Skip to main content

Empress: A Novel by Evelyn McCune: A Book Review

Empress: A Novel
Author: McCune, Evelyn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: 1994
Pages: 500
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Source: Personal Collection
Synopsis: Young Jao is a tomboyish thirteen, the culturally insignificant second daughter of a nobleman's second wife, when she is summoned to the imperial palace as one of the Emperor's new concubines. Jao's straightforward ways and logic, her innocence, and her beauty earn her the great warrior Emperor Taitsung's respect, attention, and finally, his love. But his death finds her banished to a convent until his son, Emperor Kaotsung, realizes his passion for Jao. Recalled to the palace, Jao discovers a place so entrenched in enmity and malice that she is forced to fight for power and just rule.

     Sweeping through exotic, turbulent seventh-century China, Empress is the captivating epic of one extraordinary woman who would become the only female emperor in all of China's history. The story of Wu Jao, set against the backdrop of medieval China, reveals not only an age of horrifying barbarism, daring treachery, and precarious power, but also an eternal culture of sophistication and enlightenment.

       My Review: This historical fiction novel about China's only female emperor is filled with romance, betrayal, and court intrigue. The story starts off as Jao, a young 13 year old, leaves to become the concubine of the Chinese Emperor. When she arrives, she is thrust into a position in which she and the other concubines are rivals for the Emperor's attention. Wu Jao use her intelligence, her beauty, honesty, and virtues to embark on a quest for power. When the Emperor dies, Jao is forced to live as a Buddhist nun for the rest of her life. However, her fate changes when the new Emperor realizes his love for Jao and sends her back to the palace. She competes for the title of Empress to the new Emperor. Eventually, she rises to become China's only female Emperor.

      Before I read this book, I didn't know much about Chinese history. However, this novel gives a great introduction into the Chinese Medieval era. Because McCune writes vivid details of Imperial China, I felt as if I was walking alongside Jao (Emperor Wu). This book is also filled with Chinese customs, beliefs, and philosophy. It also discussed medieval Chinese politics that were later important to Emperor Wu's reign. I liked how McCune was very sympathetic to Emperor Wu. History has not been kind to China's only female emperor. Instead, she is criticized for being a ruthless power hungry schemer who plots to get rid of her rivals in order to become Emperor. McCune however, paints Jao as a victim rather than a cold-blooded murderer. It is others around her that are plotting to destroy her, and she must act to ensure her survival.

      Overall, this book is a great account for those who are interested in Chinese history. McCune is very sympathetic to  Wu Jao, and tries to justify her actions through her novel. McCune makes the readers want to learn about Emperor Wu Jao and Medieval China. This book is a little slow when Jao is Emperor, but it is still interesting to read about her reign. This novel is full of treachery, betrayal, court intrigue, and romance. Most of all, it is about an insignificant girl's journey who rises from her humble origins to become the most powerful person in China. Wu Jao's story is remarkable and astounding. This book will surely delight fans of Philippa Gregory and historical fiction lovers.

 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Labels:

Comments

  1. Sherie JacksAugust 16, 2013 at 11:21 PM

    I like how your reviews takes different approaches to the common beliefs of these women.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heath JacksAugust 16, 2013 at 11:30 PM

    A unique portrait of Empress Wu.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eleanor of Castile: Queen and Society in Thirteenth Century England by John Carmi Parsons: A Book Review

Eleanor of Castile: Queen and Society in Thirteenth Century England Author: John Carmi Parsons  Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan  Book Release Date: 1998 Pages: 388 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: Medievalist feminist studies' early concentration on the lives of prominent women has more recently given way to an interest in their less exalted sisters. Historians have seemingly avoided the careers of medieval queens, creatures of romance and legend, women who enjoyed rank and wealth merely as a consequence of birth or marriage. A renewed interest in such women has, however, followed the opening of new avenues to the study of women and power in the Middle Ages. That the lives of these women will reward reconsideration has been amply proven in the works of such historians as Pauline Stafford and Janet Nelson. Eleanor of Castile studies the wife of Edward I of England, a woman eulogized since the sixteenth century as a model of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interview with Meihan Boey

       Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing author, Meihan Boey. She is the author of The Formidable Miss Cassidy , which is the first novel in the Miss Cassidy trilogy. The first novel is about how a Scottish governess helps her employer's family who is haunted by a malevolent spirit. She has recently released, The Enigmatic Madam Ingram , which is the second novel in the  trilogy. In this interview, we discussed not only her latest novel, but also Singaporean mythology. Thank you, Mrs. Boey! What inspired you to write The Formidable Miss Cassidy ? Did you know it would be a trilogy before you started writing or did it form while you were writing it?  Yes, I did know I wanted to create a trilogy - I just didn’t know at the start whether or not I would be able to get there!  The Formidable Miss Cassidy started life as a COVID project, sent as a short story to a little Canadian indie press. Because I didn’t think a typical Canadian audience was go...
1 comment
Read more

The Enigmatic Madam Ingram (Miss Cassidy #2) by Meihan Boey: A Book Review

The Enigmatic Madam Ingram (Miss Cassidy #2) Author: Meihan Boey Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal  Publisher: Harper Perennial  Book Release Date: September 8, 2026 Pages: 512 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Miss Cassidy returns to nineteenth-century Singapore to help solve another dazzling supernatural mystery in this follow-up to the award-winning novel that The Guardian called a “classic-in-waiting.”        When Letty Ingram arrives in Singapore in 1906, she is an enigma even unto herself. To the residents of the small Scottish village where she lives, she is a wealthy, half-Malay recluse who emerges from her home only for walks with her great beast of a hound. To Letty, she is a woman trying to lift a curse that causes her lose consciousness and wake up in strange places—sometimes, with blood on her hands—and no memory of what occurred.        Letty ...
Post a Comment
Read more