The Last Empress

De: Anchee Min

Narrado por: Alexandra O'Karma

Critically acclaimed author Anchee Min crafts the breathtaking sequel to her masterful Empress Orchid, a riveting account of one of the most amazing women in history.

Reeling from tragedy, Orchid reluctantly assumes greater power over late 19th-century China. And as her nation is divided by opposing factions, only she can keep China from tearing itself apart.

©2007 Anchee Min (P)2007 Recorded Books

Inspirational and eye-opening!

All americans should read this book to open their eyes to new perspectives on foreign policy. Orchid's touching story is one of courage, strength, daring, intelligence and deep love.

The last empress

Our book group chose the two books by this author and audible was the only place I found them in an auditory format.
Long stories both but very interesting Chinese history
It will be an interesting discussion for us

Great sequel to Empress Orchid

This audio book picked up Cixi's story where Empress Orchid left off. It covered her life after the death and funeral of her Emperor husband's death until her death. After reading non-fiction accounts of Cixi's life this book seems to follow the accomplishments of her life and the steps she took as a leader to modernize China.

Although it is a work of fiction, and no one can really know the details of her relationships, she was the ruler of China as regent for two child Emperor's and therefore wielded great power. The paradox she had to deal with was that the Chinese saw themselves as a superior and advanced civilization and so did the Western countries. The clash of cultures was enormous as Eastern and Western cultures tried to find some common ground to begin their negotiations.

As the product of Western civilization and the conveniences of what began with the Industrial Revolution it is difficult to imagine a people who would not welcome these wonders. But the Chinese had a different world view full of different priorities and values.

One must listen with an open mind and learn about this totally foreign world.

Nice sequel

Still good but there is far less focus on the characters and more about highlighting all the troubles China had to endure via military decisions and societal pressures.

Confusing

The long pauses between chapters and paragraphs is disconcerting as I kept thinking my player was causing problems. There were too many things described in the story that weren't available in China at the time, such as French hair dye, cupcakes, dollars etc. My students were confused.

Great

A great sequel to Empress Orchid with an absolutely amazing narrator, Alexandra O’Karma!!! What a voice!

Narrator is awful

You can hear the disgusting sound of the narrator swallowing. it was a poor performance

Anchee Min Paints Real People in Historic Contexts

Anchee Min Paints Real People in Historic Contexts 4 Stars

This is the second part of Min's portrayal of the woman who would become China's last empress. The author's fine attention to details make the reader feel like he is there experiencing history as it was being made.

Alexandra O'Karma's narration is excellent and parallels the author's brilliant descriptive prose.

Ugh!

Sadly, I am the kind of reader that no matter how bad the book I have to finish it. I struggled to finish this book. I had not read the first book about this Empress but I never will now.

The story was boring at best. The author wrote in a way that I could not tell if she was referring to her perceptions or reality. This woman sounded like she was continually unhappy and a martyr. I did not see her as a strong leader or someone to be a role model.

The narration was awful. Accents were excellent but the monotone presentation was the biggest reason for my struggle to finish this book. The emotionless delivery was also part of why the empress sounded more like a martyred wimp!!

Don't bother with this book.