About the book
The Last Empress is a historical novel by Anchee Min that provides a sympathetic account of the life of Empress Dowager Cixi (referred to as Empress Orchid), from her rise to power as Empress Tzu-Hsi, until her death at 72 years of age. Akin to the bestselling and preceding novel in the series Empress Orchid, names within the story are different in spelling but retain the same pronunciation – allowing the reader to identify each relevant character to his or her real life counterpart.
Reviewed by Boaters Book Club Reading Group:
The views differed totally on this book especially was it a historical book or a novel. Some found it boring, unconvincing, unfocused, repetitious and plodding. However others found it an interesting insight into the Forbidden City, its rules/protocol, the eunuchs and the historical aspects of China, also a grand effort with lots of research. All had views on the way it was written.
Star rating: *+
Hampshire Libraries 