The Fabulous Concubine

by Chang Hsin-Hai, H. J. Lethbridge

The beautiful Golden Orchid becomes the concubine of the Chinese Amassador to Germany and Russia in this novel, set against the corruption and intrigue which flourished in China before the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty.

Paperback

Published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Magpie6493 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was throughly well written and I enjoyed it immensely but it has one of the most dispointing and unsatisfying endings I have read in my entire life. And ending so bad in fact it ruined all the enjoyment I had found in this book and I feel esspecially bitter given the amount of time I spent reading it.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this book to be interesting, but never expected it to be so compelling to read. Starting in Soochow (Suzhou) in the late 1890s, a sing-song girl is married as a concubine to a middle-aged scholar, and follows him to Peking, then to Berlin, where he's posted as the Chinese ambassador to imperial Germany and Czarist Russia. There she learns the ins and out of diplomatic life and expatriate high society in late 19th century Berlin, described in luscious detail, based on the author's first-hand experience as a Chinese diplomat in Europe. There, and back in China, she gets sucked into corruption scandals, political intrigue, and courtroom drama, before being swept up in the violent events of the Boxer Rebellion in 1899-1901.

It's very well written, especially considering that it's the only published fiction by someone who wrote mostly scholarly works. Every character stands out; the good guys have their flaws and the bad guys (mostly) have redeeming qualities. Although the book is perhaps a little bit too long, it held my interest all the way through. It's a pity that it's long out of print because it provides a glimpse of a fascinating time and place(s).

The ending--really, just the last paragraph--fizzles out into a rushed and vague conclusion, but this is the biggest flaw I found with this novel.

[Joe Rousmaniere · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read! Well developed characters, clear and precise writing, and accurate history. I found this old stained paperback in a used book shop in Singapore. A wonderful find.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story featuring personalities and politics from a now somewhat distant time.

[Emily Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

i love chinese fiction but this book was very dull. it could be because i was reading an unexpurgated abridged (so the abridged version had nothing taken out?) version, maybe the lavish descriptions were removed.