Bought in the RSPCA Charity Shop on a whim. Will pop it on to the ever growing Mount TBR, and when I'm done, release it in the wild.

Picked this up off the shelves at Costa. Sounds like a good story and another one to remind me of my holiday in China, thanks for leaving it.

A pleasure to read, loved the descriptions, an insight into another world. Had it's darker moments with the jealousies of the concubines and corrupt officials at Court.

From this book I want to remember:

"My mother taught me the Ch'an concept of happiness, which was to find satisfaction in small things. I was taught to appreciate the fresh air in the morning, the colour of leaves turning red in Autumn and the water's smoothness when I soaked my hands in the basin"

Putting in the Anything goes mini bookbox as it passes my way.

Taken from Dark-Draco's mini book box....thanks!

To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her slope-shouldered cousin, seventeen-year-old Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor's wives. When she is chosen as a lower-ranking concubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City.

But beneath its immaculate facade lie whispers of murders and ghosts, and the thousands of concubines will stoop to any lengths to bear the Emperor's son. Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way into the royal bed, and seduces the monarch, drawing the attention of dangerous foes.

Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and that she will be its last Empress.

Well, after reading lots of chick-lit & horror recently I decided it was time for a change of scene & a book about 19th century China seemed the ideal choice!

This was a fascinating read into a way of life that is so very far removed from anything I could imagine. The Forbidden City, beautiful as it sounded, was also a place of corruption & violence & to live adhering to all it's rules & traditions cannot have been easy - especially for Orchid where her son was concerned.

This isn't a book I would have picked up for myself so thanks doodleali for putting it into book box -I wouldn't have read this otherwise....& thanks h-ed for registering it originally!!! I will endeavour to find it a new reader shortly.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
On it's way to the winner of the Smile Day RABCK draw. This lucky winner has a few wishes for historical books on their wishlist - although they don't include 19th Century China! Hope they enjoy it as much as I did.

2008 RABCK RELEASE CHALLENGE (#134)
2008 KEEP THEM MOVING CHALLENGE (#67)
WHAT'S IN A NAME CHALLENGE (#5)

Thank you Plum-crazy! I'll look forward to reading this, 19th century China is a new period to me so it will be fun to read about it.

On a bench by the cross

On a bench by the cross