to read historical fiction more than I like reading history textbooks so this novel was very informative for me. However, I did get kind of bored halfway through. When I finally did continue reading it, I didn't mind it, but I wasn't inspired to pick it up and start reading. By the end it felt like a chore more than a choice. But I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in this period or historical fiction.

I chose to read this book because i had heard so much about how, after the fall of chairman mao, how his wife had been vilified by the nation. I thought it would be interesting to think for a moment on who she might have been and what may have driven her. As far as those goals go, the book was successful for fullfilling my curiosity. Unfortunately i found it rather too difficult to read which spoiled the enjoyment for me. I do not know however if this was due to the translation of the book. I did buy this book but i do not think i will read it again.

This fictionalized biography of Madame Mao continuously transitions from the first to third person point of view trying to be a pseudomemoir, historical account, and epic poem. I found the style of the book as interesting as its content. It depicts the Madame Mao's rise to power, her many setbacks to achieving it, and her eventual fall from grace with both her husband and the Chinese Communist Party. What struck me the most was the sheer ruthlessness with which she and Mao pursue their goals. It gave a rare insight into China during the rise and evolution of Communism in their country.

I read Empress Orchid before this one, that book was my first Anchee Min novel. I can't say that this book is as good, but it's still a enjoyable read with Ms. Min's fluid writing and wording. It's a fascinating if somewhat fictionalized look into the life of Madame Mao. If you are a fan of Anchee Min, you should enjoy this book, but if you've never read Anchee Min before, start with 'Empress Orchid' or 'Red Azlaea'.