A review by woodiefrog
My Life as Emperor by Su Tong, Howard Goldblatt

3.75

A bit repetitive during the middle, and some plot too melodramatic and without any buffer of logic to my taste (like
the death of the troupe including Yan and little girl; who would travel willynelly to enemy-occupied capital
not thinking it’s going to lead to disaster? Kinda too plot-devicy). Also I see the trend with Su Tong’s writing. Female characters/innocent appear, don’t expect them to even die well lol Could tune down the cruelty and violence and still make it work. So is it a bit like the “dark fantasy masquerading as ‘historically accurate’ but for dark’s sake in truth” criticism. 
Beautiful words, bizarre setting, historical feel without actual context.
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