Book Review: Empress Orchid by Anchee Min

[Jen Shaw]

Empress Orchid by Anchee Min follows the life of Orchid (or Cixi in Chinese) who was the last Empress of China. This is a true story about a seemingly misunderstood woman who has been documented a little unfairly throughout history as a nasty, unhinged woman. Empress Orchid, however, portrays her in a very different light. Here she is simply a girl who is trying to provide for her family but her whole life will change in a dramatic way and she has to grow up very fast.