Paperback version: 309 pages
Genre: Historical, Asian, Chinese.
Rating: 1 *

Synopsis:

Set in early days of China, post Opium war where China becomes subject to Communist rule.

Review:

Only made it 30 odd pages in before I had to give up on this one.

It seems I've not come across anything but bad Chinese fiction recently, after having abandoned 'Shanghai Girls' for being another poor Chinese book.

Sad really because my usual favourite authors' are writing these books!

Anyway I just couldn't get into this. I really couldn't. The problem doesn't exist with the story Min is trying to tell or indeed how she writes it...her writing is fantastic and transports me utterly to a new world each and every time I read anything written by her...but the problem is the way in which she tells the story.

The opening Prologue is so incoherent it's almost laughable, one moment she speaks from the perspective of Mao and next her daughter with no break in between therefore not allowing differentiation between the two different perspective. After this I felt a bit downhearted about the book but being Anchee Min, I continued regardless, wanting to give the book as much chance as I could.

And disappoint she did not, I was brought into the story, completely enthralled, straight away until the next paragraph and the paragraphs after that. For some reason she decided to choose this extremely stupid mechanism for telling the story, writing it in first person one paragraph and third the next. And this was a consistent approach, no doubt used until the end of the book. And really to be honest, the use of it was beyond my understanding, whilst I still felt interested in the story she was trying to tell and developed a little sympathy for the main protaganist, I was still somewhat detached because I couldn't bond with a character which wasn't either just a she or an I...hard to explain but if it had been one or the other well I may have sympathised.

Her strong points lie in the telling of passionate but doomed love stories, so passionate and at the same time depressing they really invoke some intense feelings but still wasn't enough to keep me reading due to the ridiculous way in which it was written. Although it was enough to bump up my rating from 1 to 2 stars.

Stupid Anchee, Stupid! You ruined what could have been a great book!

http://passionate-about-books.blogspo...

Not a biography as I had first thought, it was only on opening the book that I learnt that though the author had, and I quote, 'Tried (her) best to mirror the facts of history' this was in fact a novel.

Chronicling the life of Madame Mao from aged 4 when she was already displaying a fierce determination through her acting/opera career and her many relationships to her suicide, this is the story of a woman who constantly recreates herself, the story of a woman who despite her somewhat humble beginnings seems totally indifferent, if not oblivious, to the suffering of others.

Potentially an interesting read, I just found the fact that the narration jumped rapidly between the first and the third person totally bewildering and ultimately, along with the lack of punctuation, off-putting to the point where I struggled to finish reading the book.

All in all a disappointing read. Though Min gives an intriguing insight into life in China at the time, I felt her exploration of Madame Mao lacked a certain something and that at times she was in danger of portraying this notoriously 'evil' woman as something of a cartoon villain.

A very involved narrative of Madame Mao, and how she evolved from a beautiful young actress in Shanghai into Mao's mistress and then wife. Her love for acting stays with her until death and presents itself in her inner thoughts and political achievements. At the end she is a bitter old woman, made that way by her constant attempts to win Mao's love. Mao's feelings about her fluctuate, and he toys with her emotions so much that she becomes paranoid, mean-spirited, and vindictive. The story makes for interesting reading, but I didn't care for the authors writing style much.

A stirring very human portrayal of an important figure. I always find it fascinating to see how human faults and qualities (ego, pride etc) can drive decision making throughout history - no matter what part or time in the world it's set in!

The writing and switching of tenses and Madame Mao's state of mind was a bit too chaotic. I 'get' what the author was trying to do but it was almost wayy to meta for me to stick with. But still an enjoyable and eye opening read.

I love reading books about China - history, biography, fiction - doesn't matter. I cannot make it to the 100 page mark in this one. Narration moves from first person to third person so fast my head spins. There is very little dialogue and what is there is not delineated by quotation marks. I don't want to have to stop and figure out if people are speaking or just thinking, it pulls me out of the story and I have a hard time getting back in.

I think I'll go find a biography of Madame Mao and skip this entirely.

This book was feverish and passionate in style. It had an urgency and anxiety to it because Anchee Min's writing style is unique and like nothing I have ever seen. At first, I did not adjust well to her technique but as I read on, it became more clear.
Throughout the book, I could not help but loathe the main character for her transparency and lack of concern for the welfare of those around her. It certainly opens up this time in history, making it tangible and accessible to those who cannot fathom what that fervor and hysteria were like and how the mindset of these people turned into destruction.
Anchee Min wrote with such bold-faced sincerity, and without fear of any kind. I look forward to hunting down more of her work. I have even seen interviews featuring her experiences and she is a mesmerizing individual. I enjoyed this book despite detesting the characters but I simply could not put it down. Perhaps even monsters can be fascinating.
Thanks to her, I have sought out more information about this time period and look forward to exploring this topic as deeply as possible.
I recommend this to anyone studying Chinese history, the Cultural revolution or anything pertaining to those things. I also recommend this for anyone who enjoys books written in a unique format with characters of great depth and complexity.

Leitura na versão portuguesa, Teorema editora, edição de março de 2001

Αντικειμενικά είναι ένα καλό, ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο που μόνο αδιάφορα δεν περνά σε όποιον το διαβασει.
Ωστόσο το timing δεν ήταν καλό για μένα και μάλλον το αδίκησα...

This book was a mess. The writing jumps, at random, from first person narrative to third person POV then to omnipresent narrator. A pity. It could have been a very interesting book about a fascinating character, but it's sadly just a mess.

Mai citisem de Anchee Min Imparateasa Orhidee si ma asteptam cumva la acelasi fir narativ continuu presarat cu notele istoriei vremurilor respective. Insa Cum am devenit doamna Mao e diferita (desi sunt descrise multe din palatele din Orasul Interzis prezente si in Imparateasa Orhidee) si imi dau seama acum dupa ce am terminat-o ca nici nu avea cum sa nu fie asa. Vorbim de alte vremuri si desi cruzimea in istorie a existat dintotdeauna pe cea contemporana o resimtim altfel iar cand seamana si cu ceea ce am trait si noi cu atat mai mult.

Metoda pe care o foloseste Anchee Min, memoriile fictive ale doamnei Mao explicate un paragraf mai jos prin adevarul istoric intrerupe firul narativ (ceea ce la inceput deranjeaza putin) dar te tine ancorat in realitate, riscand altfel sa o iei pe o alee periculoasa a empatiei cu domna Mao. Si asta pentru ca domna Mao a iubit si a suferit mult de-a lungul vietii, incercand sa-si faca o cariera ca actrita, casatorindu-se din dragoste sau pentru ca alta cale sa se salveze de la saracie nu avea si in cele din urma umbra ignorata al celui de-al patrulea sot, liderul comunist Mao Zedong.

Insa aura omeneasca a domanei Mao se disepeaza din cauza caracterului ei razbunator, toate persoanele care in tinerete i-au provocat neplaceri (inclusiv cele din dragoste) nu scapa cruzimii sale care impreuna cu cea a lui Mao insusi au dus la moartea a milioane de chinezi in timpul dictaturii din 1949 pana in in 1976 cand Mao moare.

Desi a fost sotia lui Mao timp de 38 de ani, Jiang Ching (nume pe care i-l da Mao), nu a avut dintoateauna acces direct la putere, acest lucru incepand abia cu Revolutia Culturala din 1965, in care ea a jucat unul din rolurile locotenentilor lui Mao. Rolul - care avea sa fie unul limitat tot de Mao si despre care desi simtea ca este dinainte trasat si presimtea care ii va fi sfarsitul - si-l va juca pana la capat pentru ca se pare ca afectiunea ei pentru el a fost totusi sincera spre deosebire de Mao care era dominat in ultimii ani ai sai de paronia si frica de a pierde puterea sacrificand orice viata era necesara, indiferent ca era vorba de vicepresedintele partidului sau de primul minstru, oameni alaturi de care a cladit partidul si care i-au fost loiali. Cruzime in stare pura. A lui urmand modelul sovietic pe care a incercat sa-l copieze cu "Marele Salt Inainte", vrand sa intreaca Uniunea Sovietica si sa devina cea mai mare putere a lumii, a ei urmandu-l pe el si bineinteles si a altor lideri de state comuniste, pe care am simtit-o pe pielea noastra.

Mao_and_Jiang_Qing_1946La moartea lui Mao in 1976 la varsta de 83 de ani si cand ea are 62 de ani, doamna Mao pica rapid in dizgratie acuzata ca fiind tradatoare (de catre cel care i-a stat alaturi in demersurile ei de-a lungul timpului de a se pastra in gratiile lui Mao) in urma unei scapari din tinerete cand in puscarie ajungand se dezice de Partidul Comunist (eh era si ea tot om, nu? ). Este condamnata initial la pedeapsa cu moartea schimbata ulterior in inchisoare pe viata. Asta in timp ce Mao este venerat ca un zeu, ea ramane in istorie cu titulatura de "demonul cu oase albe", lucru pe care ea insasi il reproseaza in cadrul procesului ce-i este facut (proces televizat in direct, daca tot ne gandim si la comunismul si caderea lui de la noi, e o diferenta totusi...). Dupa 15 ani de inchisoare se sinucide prin spanzurare in 1977. Era diagnosticata cu cancer la gat.

Niste lucruri de aflat si de luat aminte, viata e fragila, ne dam seama inca o data cu evenimentele pe care le traim zilele acestea, oameni care au adus si aduc suferinta si distrugere.

" Inspirata de idee, natiunea raspunde chemarii lui Mao. Toate loturile de teren privat sunt luate si puse in proprietatea guvernului. Taranii sunt incurajati sa "experimenteze comunismul acolo unde traiesc" [...]. In domeniul industriei, Mao promoveaza "otelariile din curtea casei". Localnicilor li se ordona sa-si doneze tigaile, topoarele si ligheanele.

Marele Salt este expresia perfecta a mintii si crezurilor lui Mao, a indraznelii si romantismului sau. El asteapta nerabdator rezultatele. La inceput, viziunea sa e laudata, insa dupa doi ani vin rapoarte despre izbucniri violente intre saraci si bogati. [...] Totul se consuma, inclusiv recoltele pentru plantarea viitoarei recolte, in vreme ce nu se produce nimic. Ultimul depozit al tarii este gol.

Anul 1959 incepe cu inundatii care se continu cu seceta. Tara e cuprinsa de un sentiment de disperare. In ciuda chemarii lui Mao de a lupta impotriva dezastrului - Vointa omului e cea care hotaraste, nu vointa Cerului -, sute si mii de tarani isi parasesc satele de bastina in cautare de hrana. De-a lungul coastei, multi dintre ei sunt fortati sa-si vanda copiii, iar unii dintre ei isi otravesc toata familia pentru a pune capat disperarii. Pana in iarna, numarul mortilor se ridica la douazeci de milioane."

- See more at: http://www.deundevine.ro/2015/11/15/c...

Writing a book is an amazing achievement and I bet loads of people love this one, it just wasn’t for me. It is written as an extensive monologue most of the time, full of telling rather than describing/showing. I also feel the Madame Mao character is a 2D female stereotype, reduced to being manipulative, vindictive, and male-oriented. Maybe that’s all she was, but I’d be surprised.

It’s interesting if you’re really interested in China under Mao.

I was fascinated reading this fictional account of the life of Jiang Qing, one of the most hated women of the 20th century. Called the White Boned Demon by many, she has born the brunt of blame for the Cultural Revolution and other evils. Anchee Min's book takes a step into the heart and soul and humanizes this woman seen as many to be the epitome of evil. The author does not excuse her actions, but does help explain them. Having read a good bit about Mao himself and about the last 75 years of Chinese history, I found Min's account pretty plausible and believable.

Her switching viewpoints from the first to third person on just about every page would be in other cases off-putting, but somehow seemed to work here. It was like stepping inside Madame Mao's head, then back out again to a little more objective place.

All in all, a good book, though it may not be for everyone.