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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I've always been fascinated by powerful women married or otherwise attached to powerful men, more particularly, how they are always vilified in some form or another. Mao was no sweetie-pie, but you'd think he was just an innocent fellow seduced by an evil witch, the way Madame Mao is viewed...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It“I thought she was trying too hard to un-demonize Madame Mao. Not her best effort.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“Fascinating book about the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Another book that I plan to reread. ”
Cindy P wrote this review Friday, November 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The white boned demon finally tells her side of the story. Blew me away!
Ruth G wrote this review Sunday, November 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“It was very hard to get through and it took me a long time but it had a lot of imformation and i learned a lot. It was ok. considering it was written on someone real and still had good details and a fictional touch it mad it a lot better.”
Sienna K wrote this review Monday, October 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I read this while I was traveling in China on business. It is a fasinating story and very insightful into the Chinese mind set. Highly recommend. Madame Mao is raw in her struggle for power and in the end is outsmarted by the Chairman - from the grave!”
Kate G wrote this review Saturday, September 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I'm going to be brief in my review of this Novel. I think it's terrific. In fact, I'll go a step further and say it is the best fiction work I've read in a long time. Not since reading Shogun, have I enjoyed a style of writing more. Anchee Min seems to be able to combine the terse style of Hemingway with the ethereal style of E. L. Doctorow in Ragtime--to create an entire universe that allows the reader to gently plunge in. I can't find a thing wrong with this book. True it switches persons in an unusual way, but I remain unfettered in opinion by virtue of that technique. The words fall off the page with imagery and Min's prose feels like poetry. More at http://www.amazon.ca/gp/pdp/profile/A3RNSBD1UITT1N”
Steve Ganns wrote this review Tuesday, September 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It was interesting at first, but my attention wandered near the last few chapters.”
nbstagecoach wrote this review Wednesday, August 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A sympathetic portrait of a brutal woman. ”
Rhonda C wrote this review Thursday, April 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“I've always been fascinated by powerful women married or otherwise attached to powerful men, more particularly, how they are always vilified in some form or another. Mao was no sweetie-pie, but you'd think he was just an innocent fellow seduced by an evil witch, the way Madame Mao is viewed today. Like Eva Peron, she was an actress; like Peron, she is widely hated and like Peron, would probably have done better to rule her own country than be attached to her intellectual and strategic inferior and be forced to operate through him. Think Madame de Pompadour and Hilary Clinton, too.
Jasmine wrote this review Sunday, January 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This novel is particularly interesting given Min's personal history with M. Mao's opera and theatrical companies, so I might read "Red Azalea" first. She doesn't have any illusions.”
