Maureen Lindley
Paperback | Pages: 304 pages Rating: 3.41 | 1653 Users | 203 Reviews
Mention Epithetical Books The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
| Title | : | The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel |
| Author | : | Maureen Lindley |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 304 pages |
| Published | : | September 1st 2009 by Bloomsbury USA (first published 2008) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. China. Asia. Japan. Literature. Asian Literature |
Rendition During Books The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
An electrifying epic, based on the incredible true story of a Chinese princess turned spy. Peking, 1914. When the eight-year-old princess Eastern Jewel is caught spying on her father's liaison with a servant girl, she is banished from the palace, sent to live with a powerful family in Japan. Renamed Yoshiko Kawashima, she quickly falls in love with her adoptive country, where she earns a scandalous reputation, taking fencing lessons, smoking opium, and entertaining numerous lovers. Sent to Mongolia to become an obedient wife, Yoshiko mounts a daring escape and eventually finds her way back to Peking high society—this time with orders from the Japanese secret service. Based on the true story of a rebellious woman who earned a controversial place in history, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel is a vibrant reimagining of a thrilling life—a rich historical epic of palace intrigue, sexual manipulation, and international espionage.Present Books Conducive To The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
| Original Title: | The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel: A Novel |
| ISBN: | 1596917032 (ISBN13: 9781596917033) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Epithetical Books The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
Ratings: 3.41 From 1653 Users | 203 ReviewsWrite Up Epithetical Books The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
This book tells the story of a Chinese princess who rejects her traditional role and becomes a notorious figure in pre-WWII Japan. Based on a true story, the premise of this tale is really interesting. Eastern Jewel's rebellious spirit leads her to flee her arranged marriage and become a Japanese spy. However, the writer fails to make Eastern Jewel a sufficiently sympathetic protagonist, and the story falls flat.I never felt as though I understood Eastern Jewel's motivations and desires. She's a
I spent most of this book just wanting it to be over so I could read the next one.This book is given one star, not because it's the monstrosity seen in some of my other one star reviews, but because of the incredible disappointment it is, and because the author very clearly states in her forward what she wanted from this book, and because she failed so utterly at it.Lindley says in her forward that she came across the story of Eastern Jewel, and felt that the consistent portrayal of her was that
Utterly and completely unreadable. This is based on the life of Easern Jewel, Yoshiko Kawashi, who was a cold and heartless ______ (feel free to fill in the blank, they are all true). Not only could I not relate to this character, but her calculating and careless destruction of other people's live sickened me. The author was trying to write from this woman's perspective, which must have been quite a challange, but the way the "character" thought about things just - it just wasn't human.I'll
Based on a true story. A historical novel based on the life of a Chinese Princess. Her wealthy father banished her at age 8 for misbehavior to live with a wealthy family in Japan. She was raised in Japan by strangers who did not care about her. She was sexually abused by the men in the family. She developed into an adventurous promiscuous young woman. She became infamous during WW II in Shanghai where she began serving as a spy for Japan. She ended up belonging to neither country but with a
The author, Maureen Lindley, has a really deft way of painting the atmosphere of China and Japan surrounding the life of the last Chinese emperor in a way that was touchingly effective. I can't really say I liked the character of Eastern Jewel, as a person, very much and there just wasn't much of her behavior that I could empathize with, but given her background, the way she lived and the swirling change of governments and turmoil she had to navigate through that is understandable.
This was entertaining.. I felt sorry for Eastern Jewel despite my disgust with her lifestyle choices. The author showed us many possible sides to this controversial woman. The book is written like a memoir starting with Eastern Jewel as a child who is shunned from her home, family, and country of China for spying on her father while he has relations with a concubine. All through her childhood, EJ or Yoshiko as she becomes tries hard to make people love her, but to no avail. Seems everybody has a
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