China: The Novel
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- Create Date：2021-05-17 12:51:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Edward Rutherfurd
- ISBN：0385682018
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Summary
The internationally bestselling author of Paris and New York takes on an exhilarating new world with his trademark epic style in China: The Novel
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of readers with his grand， sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations。 Now， in China: The Novel， Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom。
The story begins in 1839， at the dawn of the First Opium War， and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day。 Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese， British， and American families， as they negotiate the tides of history。 Along the way， in his signature style， Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society， its ancient traditions and great upheavals， and China's emergence as a rising global power。 As always， we are treated to romance and adventure， heroines and scoundrels， grinding struggle and incredible fortunes。
China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country。 From Shanghai to Nanking to the Great Wall， Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people。
Extraordinarily researched and majestically told， Edward Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world。
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of readers with his grand， sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations。 Now， in China: The Novel， Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom。
The story begins in 1839， at the dawn of the First Opium War， and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day。 Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese， British， and American families， as they negotiate the tides of history。 Along the way， in his signature style， Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society， its ancient traditions and great upheavals， and China's emergence as a rising global power。 As always， we are treated to romance and adventure， heroines and scoundrels， grinding struggle and incredible fortunes。
China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country。 From Shanghai to Nanking to the Great Wall， Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people。
Extraordinarily researched and majestically told， Edward Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world。
Reviews
Sonny gillis
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Sonnygillis@gmail 。comEnjoyed and learned a lot but didn’t LOVE like all other Rutherford books I have read and reread many times。 Each and every one he wrote！ More than once each book。Perhapps I related more to the others。 He is gifted and wonderful。 Like Michener another all time favorite！ Thank you Rutherford！
Mary Ann
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I've been waiting eight years for a new Rutherfurd！ I have the hardcover to take it's place on the shelf with the first eight I've bought since 1987 as well as the Kindle edition so I can put it in my purse。 I've been waiting eight years for a new Rutherfurd！ I have the hardcover to take it's place on the shelf with the first eight I've bought since 1987 as well as the Kindle edition so I can put it in my purse。 。。。more
Becky C
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I was excited to start this book as I've previously read and loved Russka and Sarum。This book starts in 1938 with the Opium Wars and foreign invasions （from Britain and Europe） and ends with the Boxer Rebellion in 1901。I really didn't know much about the Opium Wars or life at the court of the Royal Chinese Emperor before reading this so it was fascinating！ There is so much detail and I really feel I know this period of history so much better having read this book。 It is narrated by a whole host I was excited to start this book as I've previously read and loved Russka and Sarum。This book starts in 1938 with the Opium Wars and foreign invasions （from Britain and Europe） and ends with the Boxer Rebellion in 1901。I really didn't know much about the Opium Wars or life at the court of the Royal Chinese Emperor before reading this so it was fascinating！ There is so much detail and I really feel I know this period of history so much better having read this book。 It is narrated by a whole host of characters: British/American traders， missionaries， poor Chinese peasants， merchants etc。but my favourite part of the story by far was that of Lacquer Nail， the Eunuch。 He worked as the manicurist for the Empress Cixi。 I loved reading about the political intrigue and scandals in the Forbidden City， all told through his eyes。 I loved the way the book moved between the different storylines and characters which were often cleverly interlinked by the author。This book took me a while to read （at 800+ pages） but I would definitely recommend it to lovers of historical fiction。 I am sorry to have finished it and will need to leave it a few days before picking up a new book。 I will definitely be reading more books by this fantastic author。Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this eARC。 。。。more
Lou
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Having enthralled millions of readers with his grand， sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations， Rutherfurd has excelled once again。 Now， in China: The Novel， he takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom。 This seventy-year family saga starts in the nineteenth century， during the reign of Britain’s Queen Victoria。 Through the human stories of British， American and Chinese families， the novel tells the sweeping and dr Having enthralled millions of readers with his grand， sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations， Rutherfurd has excelled once again。 Now， in China: The Novel， he takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom。 This seventy-year family saga starts in the nineteenth century， during the reign of Britain’s Queen Victoria。 Through the human stories of British， American and Chinese families， the novel tells the sweeping and dramatic tale of how the West met the exotic Empire of China and humiliated her。 The history it relates led directly to the tragic events of the twentieth century and the attitude of China towards the rest of the world today。 Nineteenth-Century China was a proud and ancient empire， ruled by the Manchu and forbidden to foreigners。 The West， and Britain in particular， had an unquenchable appetite for Chinese tea， but lacked the silver to buy it。 So western merchant adventurers resorted to smuggling in opium in exchange。 The Chinese Emperor， determined to prevent his people from sinking into addiction， sent the incorruptible Viceroy Lin to Canton， the main hub of the opium trade， to stop it。 The British sent gunboats， and the Opium Wars began - heralding a period of bloody military defeats， reparations， and one-sided treaties which became known in China as the Century of Humiliation。 From Hong Kong to Beijing to the Great Wall， from the exotic wonders of the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City， to squalid village huts， the dramatic struggle rages across the Celestial Kingdom。 This is the story of the Chinese people， high and low， and the Westerners who came to exploit the riches of their ancient land and culture。 We meet a young village wife struggling with the rigid traditions of her people， Manchu empresses and warriors， powerful eunuchs。 There are fanatical Taiping and Boxer Rebels， savvy Chinese pirates， artists， concubines， scoundrels and heroes， well-intentioned missionaries and the rapacious merchants， diplomats and soldiers of the West。 It tells the tale of this mighty clash of world views， of mutual misunderstanding， of fortunes gained， battles fought and love lost， as humanly and honestly as it could be portrayed， as seen from both sides of the divide。 I found myself fascinated， made wiser and often moved， and it's immediately clear that Rutherfurd has carried out extensive research in order to provide the intricate detail filling these pages。 An intriguing， captivating and eminently readable historical epic， China flows like a thriller and shows us the country in days long befallen to the passage of time and is accurate， exciting and richly immersive。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Adu-Film
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SUPER KNJIGA！ POVIJEST KINE DO JAJA
Jenny H
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Another tour de force from Edward Rutherfurd。 Having read some of his earlier books， I was expecting the time-span of this one to be several centuries， especially as it's such a long book。 However， it only covers the nineteenth century and start of the twentieth。 Rutherfurd's research is impeccable and there are some memorable characters: Cecil Whiteparish the missionary， Shi-Rong the warrior turned governor， beautiful but poor Mei-ling and the gloriously-named eunuch Lacquer Nail。 Personally， I Another tour de force from Edward Rutherfurd。 Having read some of his earlier books， I was expecting the time-span of this one to be several centuries， especially as it's such a long book。 However， it only covers the nineteenth century and start of the twentieth。 Rutherfurd's research is impeccable and there are some memorable characters: Cecil Whiteparish the missionary， Shi-Rong the warrior turned governor， beautiful but poor Mei-ling and the gloriously-named eunuch Lacquer Nail。 Personally， I prefer Rutherfurd's earlier books （Sarum， The Forest） because I know the area and can envisage where the stories take place。 A great story， full of intrigue， passion and rivalry， though very violent at times。 。。。more
Kayleigh
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First of all， this book is an absolute BEAST！ Don't expect to read it in one sitting， or even five。 It's huge。 However， it is absolutely fantastic and you'll be sad it's finished！The story covers the Opium Wars up to the Boxer Rebellion， a lot of which I did not know about。 There is an amazing level of detail in the book and ended up learning about a fascinating piece of history。I will certainly be reading Edward Rutherfurd's other books！ First of all， this book is an absolute BEAST！ Don't expect to read it in one sitting， or even five。 It's huge。 However， it is absolutely fantastic and you'll be sad it's finished！The story covers the Opium Wars up to the Boxer Rebellion， a lot of which I did not know about。 There is an amazing level of detail in the book and ended up learning about a fascinating piece of history。I will certainly be reading Edward Rutherfurd's other books！ 。。。more
Dawn
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It was no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed "China"， as "Sarum" （by the same author） is among my favourite books of all time。 Edward Rutherfurd packs his writing full of atmosphere， his characters full of life， and his plots full of that "one more chapter" factor that keeps you reading way past your bedtime and sneaking in a few more pages whenever there is a few minutes to spare。 "China" is truly outstanding。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily It was no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed "China"， as "Sarum" （by the same author） is among my favourite books of all time。 Edward Rutherfurd packs his writing full of atmosphere， his characters full of life， and his plots full of that "one more chapter" factor that keeps you reading way past your bedtime and sneaking in a few more pages whenever there is a few minutes to spare。 "China" is truly outstanding。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Nancy
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Well researched， very readable。 I think I'm not so interested in nineteenth century China and the opium trade。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。 Well researched， very readable。 I think I'm not so interested in nineteenth century China and the opium trade。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Tony Hewett
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Historical fiction， 19th century China， based around interactions with British in trade and wars。 Follows the life stories of several characters whose lives intertwine at some point。 Great for understanding historical details and political background to events。 Average to Good in terms of a fictional story。
Lady Fancifull
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Consummate storytelling in place and timeI have read previous books by Rutherfurd， mainly those set in this country， around smaller locations， but over a much longer period of history – indeed even encompassing pre-history （London） This writer is a wonderful， in many ways， old fashioned teller of story – and I mean this without criticism。 In telling history across millennia with necessarily a huge cast of characters the last thing to do is to overcomplicate with stylistic fol-de-rols， when plot Consummate storytelling in place and timeI have read previous books by Rutherfurd， mainly those set in this country， around smaller locations， but over a much longer period of history – indeed even encompassing pre-history （London） This writer is a wonderful， in many ways， old fashioned teller of story – and I mean this without criticism。 In telling history across millennia with necessarily a huge cast of characters the last thing to do is to overcomplicate with stylistic fol-de-rols， when plot and character and the reality of historical event are complexity enough。In China。 Rutherford is of course working with a huge geographical canvas， but restricts his canvas of time to a short， though complicated period of time – the First Opium War between Britain and China 1839-1842， and continuing， with some little time jumps， until just after the end of The Boxer Rebellion 1899-1901。This period of time allows the examination of events from both the British point of view （another shameful example of greed and colonial arrogance） and conflicting sides within Chinese dynasties。 In China， rather than plethora of characters to engage with， through generations， Rutherfurd focuses on a small group， whose fortunes and family dynamics across the 60 years are followed。 Rather than staying with queens and emperors， for the most part he looks at the lives of little people， though with gradations of influenceJiang Shi-Rong， whom we first meet as a young man， is making his first steps up a civil service ladder， and has been raised correctly and morally， with habits of obedience to traditional Confucian values。 Mei-Ling is the recently， happily married wife of a peasant， too poor to have had her feet bound。 Extraordinarily pretty， had her parents been better off， she would most probably have been mutilated this way， and sold as a concubine to a rich merchant。 Instead， she was a ‘love match’ choice of the Second Son of a higher status peasant。 Mei-Ling has an even poorer younger cousin， who has， in her eyes， the status of ‘Little Brother’ He is a more volatile， rebellious character， and his fortunes will be linked with conflicts and factions。Another character， Guanji， a Manchu， also suffers changes in fortune due to the capture of the then important port of Zhapu by the British， at the end of the First Opium War， as his family are killed， or take their own lives， in the battle to impose the profiteering values of British financial interest on a Chinese empire who declared the Opium Trade illegalThe British interpretation of events， with a British character who also follows where fortunes lie， is given by the aptly named John Trader。A final major character is ‘Lacquer Nail’ whose life will change in a very dramatic way， once again linked to failing family fortunes， and the influence of Britain’s business interests in selling opium。 Lacquer Nail gives insight into life in the Forbidden City， and makes connections with a real historical figure， the Empress Dowager Cixi。Rutherfurd is a wonderful writer for those of us who love to get a sense of history， politics， economics， ideology and the like， but bound up with story， narrative， character。 My， he does this well， and there has been so much to take away and ponder on。 Not least how all of this nineteenth century history with the West imposing addiction on the East， has doubled back upon us。 It also has much to say， on reflection， as China seems set to becomes the twenty-first century superpowerI was delighted to receive this as an ARC from the publishers， via NetGalley。 All I will say is that the formatting as an ARC did not give me the beautiful design graphics and line drawings which I know are scattered within the book。 I assume these will be available on published eBook release， which perhaps can be checked on the ‘look inside’ facility 。。。more
Sally Kanan
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have read several books by Edward Rutherfurd and liked all of them。 This book， like the others， gives you a lesson in history but in fiction form。 This book is a history of China from the Opium Wars up to and including the Boxer Uprising - a period of roughly 70 years。 The author follows several fictitious families， both Chinese and British， throughout this period。 It charts the ever changing relationships between both the people and the governments。 The more I read， the more I was drawn into th have read several books by Edward Rutherfurd and liked all of them。 This book， like the others， gives you a lesson in history but in fiction form。 This book is a history of China from the Opium Wars up to and including the Boxer Uprising - a period of roughly 70 years。 The author follows several fictitious families， both Chinese and British， throughout this period。 It charts the ever changing relationships between both the people and the governments。 The more I read， the more I was drawn into the book。 I had heard about both the Opium Wars and the Boxer Uprisings， but I didn't know Britain's part in these events， or the changes they instigated。 The characters came alive to me - some more than others， I would love a sequel following the same families， but depicting the period from the end of the Boxer Uprising to the present day。This book is not for somebody who likes to dip in and out of a book。 It is a very large book， and needs some concentration。 Personally， the more I read， the more I wanted to read - when I finished it， I had enjoyed it so much， it took a few days before I felt that I could leave this behind and start a new book。 If you enjoy sagas and also enjoy learning about history without being bored with non-fiction books， this is highly recommended。 After a couple of 'chick=lit" books， I intend to re=read the rest of Edward Rutherfurd books。 。。。more
Maggie
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Covering 60 years of Chinese history from the start of the Opium Wars to the Boxer Revolution China is another epic read from this author of London and Sarum etc。As usual there is the cast of characters all so different whose lives we follow， from the Englishman wanting to make his fortune， to the young Chinese girl living in the countryside， the Emperors palace staff including the Eunuchs that work there and the Chinese politicians the good and the corrupt。Certainly entertaining and a history l Covering 60 years of Chinese history from the start of the Opium Wars to the Boxer Revolution China is another epic read from this author of London and Sarum etc。As usual there is the cast of characters all so different whose lives we follow， from the Englishman wanting to make his fortune， to the young Chinese girl living in the countryside， the Emperors palace staff including the Eunuchs that work there and the Chinese politicians the good and the corrupt。Certainly entertaining and a history lesson that is easily absorbed and understood。 James Clavell’s Tai Pan did a wonderful job of describing the Opium Wars and development of Hong Kong but this book goes much deeper in to the strategy on both sides and the politics in play。Wonderfully descriptive particularly of the Palaces and how the Emperor’s ruled such a vast kingdom。We have all manner of insights from foot binding of female children， intrigues at the Emperor’s place， the Eunuchs who work there， missionaries trying to bring Christianity and above all the need to use China’s vast amount of opportunities to make other countries wealthier。Well written and although engrossing at times I did find myself skipping the occasional pages。With such a vast subject and so many changes over the years Mr Ruthefurd did well to contain this to around 800 pages。My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly。 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
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Read if you: Enjoy sweeping epics or you're a Rutherfurd fan。 It's been years since I've read a Rutherfurd book。 I remembered that they were quite detailed and covered a lengthy amount of time。 While the characters as a whole did not entirely stand out， I found the foot binding section quite eye-opening and horrifying。 That was an unforgettable moment in the novel。 Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if previous Rutherfurd books have been popular。 Many thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for a digita Read if you: Enjoy sweeping epics or you're a Rutherfurd fan。 It's been years since I've read a Rutherfurd book。 I remembered that they were quite detailed and covered a lengthy amount of time。 While the characters as a whole did not entirely stand out， I found the foot binding section quite eye-opening and horrifying。 That was an unforgettable moment in the novel。 Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if previous Rutherfurd books have been popular。 Many thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sally Horn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I cannot wait for another Rutherfurd book。 Everything I have read is memorable。
Geoffrey
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（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Up until now， the only Edward Rutherfurd work that I had read so far had been New York several years ago。 So I was quite excited to be able to read his very latest book for my second visit to his popular historical fiction novels。 Now whereas several of Rutherfurd’s historical fiction epics span over hundreds of years and several generations within a particular location， China covers a comparatively smaller period of ti （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Up until now， the only Edward Rutherfurd work that I had read so far had been New York several years ago。 So I was quite excited to be able to read his very latest book for my second visit to his popular historical fiction novels。 Now whereas several of Rutherfurd’s historical fiction epics span over hundreds of years and several generations within a particular location， China covers a comparatively smaller period of time - just a little over sixty years。 This results in a cast that remains fairly stable through the story。 However， this narrower historical scope doesn’t make for a less interesting collection of intersecting plots， because the relatively shorter setting is a mightily turbulent stretch of China’s long history that starts with the First Opium War and ends shortly after the Boxer Rebellion。 Once I was finally fully engrossed， it only took me a few days to sweep through the book’s several hundred pages。 However， although it was overall an enjoyable read， I also won’t hesitate to call it an uneven read as well。 The cast of China is a mix of Han， Hakka， and Manchu men and women from China itself and an array of Europeans and Americans， with a primary focus on the merchant John Trader and the various men and women in his orbit。 The latter’s various tales and plots take up a much larger share of the book than I expected， though to be fair this period of China’s history is marked in particular by the many ways in which the ailing last imperial dynasty was battered and squeezed by various outside nations。 So I shouldn’t have been all that surprised by Rutherfurd’s choice to give his western characters so much attention。 Unfortunately， I frankly found these characters to be not nearly as engaging as their Chinese counterparts， nor their various plotlines nearly as interesting。 When the book’s focus turned to Trader or his compatriots， it felt less like I was reading and more like I was waiting until the narrative returned me to the plot of Guanji the Manchu bannerman， or “Lacquer Nail，” the eunuch。 However， when the storyline finally did as so， it was never that long until I became immersed back into the setting as I absorbed the lives of these men and women。 So overall， Rutherfurd has written a solid new addition for his historical fiction epics。 I am intrigued to see where he decides to go next， and definitely hope that he chooses to do another foray out of Europe and the US。 。。。more
Kate
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I received a temporary digital advanced copy of China by Edward Rutherfurd from NetGalley， Hodder & Stoughton， and the author in exchange for an honest review。Through the perspectives of numerous Chinese and English characters， Edward Rutherfurd's novel spans approximately one hundred years of China's history beginning in the early 1800s。 One should not shy away from this book if they are not familiar with China's history; Rutherfurd ensures the reader understands the complexity each situation t I received a temporary digital advanced copy of China by Edward Rutherfurd from NetGalley， Hodder & Stoughton， and the author in exchange for an honest review。Through the perspectives of numerous Chinese and English characters， Edward Rutherfurd's novel spans approximately one hundred years of China's history beginning in the early 1800s。 One should not shy away from this book if they are not familiar with China's history; Rutherfurd ensures the reader understands the complexity each situation through having an elder character break down the events to a student， or junior member of government， which works extremely well。 Most of Rutherfurd character's and their story lines were interesting。 I found some parts especially slow; however， it does pick up more in the later half of the book。 I would have liked to hear more from the Chinese female perspective， especially Empress Dowager Cixi， as her journey was fascinating。 Overall， well-written and thorough。 。。。more
Laura Hill
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Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 The book will be published on May 11th， 2021。Writing: 5/5 Plot: 5/5 Characters: 5/5A sweeping novel of China from 1839 - 1900， from the Opium Wars through China’s Century of Humiliation to the suppression of the Boxer rebellion。 It’s the story of the conflicts surrounding the forced opening of China to Western trade， customs， and religion。 The story is told through a variety of Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 The book will be published on May 11th， 2021。Writing: 5/5 Plot: 5/5 Characters: 5/5A sweeping novel of China from 1839 - 1900， from the Opium Wars through China’s Century of Humiliation to the suppression of the Boxer rebellion。 It’s the story of the conflicts surrounding the forced opening of China to Western trade， customs， and religion。 The story is told through a variety of characters who span cultures， classes， backgrounds， and professions （including plenty of women characters with different roles， abilities and agendas）。 Multiple generations of characters such as a young English merchant trying to make his fortune （through opium）， an upright Mandarin charged with enforcing the emperor’s ban of opium， a palace eunuch， a peasant girl， a mercenary pirate， a missionary， a Manchu bannerman， the emperor and various concubines and princes， and some craftsmen。 The characters have depth， too。 They reflect on what is happening， how they feel about their own role， and how to achieve their goals while maintaining their values （or how to shift their values to attain their goals）。I love that history itself is the protagonist in this novel， rather than the background setting for individual stories。 Everything is told through the personal stories of the characters — either through participation in the action or through conversations between neighbors， colleagues， and family members。 Even past history is exemplified in ritual and description of the origin of individual morality。 This approach brings to the fore what it was like to live through these times with only direct observations and rumors as sources of information。 And how very different that information was depending on your location， background， profession， culture and connections。 Additionally， there were so many fascinating descriptions of various ways of life — all told in a style that was interesting because someone was learning it （e。g。 a craft） or going through it — so always real and never dry。 This was a long book， and I literally had trouble putting it down。 （As a warning， one of these “fascinating” descriptions was about foot binding， and I skimmed through trying not to read that at all。 Of all the atrocities visited upon humans， this is the one I find most horrific and barbaric （yes， even more than female circumcision which comes in a close second）。 This is my first Rutherfurd and I’m now going back to read more。 Meticulously researched， personal and accurate — a kind of modern day Michener for those old enough to remember classics like Tales of the South Pacific， Hawaii， The Source， or Caravans。 After reading this， I have a far more in-depth understanding about the relationship between China and the West and of life in the 19th century。 。。。more
Ellie
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When I saw that this book， CHINA， by Edward Rutherfurd， was available on Netgalley， I was so excited。 He is one of my top 5 authors！ And this book did not disappoint！ He has written about the most wonderfully developed characters， Trader， Laquer Nail， Empress Dowager Cixi！ in a novel that includes foot binding！， The Opium Wars， The Taiping Rebellion， The Boxer Rebellion， the Forbidden City and so much more of Chinese history， all of it with the beautiful landscape of the country of China in the When I saw that this book， CHINA， by Edward Rutherfurd， was available on Netgalley， I was so excited。 He is one of my top 5 authors！ And this book did not disappoint！ He has written about the most wonderfully developed characters， Trader， Laquer Nail， Empress Dowager Cixi！ in a novel that includes foot binding！， The Opium Wars， The Taiping Rebellion， The Boxer Rebellion， the Forbidden City and so much more of Chinese history， all of it with the beautiful landscape of the country of China in the background。 There is so much in this novel。 I loved reading about Mei-Ling， Shi-Rong and Nio and Guanji。。。that's all I'll say about them since there are no spoilers here。 This is truly a remarkable book by Mr。 Rutherfurd！ and anyone who loves history will adore this book。 He has done extensive research into the history of China and its dynasty's。 It's all there！Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday Publishers for the galley of this amazing book！ 。。。more
Blaine DeSantis
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I anxiously awaited this new novel by one of the best current historical fiction authors， and while it did not disappoint me， it did not quite hit the 5***** book that I had hoped。 When dealing with China， we are talking about a country that has such a long history that Rutherfurd needed to find a memorable period upon which to focus。 Here we begin with the run-up to the two Opium Wars and get as far as the Boxer Rebellion， while in between there is the Taiping Rebellion。 It is an eventful perio I anxiously awaited this new novel by one of the best current historical fiction authors， and while it did not disappoint me， it did not quite hit the 5***** book that I had hoped。 When dealing with China， we are talking about a country that has such a long history that Rutherfurd needed to find a memorable period upon which to focus。 Here we begin with the run-up to the two Opium Wars and get as far as the Boxer Rebellion， while in between there is the Taiping Rebellion。 It is an eventful period and Rutherfurd does a really good job of detailing this historical era。 The history is spot on， and I learned so much about these conflicts which I had heard of but never truly understood。 As with all of his books， China features multiple characters and follows them through these turbulent times。 We have opium traders， British diplomats， Chinese pirates， dowagers， emperors and eunuchs！ Quite a diverse group to follow and on the whole these characters do a wonderful job in both interacting together， as well as being part of these historic times。 Well written and superbly researched， this book does check off many of the boxes that I had expected， yet in many ways it falls flat。 Why would that be？ Well， while I do not like to have books wrapped up in a nice neat package， I do like to finish characters storylines， and too many of these characters are just left hanging。 We are only dealing with a 60 year timeline and there really is no reason not to finish off these stories。 A few do get completed but there are many that are left dangling， and then halfway through the book he introduces a new major character whose story as a eunuch in the Emperors Court dominated the last half of the book and many of the original characters merely seem to disappear。 Call me picky， but I just felt a little bit disappointed after such a long wait since his book Paris。 Very good， not great， and certainly not like Michener who reigns supreme in my ranking of historical fiction authors。 。。。more
Randal White
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I absolutely loved this book！ Covering the period from the Opium Wars through the Boxer Rebellion， the author made me feel like I was there。 A wide variety of richly developed characters allow the reader to experience the events from multiple perspectives。 The author follows history closely， using a mix of actual and fictional people。 Some of the characters you will love， some you will despise， but they all add to the story。 As with all of the author's books， this is a LONG book。 Well over 800 p I absolutely loved this book！ Covering the period from the Opium Wars through the Boxer Rebellion， the author made me feel like I was there。 A wide variety of richly developed characters allow the reader to experience the events from multiple perspectives。 The author follows history closely， using a mix of actual and fictional people。 Some of the characters you will love， some you will despise， but they all add to the story。 As with all of the author's books， this is a LONG book。 Well over 800 pages！ I had a bit of difficulty getting into it at first。 I had recently read "The Opium Lord's Daughter" by Robert Wang， so much of the beginning seemed to be repetitive， but then Wow！ Did the story ever take off！ I lost a lot of sleep， reading into the wee hours because I just could not put this book down！ A great， epic read！ Highly highly recommend！ 。。。more
Brenda Freeman
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I enjoy reading historical fiction about Chinese history， but in this case there were a few characters I just could not get into。 Maybe if it had focused on a few less and expanded the others stories I would have been more engaged。
Mark Easter
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China is the latest in Rutherfurd's series of historical novels， and China fits well within them。 The story is set in the final 80 years or so of dynastic China and follows the western powers contribution to the destruction and exploitation of the empire。 I was repulsed by the inevitable comparison I could not help but make of western "trade" to today's drug cartels。 While China was more than capable of self-destruction， western means of exploitation certainly sped the process and did much damag China is the latest in Rutherfurd's series of historical novels， and China fits well within them。 The story is set in the final 80 years or so of dynastic China and follows the western powers contribution to the destruction and exploitation of the empire。 I was repulsed by the inevitable comparison I could not help but make of western "trade" to today's drug cartels。 While China was more than capable of self-destruction， western means of exploitation certainly sped the process and did much damage some of which impoverishes us to the current day。。 The story is told primarily through the eyes of a British trader， John Trader， whose life and death encompasses the period of the novel， and a member China's royal court that was a close， personal servant of empress Cixi whose life also encompasses the same period。 I found myself unable to get overly attached to any of the characters this time around; however， I feel the book gave me a valued perspective and understanding of the path leading to modern day China and associated problems and attitudes the world must struggle through today。 。。。more
Jan
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Wonderful historical fiction of China from 1839 to 1901， Edward Rutherfurd's book is well researched， and the characters are an interesting mixture of players: from a eunuch in the court of the emperor， to an English opium trader; from a Chinese civil servant to an English missionary， and many more。 The book begins with the Opium War， which consisted of military engagements between England and the Qin Dynasty （often referred to as the Manchurian dynasty。） This was fascinating to me inasmuch as m Wonderful historical fiction of China from 1839 to 1901， Edward Rutherfurd's book is well researched， and the characters are an interesting mixture of players: from a eunuch in the court of the emperor， to an English opium trader; from a Chinese civil servant to an English missionary， and many more。 The book begins with the Opium War， which consisted of military engagements between England and the Qin Dynasty （often referred to as the Manchurian dynasty。） This was fascinating to me inasmuch as my knowledge was limited about it。 The novel depicts the continual humiliation and exploitation of China by Europe and how the Chinese adapted。My favorite part of the novel deals with the interactions between Long Nail and Empress Dowager Cixi。 Long Nail is a eunuch who is betrayed and then redeemed as Cixi's manicurist。I am looking forward to the next novel by Rutherfurd which is set during the 20th Century in China， including the rise of Mao and the Cultural Revolution！ 。。。more
M。M。 Strawberry Library & Reviews
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After having read， and immensely enjoyed many of Rutherfurd's other books， I am absolutely stoked to see what he will do with this novel， as I absolutely love his writing style and am eager to see how he illustrates Asian/Chinese history。BRING IT ON。 After having read， and immensely enjoyed many of Rutherfurd's other books， I am absolutely stoked to see what he will do with this novel， as I absolutely love his writing style and am eager to see how he illustrates Asian/Chinese history。BRING IT ON。 。。。more
Shay Byrne
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I have read all Edward rutherfurd books still waiting for China the book what is holding this book up。james byrne
Jenn
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This author does not disappoint！ Mr。 Rutherford thank you so much for the enjoyment！！！！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=China: The Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=China: The Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,China: The Novel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0