A review by gabmc
China by Edward Rutherfurd

3.0

This is a very well researched historical fiction novel. I have loved previous books by Edward Rutherfurd and really enjoyed this one too. My only criticism is that it was from the points of view of too many Europeans and too few Chinese people. Instead of trying to span such an epic history as China's, the author has selected a more narrow time period from 1839 to 1911. I would love a volume two which encompasses the 2oth and 21st centuries. I was only a little familiar with the Opium wars and the founding of Hong Kong, so I really enjoyed these sections. We meet John Trader, appropriately enough a trader, who started with the East India Company in India and ends up smuggling opium into China. Other characters introduced early on are Mei Ling, a young wife in a poor village, her 'brother' Nio, who ends up becoming a pirate and the missionary Cecil Whiteparish. Many real historical figures are incorporated into the story including Commissioner Lin, Empress Cixi and emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The life of a eunuch within the Forbidden City is explored through the character of 'Lacquer Nail'. I really enjoyed learning about the Taiping Rebellion and the Boxer Rebellion and life in the Forbidden City.