I assume the intent of this book was to create an honest but sympathetic portrayal of the lives and struggles of the men and women who formed modern-day China, particularly for Madame Mao. But frankly, well before the end of the book, I found I didn't much care what happened to any of them. I was hoping to glean some kind of understanding as to why these people chose the paths they did, and what exactly the lure of Communism was for them. That didn't happen. I also found the writing style, which frequently jumped from first person to third person and back again, distracting.

An intriguing look at how Madame Mao came to be Madame Mao. Using extensive historical research, Min imagines the thoughts and fear that drove Madame Mao to create the Cultural Revolution. Min's literary conception of the "White Boned Demon" is disturbingly complex and multifaceted. The writing is completely forgettable, but the history alone makes it worth a read -- especially for anyone whose modern Chinese history needs a brush-up!

The first half of this book is terrific -- the young protagonist's desperation, her heartbreaks, all that emotion. Then, when she marries Chairman Mao, she becomes so detached. I found my interest waning, and my sympathy for her fading. I think Anchee Min raced toward the finish line and packed her book with events and characters rather than focusing on her protagonist's emotional life. By the end, I didn't really care what happened to her. I was simply glad to be finished.

Kdyby mi to k dějinám Číny 20. století nedoporučovali, tak to nečtu. Druhá kniha od Anchee Min mě ovšem přesvědčila, že ta paní prostě neumí moc psát - je to nudné, nezáživné a hlavní postava je celou knihu stejně sterilní jako článek o ní na wiki. Kdo nezná dějiny Číny, bude mi muset spoustu věcí dohledat (např. proč madam Mao neplnila funkci první dámy, ale "sebrala" jí to ta druhá? No to proto, že ta druhá byla totiž manželka prezidenta). Knížku zachraňuje posledních asi 150 stránek, nikoliv ovšem uměním autorky, ale spíš poutavostí tématu. Ale i tak si myslím, že realita a hnus toho všeho, byl daleko větší, než se z knihy může zdát. Tam to působí spíš pohodově.

Istorinis romanas, kai kur buvo gal per daug romanas ,o kai kur istorinis vadovėlis? Netekėjo ši knyga lengvai. Pirmoji pusė knygos sakyčiau dar dar tikrai būtų 4 žvaigždutės, bet kita pusė tokia sausa ir atžagari kaip mokyklos laikų istorijos pamoka. Reziumė žinios pagilintos

The format of the book can be a bit disorienting at first, its switching in time from a period at the end Madame Mao's life and, by contrast, the successive periods prior to then. However, Anchee Min really portrays the many personalities of the woman who became Madame Mao and characterizes well the political machinery she was able to put into place in order to ensure her own power. And yet when one is too greedy... there you have it.

Based on the life of Jiang Ching (Mao Tse-Tung's wife), this is a character study in power, fear, and wild commitment to nothing. The people who surround Chairman Mao speak with dedication about the will of the people, their commitment to the communal opportunity and future for all, while all are, in fact, devoted only to their own accumulation of power and status.
Ms. Mao is no different. She was married to 4 men. The first was arranged and weak. Nothing to speak of. The second, a devoted member of the Party who she loved, but left for dead (he lived and never had anything to do with her again). The third was a man of culture, but was weak.
And then there was Mao, who she alternately worshiped and hated for more than 40 years. Their love was pure, simple, and based on power, and she had to swallow her own ambitions when he decided to seek youth in sleeping with virgins and in always always always playing his supporters against each other.
He believed in alternating helpful with humiliation -- in war, in politics, in love, in life.
A hideous guy.
and she was a hideous woman, an actress who played the roles necessary to navigate the highest echelons of Chinese power and domination.
Brilliantly written. Insightful. An amazing book.

I liked the way the book was written, I got lost in the story.
However, it has left me wanting more history and facts - I feel I only got a slice of the relationship in the Maoist messy pie!

This is a beautifully written book, the style is very poetic. The story pulls you into the build-up to and the events of the communist revolution in China as experienced by Madame Mao, most infamously known as a member of the Gang of Four. While it is historial fiction, I felt that it was written in such a way that the history and the fiction were fairly easy to distinguish. I think it does what historical fiction does at its best: describes an era in a way in which facts alone cannot.

It took me a little longer to read than anticipated. I am slightly curious about the actual events behind Madame Mao's life and the events that led to her downfall. It is tragic that she lost the love of Chairman Mao and as a result he used her in his game of politics. I love Min's use of Madame Mao's life as a a metaphor for being an actress on stage. The character uses this as a means to survive the tragedy that she lives.

This was a tough read, and not for just the contents alone. It's written in an odd way, where every other paragraph alternates between third person and first person. It was really odd to keep switching and I only got used to it by the end. I also remember that half the book just felt like a chore, despite the contents being interesting. That may also be the translation at fault though.

One thing I was surprised about though, was that I expected the book to have a lot of horrors and maybe even gore, as many books about the times of the Cultural Revolution are like that. It's hard to not have that in your story when talking about a truly terrifying period in history. But Becoming Madame Mao focuses solely on the private lives of Chairman Mao and her. So the events are mentioned, but they lack impact, and there's barely any detail or gore. That might work well for you if you are a sensitive reader, but want to learn about the events. Unlike most books about this time period, this one isn't almost at all triggering.

The book does convey the horror and the insanity that these times seemed to be full of though. Despite feeling like it was something of a chore to read, I'm happy I read it.

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Meticulously researched work of historical fiction that twists the traditional western view of Madame Mao, the "white boned demon," and of Mao and the cultural revolution. I didn't find it exactly riveting, but I did find it educational and plotted and written in a manner that read quickly and kept my interest. By writing this story as fiction, Min frees herself to speculate as to the inner life and motivations that drove Madame Mao to reach for power, hold onto it so ruthlessly, only to find herself, in the end, doomed by her own ambition and faith in a husband for whom she, at least from Min's perspective, viewed her as little more than a pawn in a political game played without her future or security in mind. Interesting, especially when read in conjunction with Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine, a nonfiction account of the catastrophic consequences of Mao's Great Leap Forward.