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!

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

Synopsis from book:
What does it mean to be a good mother?
How far would you go in the name of love - and justice?

In the course of her everyday work, career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters and works determinedly to ensure that a legal system with too many loopholes keeps these criminals behind bars. But when her own five-year old son, Nathaniel, is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nina and her husband Caleb, a quiet and methodical stone mason, are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness in the face of a futice justice system that Nina knows all too well. In a heartbeat, Nina's absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down, and she hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son - no matter the consequence, whatever the sacrifice.

My version of synopsis (Warning: may contain spoilers)
Nina Frost was a district attorney who was strong-willed and confident as she strives to put her criminals in child sexual abuse cases behind the bars. She was so intent on doing her job well that she thought she was doing the right thing for all the parents and their child victim.
Her job was taking most of her time away from home, away from her husband and their five-year old son, Nathaniel but she perceived herself doing the right thing.

When Nathaniel loses his speech ability, Nina and her husband, Caleb were worried and a visit to the psychiatrist hinted at a possibility of sexual assault. The MD soon confirmed it from his anal examination and it was then that the truth hit Nina; her son had been anally raped and nobody knew the culprit except Nathaniel himsel but he was not speaking.

Nina, following their psychiatrist's recommendations soon resorted to sign language to communicate with Nathaniel but refused to believe that her husband's accusations were true; that she was intent to use the sign language to find out the culprit.
Then Nathaniel makes some surprising progress when he signed the symbol of father in the psychiatrist's office which led everyone to believe that Nathaniel's father, Caleb was the main suspect in the case. Nina, enraged and yet confused with the sudden revelation, resorted to shutting her husband out of their lives and requested for a restraining order so that her own son would not have to go to court. She had been seeing this too many times, and she could not put her own son through the repeated times of appearing in court and traumatizing him further.

However, Nathaniel soon revealed that Caleb was not the culprit but rather, an astonishing suspect; who was the local Catholic parish priest, Father Syzsynzki. This shocking revelation tore Nina's world apart as she feared her knowledge of the legal system and the consequences it would have on her son.

On the day of the hearing, she walked straight into the courtroom and shot the priest in his seat four times in his head. She was initially relieved with her actions although she was being shunned by her own husband, and her son, Nathaniel just wants her back at home. Her best friend, Patrick had to distance himself due to his awkward position and all of a sudden, she was not sure whether what she did was right or wrong anymore.

To make matters worse, the DNA report returned and revealed surprising results which turned Nina's world upside down when she realized she had made a mistake. She had killed an innocent man, and all of a sudden, her plan to plea for an acquittal based on insanity seemed no longer important as she regretted her dreadful actions.
The hearing continues on the case as all the characters in the story reflected on their own lives and what is important to each and everyone of them.

(Not revealing the ending of the story, it is too good and you will need to read it for yourself).

My opinion:
Another gripping novel which explored a taboo and unspeakable subject of trusted and respected priests who could lurk as predators behind the curtains of the majestic church. Ironically, Jodi Picoult claimed that she wrote this story before the news of the priests involved in sexual abuse surfaced.
It was a page-turner, this one, like most of Picoult's novels, and it was just so disturbing to read that a friendly and noble guy like a priest could be capable of such a despicable act. Then again, it also explored the notion that priests were just as human as all of us and that they are not invincible to sins and crimes.
It touched my heart to read about the perspectives from most of the characters; particularly Nina and the child victim, Nathaniel. A very good and engaging read.

What I liked
How the author narrated from the main characters; Nina on her views on the right act to protect her child and her regret over her actions and also Nathaniel, the five year old victim and how he perceived the whole sexual abuse case on himself.

What I disliked
Caleb; the character who was also deemed very important and imminent in the story but somehow, Patrick Ducharme, the detective and best friend of Nina got most of the limelight instead. It would be interesting to have heard his point of view in the whole case once in a while; as he was not just another devastated parent but he was also a distraught husband. I did like how he was finally mentioned towards the end; and his sentiments towards the hearing and torment on his child.

If I were the author, I would shine the torch a little on the perpetrator and to see from his sick eyes on how he committed the action. I don't mean explicit details or anything like that, but it could be written from his eyes and how he preyed on an unsuspecting child to lead him into his trap. Just a short excerpt in the story would do the trick.

My Verdict/Conclusion
Excellent read, highly recommended! Not for extremists in religion, nor the weak-hearted if you cannot be open-minded enough to accept the idea of a priest committing a crime.

Rating:
8.5 out of 10

Shadow of Ashland by Terence M Green

A story which started from the death of the narrator's mother; to whom he was close to.
His dying mother's wish was to locate her long separated mother and thus, Leo Nolan embarks on a mysterious journey back to Ashland based on the letters he starts to receive from his long lost uncle recently while the letters were posted back then in 1934.

He started on his journey by driving back to the last place his uncle wrote about in his letters, and stayed in the same hotel where he met the same people his uncle talked about.
In his quest to find out the truth about his uncle, he was thrown into an imaginary world based on the letters, his uncle's description, and the story as told by the owners of the inn whom his uncle was close to.
As he starts to uncover the story behind his uncle's disappearance, he plunged into a little romance with the local waitress at the Woolworth's he frequent for meals.

It started off with a sad note, and the writer captured my interest by the intrigue he has built.
However, as the story moves deeper when Leo, the protagonist is in Ashland, that was where the climax starts to die and I felt that the story had gone into a weird route; where you seem to feel out of the flow.

It did explains things though; but I guess it started off with too much of a high note which could lead to a low-key ending which was supposed to be simple and explanatory; but it was not meeting my expectation :(

Overall, the little book made it easy to carry in my bag whenever I need a book to read.

Troublemaker & other Saints by Christina Chiu

The debut novel by Christina Chiu; and it is a intertwining story of three families, all Chinese immigrants and prominent figures in the society.
Hailing from Hong Kong and China, the stories were told from the different perspectives of the people involved and how they deal with the negative reactions from the conservative teachings in their own family, peers and the society.
Christina also spins the tale creatively to differentiate the generation gap in the behavior and minds of both the young and the old and creates a thought provoking tale as we wander into each of their minds.

The collection of tales are told from each individual perspective and how they perceive the situation they are facing. It gets complicated as you traverse from one chapter to the next, but they are all linked as the character recalls the character who appeared in the previous chapters.
Of course, since we are dealing with three different families here, it gets a little more complicated than that.

At the same time, the interesting part of this novel is how cleverly Christina inserts the issues of concern into the tale and spins it in a way to show how it is seen by different people in the society.
In Nobody, it is a story of how a girl feels deprived of attention and constantly feels like her existence is of no importance to anyone at all in her life and school. Dealing with a demanding father and her own grief over the loss of her own grandmother whom she is close to, she is constantly on the verge of suicide and depression. She found company in her neighbor whom also made her feel insufficient when she was not stood up for in times of humiliation.
The same girl moved on to be a third character in another story as we see from this young Chinese doctor who married a black man as her husband and was considered an outcast by her own parents.
The mention of her own husband silences the whole family faster than you can spell 'apple'.
At the same time, she is the doctor overlooking an anorexic girl whose heart is failing and she has to deal with the conservative parents of the patient who refused to agree to tubes and machine aid to maintain their daughter's life.

Another story tells of how a mother deals with her daughter's bisexuality and there is another, how the mother deals with her son's homosexuality.
Christina also explores into the stories of property tussle within siblings, sexual relationships, eagerness to please, and stealing/abuse, etc, all part of the common issues plagueing our society these days.

It was interestingly told and yet, it appears confusing at times.
I must say, I was impressed by the simplicity and yet complication which arises along the storylines.
You must have a pretty good memory to put those jigsaw puzzles together; and the overused four-letter word in the story may prove entertaining to some, or not.

A recommended read for Amy Tan's fans as well, as this is another perspective into the Chinese immigrants in the United States.

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

“LuLing Young is getting old and – while she still can – she begins to write down her memories of life as a girl in 1930s China.
One day, while tending to her ailing mother, LuLing’s daughter Ruth uncovers this extraordinary memoir of a childhood spent in the remote mountain village known as Immortal Heart. In this ancient world, steeped in magic and superstition, lie the deep secrets of LuLing’s heart and the tragic events that changed the path of her life. As Ruth’s understanding grows, mother and daughter discover together that what they share in their bones through history and heredity is priceless beyond measure”

I do not have to start with those commentaries by the big names from the press or the journalism world on Amy Tan as a wonderful writer.
This story again, touches on a poignant tale between an Asian mother and daughter who obviously didn’t see eye to eye with each other.
Ruth was an Asian American who is co-habituating with a divorced American man with two daughters from his previous marriage. Her relationship with the man in her life was in chaos and at the same time, she had to deal with her mother’s constant intervention in her life. She never did get along with the mother she saw as ‘know-it-all’ and constantly at her neck. When her mother was diagnosed with dementia, she starts to spend time with her mother and see the happenings through her mother’s eyes. She read LuLing’s diary, and all of a sudden, things start to fall into place as she sees the real reason behind her mother’s puzzling behavior all the years and how she never really knew her mother.
A touching and emotional journey through her own roots in her family history; tracing back to her mother’s childhood and the grandmother she always thought was someone else. She starts to see her mother in a different light; and joins the mother-daughter relationship bonded through their blood connection.
As mother starts to fail in her memory due to the age and health, she starts to realize her true role of being a daughter and granddaughter and at the same time, explore her own relationship with her own family.

It is a wonderful read; one of the best piece by Amy so far which was deviated from the usual mother-daughter relationship stories. She explored deeper into the history of the family and traced her character to their roots; which touched the hearts of her readers as we start to follow in the emotional path of the characters.
I enjoyed every page of this book; and couldn’t stop putting it down when it came to the diary part.
I would put it on the shelf to re-read and read again and again; it made me feel so warm and lovely and how lucky I am to have a loving mother and to love my own mother. I feel thankful that I’ve always taken an interest in my mother’s life story and it made me more keen to know even more, to make sure I don’t miss a single moment in my mummy’s life.

An insight to the true meaning of family relationship and appreciating your bloodline.
I would highly recommend to all mother and daughters; whether you think your relationship is already great or you felt like you never did understand each other.