A timeless novel inspired by the legendary real-life Chinese courtesan Sai Jinhua—an extraordinary woman who bridged two worlds in the twilight decades of the Qing dynasty, a tumultuous era of East meets West. The year is 1881. Seven-year-old Jinhua is left an orphan, alone and unprotected after her mandarin father’s summary execution for the crime of speaking the truth. For seven silver coins, … seven silver coins, she is sold to a brothel-keeper and subjected to the worst of human nature.
When an elegant but troubled scholar takes Jinhua as his concubine, she enters the close world of his jealous first wife. Yet it is Jinhua who accompanies him—as emissary to the foreign devil nations of Prussia, Austria-Hungary, and Russia—on an exotic journey to Vienna. As he struggles to play his part in China’s early, blundering diplomatic engagement with the Western world, Jinhua’s eyes and heart are opened to the irresistible possibilities of a place that is mesmerizing and strange, where she will struggle against the constraints of tradition and her husband’s authority and seek to find “Great Love.”
Sai Jinhua is an altered woman when she returns to a changed and changing China, where a dangerous clash of cultures pits East against West. As the Boxer Rebellion brews and finally breaks, Jinhua’s Western sympathies will threaten not only her own survival but the survival of those who are most dear to her.
An authentic and beautifully written portrait of China’s relationship with the West, the story of the incredible Sai Jinhua, told the way it might have been, is not to be forgotten.
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Characters too stereotypical for anyone who has read much Asian fiction. Quit early on this one.
An interesting view into the Chinese adapting to historic changes forced by foreign influences as observed through the eyes of a Chinese woman who is changed personally when her fortune takes her outside of her traditional sequester of her culture – opening her to possibilities.
A tear jerker. Typical Pearl Buck. Just a good read if you like
Chinese characters and stories.
didn’t much like it
Well written story about a woman’s rise to power in China, and how she fought for the baby Emperor. Good characters, interesting settings.
Very good – exceptional. Life stories and life lessons are learned in the background without interfering with the story of a tragic historical figure. Very thought provoking.
I decided to read this after I read a Lisa See book. The latter was wonderful, inspiring, beautifully written, and I loved it. The Courtesan is a much crueler book, with very little of the mystical air that I often find and love in Chinese fiction.
Hard to follow with very poor pacing. I basically thought it was dull.
You don’t have to be a lover of Chinese culture and history to enjoy this book!
You must however, be a lover of exquisite writing,descriptive unfolding of scenery, warmth and a hypnotic use of layered intrigue. May I add that lovers of Chinese history and culture will indeed find much to love within the pages of this book.
Beautiful retelling of a legend, well written, drawing one into China on the edge of revolution.
I did enjoy the story. It was a bit too detailed, but it was an easy read. The part about the wrapping of the young girls feet was disturbing. It was a good description of life in China. I recommend it to my friends and others.
Anyone who enjoys history will enjoy this book.
It brings to life many cultural and political events that shaped modern China.