Empress Orchid by Anchee Min

The prequel to The Last Empress by the same author, the novel begins from the humble life of the famous Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, aka Orchid and how she entered the palace to her historical fame in China's monarchy.

I have definitely sung praises for The Last Empress, which ironically was the book I read before this prequel and I have to say, Anchee Min did not disappoint in this book either.
It was amazing the imagination of the author as she saw the world of palace life through the young eyes of an ordinary girl like you and me.

Despite the general perception of how manipulative or conniving the empress was in her early days to gain power and the favor of the emperor in the kingdom, in this book, the empress was portrayed as a young girl who yearned to be loved and to learn about love and survival in a world filled with deception and secrets.

When Orchid first entered the palace, she never imagined that she would have to resort to tactics to ensure her survival in the palace. Being the naive girl she was, she thought that her entry into palace as one of the consort contestants would save her family from the poverty state they are in but she ended up yearning to gain attention from the most desirable man in the palace; the Emperor himself.

It was not her intention to gain power and status when she first entered, but succumbing to a daily boring routine of a life made her changed her mind and she soon wondered about being loved by a man; and none other but the ruler of the country himself.
Feeling the misery of loneliness, Orchid soon realized that she had to resort to ways others had been practising before her to gain entry to the Emperor's chamber before his heart.

It was an interesting journey as Anchee Min dived into the deepest desires and fears of a young girl of 17 based on the basic instincts of a human being.
When Orchid found her way to the chamber of the Emperor, she found that the Emperor too, had paved his presence in her heart. Her efforts had not been wasted; as she gained the love of the Emperor who started to spend time with her alone as she was not only there to satisfy his manly desires but also one whom he could confide in.

Orchid slowly started to secretly help the Emperor in his government of the country, paving her path as one of the most historical women in one of the strongest Chinese dynasties.

I have always felt that Anchee Min 'breathed' life into the famous Empress; bringing her from her high rank above down to our level, that the Empress herself was once a young girl from a simple background and that she had thoughts just like any curious young girl would have had.
It is amazing and I must say that the story had a 'soul', as Empress Orchid is portrayed as truly, an ordinary woman and not all the scheming or evil person that most fiction/history books portrayed her to be and that she too, had her own reasons in everything that she did.

It is a tale of reality, and not just about history and I highly recommend this for a read. It may be a historical fiction, but who knows? Empress Orchid was indeed someone like us before she ascended to power; only that she had to find a way to survive amidst the dark settings in the palace where everyone is fighting for survival.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

ISBN: 978-0-7475-9489-5
Year Published: 2003

Excerpt of the story from the back of the book:
1970s Afghanistan: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

Storyline:
This is a simple yet engaging story about the friendship of two boys and the perspective of a young boy who had to struggle with his own pride and guilt for his loyal friend. The story is set in the country of Afghanistan and touches the topics of political struggles and religious perspectives.

Amir and Hassan grew up together, and bonded like brothers since young. At a glance they may seem like they are similar to each other, but they are very different in their social background as Amir hails from a wealthy Pashtun family (considered as a higher class of people in Afghanistan) while Hassan is the son of the servant in Amir's home and a Hazara (a lower class group in the country due to their origin and are often slaves or servants to the upper class Pashtuns).

The story was divided into two parts; the childhood in 1970s and their adulthood in different countries.
The friendship between the two boys was the moving part in the whole story; where readers could feel the sincerity and genuity of Hassan's loyalty towards Amir who was a little doubtful and ashamed of being seen as close to his servant boy.
Amir was not exactly mean, but the author portrayed him as a boy struggling to find his own identity; thus having doubts and mixed feelings were a norm for growing boys.
At the same time, Amir had to fight for the affections of his own father, whom he fondly referred to as Baba, who seemed to prefer Hassan over him sometimes.

Amir was more inclined towards journalism and possess a rather gentle side and he knew that he would not be approved by his father who seemed to think that a man should grow up to be a man; to be brave and daring in their life. His only bet was on his hobby; kite-fighting and he aimed to win the kite-fighting tournament to impress his father and win his affections. He had the help and support from his best friend, Hassan and with God's will, he won the tournament.
The joyful Amir then sent Hassan to collect his kite but when Hassan was not back after a while, he went in search for Hassan and he witnessed an incident which changed their lives forever. (It will be a spoiler if I share it here, so I'd recommend reading the book:)

The story continues where the boys start to drift apart; particularly Amir, who, due to the suffering of his own guilt, shied away from Hassan and one day, Hassan and his father, Ali, decided to take leave, leaving his Baba in a devastated state.

The story then shifts to the Russian invasion and how Amir and his Baba fled the country to America where Amir studied and established his career. However, there is always the incident which affected him and he knew that Afghanistan will always be his home. When Amir met up with an old family friend one day, he discovered a shocking truth which forced him to make a decision to redeem himself from his long-lasting guilt from the incident which happened during his childhood.

My opinion:
It was a brilliant story, and a most captivating one as the author plays with the simple entanglement of two boys' friendship and turned it into an authentic piece of story. One would feel for Amir; as the main protagonist struggled to redeem himself and in the meantime, search for his own identity away from pleasing his father.
The story of betrayal, friendship, guilt, and pride all rolled into one and using the unique background of Afghanistan, it is a promising read.
I won't reveal too much here but I highly recommend this book not just for the story, but for the understanding of the social background of the land of Afghanistan.

A recommended read, I must say.
I enjoyed reading this book, and I finished the book during my flight!