History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Wu Zhao: China’s Only Woman Emperor Author: N. Harry Rothschild Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Pearson Release Date: 2007 Pages: 256 Source: My Personal Collection Synopsis: This new entry in the Longman Library of World Biography series offers the compelling story of Wu Zhao - one woman’s unlikely and remarkable ascent to the apex of political power in the patriarchal society of traditional China.       Wu Zhao, Woman Emperor of China is the account of the first and only female emperor in China’s history. Set in vibrant, multi-ethnic Tang China, this biography chronicles Wu Zhao’s humble beginnings as the daughter of a provincial official, following her path to the inner palace, where she improbably rose from a fifth-ranked concubine to becoming Empress. Using clever Buddhist rhetoric, grandiose architecture, elegant court rituals, and an insidious network of “cruel officials” to cow her many opponents in court, Wu Zhao inaugurated a new dyn...

Empress Wu: Rise Author: Jeff Hortman, Andrew Knighton Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Peachill Release Date: February 11, 2018 Pages: 206 Source: Publicist in exchange for an honest review Synopsis: In a world of choreographed behavior. A trap of etiquette and standardized rules. In the palace of the most powerful kingdom on Earth. In the midst of this web of constraint and rigid authority, one woman triumphed over centuries of ritual. One Machiavellian courtesan rose above the rules and became the most powerful ruler in the world.       My Review: This novel chronicles Empress Wu’s rise to becoming the queen consort to Emperor Gaozong. As a young girl, Wu meets a fortune teller that says her destiny is to be a king. Even though this seems like an impossible future, Wu still dreams one day of ruling China. Years later, she is given an opportunity to become the concubine to Emperor Taizong. The position of concubine seems to Wu a life of luxury at the pa...

The Empress of Bright Moon Author: Weina Dai Randel Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Release Date: April 5, 2016 Pages: 370 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The time for taking hold of her destiny is now.      At the moment of the Emperor's death, everything changes in the palace. Mei, his former concubine, is free, and Pheasant, the heir and Mei's lover, is proclaimed as the new Emperor, heralding a new era in China. But just when Mei believes she's closer to her dream, Pheasant's chief wife, Lady Wang, powerful and unpredictable, turns against Mei and takes unthinkable measures to stop her. The power struggle that ensues will determine Mei's fate–and that of China.      Surrounded by enemies within the palace that she calls home, Mei continues her journey to the throne in The Empress of Bright Moo n, the second book in Weina Dai Randel's acclaimed duology. Only by fighting back aga...

The Moon in the Palace Author: Weina Dai Randel Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Release Date: March 1, 2016 Pages: 402 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: There is no easy path for a woman aspiring to power.      A concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the Emperor's attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. But young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the Emperor a gift he can never forget.      Mei's intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her an outcast among the other concubines, impress the Emperor. But just as she is in a position to seduce the most powerful man ...

Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers Author: N. Harry Rothschild Genre: History, Nonfiction, Religion Publisher: Columbia University Press Release Date: June 2015 Pages: 384 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Wu Zhao (624--705), better known as Wu Zetian or Empress Wu, is the only woman to have ruled China over the course of its 5,000-year history. How did she rise to power, and why was she never overthrown? Exploring a mystery that has confounded scholars for centuries, this multifaceted history suggests that Wu Zhao drew on China's rich pantheon of female divinities and eminent women to aid in her reign.      Wu Zhao could not obtain political authority through conventional channels, but she could afford to ignore norms and tradition. Deploying language, symbol, and ideology, she harnessed the cultural resonance, maternal force, divine energy, and historical weight of Buddhist devis, Co...

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 ...