Historical

China: The Novel

China: The Novel

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-06-28 06:51:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Edward Rutherfurd
  • ISBN：0804171033
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Summary

Alternate cover edition can be found here

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。

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Reviews

Valarie Boone ，

For someone who knew very little about China， I found this book engaging and enlightening with interesting characters。 One reviewer mentioned the book was not totally accurate and somewhat whitewashed to the actual events， but if a book sparks an interest in learning more about history then it is all good。 The historical background is a good stepping off point for learning more about this part of the world。

Ann ，

Sometimes a slow and wandering read。 Its an interesting time in history to learn a bit about。

Megan ，

Disappointed in this Rutherford book。 I expected it to be more all encompassing of China’s history。 Although the book was just written I feel like parts of the story were similar to another story I’d already read， but can’t remember what。 I don’t feel like this book is up to par with the authors previous books。 A little to contrived。

Sofie Vandepitte ，

kaleidoscopic in vision， rich in detail， from the mandate of heaven to the bloody battlefield to the tranquil bamboo forest

Kelly ，

A fabulous tour through Chinese history with a British colonial perspective。 Want a fun way to learn about the Opium Wars， Boxer Rebellion， the Forbidden City？ This is your book！ The book is richly researched and esoteric knowledge adeptly woven into an engaging multigenerational story。 Well worth your time。

Sarah ，

Fascinating and informative。 I have very limited knowledge of China's history， so I learned a lot！ Most of the historical fiction I've read has been badly written and researched。 Even though most of the characters are fictional， the events that are happening around them really did take place。 Some of the real life people in the story are embellished but in a way that is well done and believable。 Fascinating and informative。 I have very limited knowledge of China's history， so I learned a lot！ Most of the historical fiction I've read has been badly written and researched。 Even though most of the characters are fictional， the events that are happening around them really did take place。 Some of the real life people in the story are embellished but in a way that is well done and believable。 。。。more

Ewan Morrell ，

A bit of a slog， but fascinating insight into history nonetheless。 Worth keeping going until the end。

Lindsey Downing ，

It was good but not amazing like I expected

Charlie Tran ，

This is the longest book I’ve read to date， and let me just say， wow。It’s really a beautifully told story of an entire nation from so many perspectives that all stand out。 It was really captivating the whole way through， and told So much history in the process。China is a complicated place， and telling the stories of so many diverse characters involved with it even in a short period of time is difficult but — if done well — can explain so much about it。 Rutherfurd is a masterful storyteller and a This is the longest book I’ve read to date， and let me just say， wow。It’s really a beautifully told story of an entire nation from so many perspectives that all stand out。 It was really captivating the whole way through， and told So much history in the process。China is a complicated place， and telling the stories of so many diverse characters involved with it even in a short period of time is difficult but — if done well — can explain so much about it。 Rutherfurd is a masterful storyteller and a better world builder， despite his world already being built for him。 。。。more

Janet Ronsky ，

Well written。 Interesting historical fiction about China in late 1800s。 Fascinating description of culture and everyday life and Opium wars。

Therese ，

$2。99

Sue ，

Couldn't finish Couldn't finish 。。。more

Mrs Jane ，

This was fascinating。 Covering events in China from 1839 to about 1905， it spans the Opium wars and the Boxer rebellion， including the siege of the embassies in Beijing。 Told through various characters， it gives different views of the events。 Absolutely gripping。

Penny Taylor ，

Excellent！ A riveting read of over 750 pages。

Jonathan ，

（more of a 3。5 star book）Phew， that was a marathon！ Over 750 pages， many intertwined story lines， covering pretty much then entire 19th century in China。 One major European （British） story line and several Chinese ones， it avoids having a Euro-centric view of the history， even if some of the British reactions seem a bit out of place and a bit too "woke" for the time。One annoying habit of the book was to skip forward 10 years from one paragraph to another， not even from one chapter to another。 An （more of a 3。5 star book）Phew， that was a marathon！ Over 750 pages， many intertwined story lines， covering pretty much then entire 19th century in China。 One major European （British） story line and several Chinese ones， it avoids having a Euro-centric view of the history， even if some of the British reactions seem a bit out of place and a bit too "woke" for the time。One annoying habit of the book was to skip forward 10 years from one paragraph to another， not even from one chapter to another。 And you never knew when it was going to happen。 Sometimes， it just seemed like he couldn't figure out how to get out of a spot， so he just jumped forward in time。 And skipped across to other characters and expected us to remember them， even if they hadn't been mentioned in 100 pages。 I found it hard to get settled back in after these big jumps。 I guess it is good at least he didn't jump backwards as well。 It always moved forward。I also thought the ending was a bit scattershot， as he couldn't figure out how or whether to tie the characters all together。 There were some connections made but not all of them。 The Battle of Peking in 1900 wrapped the book up in a pretty exciting fashion， though。 But it was just too much in the end - too many stories， like he needed to fill out a page count。 I don't think they were all needed。 。。。more

Lynn's ，

The best $20 I ever spent at Books A Million！ I have waited so long for the release of this book since I learned China was in the works。 And boy can I say， I was not disappointed！ The setting， characters and customs transported you to a different world。 Very immersive！ Unlike Rutherfurd’s other novels that span many years and generations， China keeps the timeframe to 70 years。 While this was different， it really helped me grasp the complex culture this book dived into。 From life in a village to The best $20 I ever spent at Books A Million！ I have waited so long for the release of this book since I learned China was in the works。 And boy can I say， I was not disappointed！ The setting， characters and customs transported you to a different world。 Very immersive！ Unlike Rutherfurd’s other novels that span many years and generations， China keeps the timeframe to 70 years。 While this was different， it really helped me grasp the complex culture this book dived into。 From life in a village to life in the palace， merchants peddling the opium trade to missionaries spreading the Gospel， there was so much to consider。 I really enjoyed spending a lot of time with these characters and how they dealt with the advancing culture and government issues of their day。 I’m not an expert on Chinese history， but this book taught me a lot about the lives of the Chinese people in this small window of history。 So， while the book may not have covered a lot of time/years， it sure covered a lot of information！ A few years ago， I read “Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China” by Jung Chang。 I loved that biography。 So you could imagine my delight when one of the eunuchs in this book ended up serving Cixi。 The intrigue， luxury and complexities of palace life were my favorite。 Through this book， I feel like I’ve been there in person walking the halls。 Conclusion: This book was riveting。 Whether I was reading in the quiet of my back porch or in a noisy living room with the tv blaring， after one page， I was immersed in this mystical land。 It takes a special book to do that for me。 And when you consider this one is 750+ pages， you get the picture！ I highly recommend China！ 。。。more

Marilyn ，

It might be excellent to someone but I got bored listening to it。

Nada ，

For its length， China by Edward Rutherfurd covers Chinese history only from the First Opium Wars to the beginning of Mao's Cultural Revolution。 A significant portion of the book is the perspective of the British and Americans who find themselves in China at this time rather the Chinese perspective which is unfortunate。 I still enjoy the book and learn a lot。 It is just not quite what I expected。 Read my complete review at http://www。memoriesfrombooks。com/2022。。。 Reviewed for NetGalley。 For its length， China by Edward Rutherfurd covers Chinese history only from the First Opium Wars to the beginning of Mao's Cultural Revolution。 A significant portion of the book is the perspective of the British and Americans who find themselves in China at this time rather the Chinese perspective which is unfortunate。 I still enjoy the book and learn a lot。 It is just not quite what I expected。 Read my complete review at http://www。memoriesfrombooks。com/2022。。。 Reviewed for NetGalley。 。。。more

Karrie ，

Couldn't get into this one。 Couldn't get into this one。 。。。more

Vincent OBrien ，

Just OK， not quite up to Michener standard。

Denise ，

Missionaries， opium， eunuchs， lotus feet， corrupt Mandarins， Boxers， Taiping， Empress Dowager Cixi， intrigue and a whole lot of nasty British imperialism in 19th century China。 LOVED EVERY PAGE OF IT。

Al K ，

Was originally concerned with the length of the book and that it might drag on。 This was not the case， the story flowed well and it was masterfully historical。

Al ，

Unfortunately， this book started with 5 stars and ended with 3。 There are two key problems with this book。 One is my problem to deal with， the other is the authors。First， I was given this book as a gift from someone who knows I love reading and I love studying all things China。 Perfect！ Moreover， the scope of this book immediately struck me as the book I always hoped Ken Follett might write。 Therefore， the problem I have is that this book was not written by Ken Follett。 So why is this a problem？ Unfortunately， this book started with 5 stars and ended with 3。 There are two key problems with this book。 One is my problem to deal with， the other is the authors。First， I was given this book as a gift from someone who knows I love reading and I love studying all things China。 Perfect！ Moreover， the scope of this book immediately struck me as the book I always hoped Ken Follett might write。 Therefore， the problem I have is that this book was not written by Ken Follett。 So why is this a problem？ Mainly because Rutherford writes a book that covers nearly a century which clearly should have either been a trilogy， or more limited in scope。 He skips decades in ways which create huge gaps in potential character progression thereby limiting my care in many of them。 At the same time he introduces too many characters to properly track。 Essentially， the book needed to have more pages， or less content。 The middle ground taken weakens the novel。 Finally， I have slight reservations about the portrayal of many Chinese cultural aspects。 To be clear， I am not Chinese。 However， I have studied China to a large enough state that I feel qualified to criticise Rutherford’s accurate but nonetheless orientalised vision of China。 Nothing he says which I already knew is wrong per se， such as the Chinese characters’ many expressions of culture and history。 However， he puts a level of focus on this which is almost reductive to the extent of one-dimensional。 I do not doubt the levels of research he put into this book， nor am I one to believe that one’s identity should limit artistic expression by denying the author an ability to characterise those outside of their innate demographic （in fact I think the contemporary push to label such things as cultural appropriation is one of the dumbest most close minded aspects of modern western culture， but I digress）。 Nonetheless， I just felt his representation of China at times was a bit bland， if naive。 Otherwise， I really did enjoy the book， it just didn’t deliver on my （probably unfair） expectations。 I most likely wouldn’t recommend this to anyone。 。。。more

Glenn Abelson ，

Interesting， but slow。 Good history around the story。

Hillary ，

3。5 stars， rounded upWhew！ That was a LONG book。 I used to love reading Edward Rutherfurd， back in the day。 Historical fiction is my favorite genre。 There's nothing better， in my view， than traveling back in time and/or visiting a different place to experience something that teaches me and entertains me at the same time。This is a fairly recent book by Rutherfurd， so I was certain I hadn't already read it。 （It's not easy to tell; most of his books， for me， are entertaining and informative， but no 3。5 stars， rounded upWhew！ That was a LONG book。 I used to love reading Edward Rutherfurd， back in the day。 Historical fiction is my favorite genre。 There's nothing better， in my view， than traveling back in time and/or visiting a different place to experience something that teaches me and entertains me at the same time。This is a fairly recent book by Rutherfurd， so I was certain I hadn't already read it。 （It's not easy to tell; most of his books， for me， are entertaining and informative， but not necessarily memorable。） What I liked:The cultural information mixed in with the plot: tea ceremony， Confucian thought， foot binding， art， literature， crafts， eunuchs， etc。 I already knew some of this， but all of it was interesting。 It's explained clearly and thoroughly。That said， the structure of the book was unclear to me。 The first third is all about English businessmen/colonizers。 Large chunks take place in India， Macao， England and Scotland。 Why， if the title is China: The Novel？ In fact， there were many parts that felt like red herrings。 Why do we have to know about Trader's childhood？ Does it presage some important plot point？ No。 This happened again and again。 There were events， small and large， described in great detail， that led to nothing。Then， the middle section switches all of a sudden to first-person voice， and we have Lacquer Nail's full life story。 Do we need all this？ （But at least he's Chinese。） Does it advance the plot？ While I find him an interesting character， is he the central one？There's a large section on ShiRong， then he disappears for quite a while， and then he returns。 Lots of detail about his home， his life， his son and grandson。。。and a tie-in with Mei-Ling。 But how does this compare with the politics and palace intrigue？ Now， I found much of these sections interesting， but I still couldn't figure out these characters' function in the plot。Overall， I think the book could have been split into smaller books， made into a series。 With different titles， but under the same banner。Finally， the descriptions of warfare and battles were much less interesting to me。So， it had its pluses and minuses。 At some points， reading it felt like a slog。 At other points， I sat for hours。 I believe Rutherfurd did an enormous amount of research。 I appreciate his clarity and descriptive powers。 I'm just still wondering about what his overall goals were in the context of this book。 。。。more

James Boling ，

He is an amazing storyteller。

Dennis ，

Edward Rutherfurd， with his incredible talent to bring history to life using both real and fictitious characters， turns his sights on China 1830-1900， covering the opium trade and the emergence of missionaries。 Fascinating reading。

Vicki ，

Good so far。

Kay Hawkins ，

Disappointed with the book。 Not like Rutherford’s other books where he starts at the beginning and follows a family to the modern era。 This is historical fiction about the opium wars。 While he has done his research on the events it does not seem he did any on the people and culture。 This was a let down compared to many of his other books。 Want to read a good historical fiction on this subject read James Clavell’s Taipan。

David Margetts ，

Another excellent offering from Edward Rutherfurd， in his incredible series of historical novels。 This one charts 19th century China， as it opens up to trade and diplomacy with the West。 It depicts an honourable nation closed off from the world for many years， struggling with the advancing and more modernised economies and military of Britain， France， Netherlands， Russia and America。 Against this it falls prey to smuggling and piracy， gun boat diplomacy， colonialism， and missionaries imposing th Another excellent offering from Edward Rutherfurd， in his incredible series of historical novels。 This one charts 19th century China， as it opens up to trade and diplomacy with the West。 It depicts an honourable nation closed off from the world for many years， struggling with the advancing and more modernised economies and military of Britain， France， Netherlands， Russia and America。 Against this it falls prey to smuggling and piracy， gun boat diplomacy， colonialism， and missionaries imposing their religion。 Whilst the situation in China at the time cannot be considered perfect， with ongoing rebellions， tribalism， discrimination， high levels of inequality， weak leadership and endemic corruption， it is the shameful treatment of the country and it's people by its colonial oppressors which is most shocking， not least the imposition of the opium trade， facilitated by a one sided opium war， which made Britain and many individuals in the West very rich， akin to slavery， and many in China wretched。 Indeed the British primarily， were not much better than the current drug lords of Colombia or Mexico， or the drug mafias and gangs that ruin so many lives in the 21st century。 Rutherfurd skilfully weaves his excellent characters， and descriptive writing on geography and culture， into well researched historical fact， including the burning of the Summer Palace by General Gordon and his leadership of the Chinese armies against the Taipings。 My only criticism of the book， is that unlike his other wonderful novels， the plot is restricted to approx 60 years and one generation during the mid to late 19th century （1839-1900）。 I was expecting and hoping for a more wide ranging novel covering the ancient Chinese civilisations， and the incredible rollercoaster of the 20th century， involving Japan， the revolution， Taiwan， Mao's cultural revolutions and the economic transformation at the end of the century。 But maybe China and it's history is just too big for one novel。。。。。a sequel would be very well received， 1900 - 2000。。。。that would be a tale to tell！！！ 。。。more

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