When I was a child, I thought my destiny was to live and die on the banks of the Xiangjiang River as my family had done for generations. I never imagined that my life would lead me to the Forbidden City and the court of China’s last Empress.Born in the middle of nowhere, Yaqian, a little embroidery girl from Hunan Province, finds her way to the imperial court, a place of intrigue, desire, and … desire, and treachery. From the bed of an Emperor, the heart of a Prince, and the right side of an Empress, Yaqian weaves her way through the most turbulent decades of China’s history and witnesses the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
Fans of Amy Tan, Lisa See, Anchee Min, and Pearl S. Buck are sure to love this debut novel by Amanda Roberts. This richly descriptive and painstakingly researched novel brings the opulence of the Qing Court to life as Yaqian and Empress Cixi’s lives intertwine over six decades.
AMANDA ROBERTS is a writer, editor, and teacher who has been living in China since 2010. Amanda has an MA in English from the University of Central Missouri. While in college she also studied Chinese language and history. She has been published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies around the world and she regularly contributes to numerous blogs. She is the author of the Crazy Dumplings series of cookbooks and is a well-known blogger in China. Amanda can be found all over the Internet, but her home is TwoAmericansinChina.com.
RED EMPRESS PUBLISHING is a full-service publisher offering traditional and new services for their authors to help them succeed and stand out in an ever-changing market. Red Empress Publishing is actively seeking submissions by women and people of color as part of the company’s philosophy of diversity and inclusion. They are currently seeking submissions in all genres of fiction but especially romance, mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction. Authors can submit their books and request more information on Red Empress Publishing’s official website http://redempresspublishing.com. Be sure to also follow Red Empress Publishing on Facebook and Twitter for all their latest news and releases.
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foot-binding, intrigue, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, Qing-dynasty, 19th-century
***** A fascinating, well researched,and well presented story of a girl in China in the nineteenth century who went from worthless girl to Emperor’s concubine on the strength of a perspicatious fortune teller and her own talent for intricate silk embroidery. The story drew me in from the beginning of a six year old who loved to run and play among the silkworms, through the torture that was foot binding, and eventually to the Emperor’s court in the Forbidden City. The imagery is breathtaking and the characters impeccably done.
Leanne Yau adds much because of her British Empire English and my inability to pronounce the Chinese words.
I entered a giveaway and won this audiobook! I win!
She always thought she would live and die in her small.village but it will not be like that. She is taken to the imperial court where her life will never ever be the same again. Her journey may not be easy but she may have fun along the way
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I read this book in 2 days, i couldn’t put it down.
I enjoyed this book and the history of China as told by the main character. I found the development of her embrodiery skills starting at age six fascinating. Although the story encompasses her entire lifetime, I did not find it nearly as intriguing or fast-paced as books by Lisa See, or Amy Tan. An easy, enjoyable read for historical fiction enthusiasts.
Epic Tale of 19th Century China
This is a long book and all of it is needed to cover this fictionalized history of China. The story begins in the 1840s and follows the life of a young girl until the early 1900s. It covers several wars and rebellions and ends just after the Boxer rebellion. The fictionalized story of the girl seems to be in keeping with what I know of China in that era. I have always loved Chinese history and found this book to be very interesting. The story is centered around silk embroidery and that is also quite a fascinating topic. While the book is long, it needs to be to cover so much. It never seemed long to this reader. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
Really enjoyed the journey in turn of the century China and how women were treated.
Excellent. Loved the writing style, often poetic! Good story.
Historical fiction incorporated into an account of the history of China. A view into the forbidden city at that time.
Great historical fiction. I love reading about eastern cultures and this one seemed to have done their research well. Would definitely buy again.
This was an excellent tale and certainly educated me on China.
I loved this book. The author wove such detail into the story I was transported to this time. I fell in love with the characters. One of my favorite books of all time!
Great read! Historical elements as well.
An original character in the Chinese’s culture who’s journey is realisticly portrayed – tells her personal story while woven into a background of the empire’s historic struggles. An enjoyable way to learn about the last rulers of China.
I do embroidery and this book was fascinating. The story is great too. Worth the read.
Didn’t put it down, reminded me so much of my favorite author Lisa See
I Enjoyed the characters and historical fiction. It was informative and well written.
Wonderful book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it so interesting on her Life, collecting threads of silk with each major happening in her life. From
an impoverished childhood, to a life in the Silk school to her life in the service of the Emperor in The Forbidden City. Her choice to never marry, but she did know love in her younger years and made a hard decision at the end of her years.
This book is wonderful reading for anyone who loves China as much as I do.
Very well written; a glimpse into life in China and the difficulty of change. I loved the minute descriptions of the embroidery, but that was not a major part of the book.
I enjoyed the historical elements. I went to China and saw some double sided embroidery and it is truly amazing.
I enjoyed this book very much, the author was able to create and develop great characters that melded perfectly into her unique and compelling story.