Wow! Had to Share this Review!

Julianne of Yorkshire, U.K. chose The Green Phoenix for her Goodreads Group's ("For Love of a Book" Group) World Libraries Challenge 2019. 

I had to share her lovely review:

"The story of Bumbutai, a Mongolian princess who became the revered Grand Dowager Empress Xiaozhuang, unfolds against the backdrop of the fall of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the Manchu Qing.

I can't say enough about how much I loved this book. The story telling vividly brought the characters and political machinations to life.

Reading this sent me on a journey back in time and through a huge emotional range, from curiosity to anger to love to laughter.

I honestly can't think of the last time I loved a book so much.

I read this because of the For The Love Of A Book groups World Libraries Challenge for 2019, one of the challenges was to read a Book with a MPG of Historical Fiction set in China or Japan. After hours of browsing Goodreads I found The Green Phoenix and I was so glad I did."

Link to the Goodreads review.

Kristen McQuinn's Review of The Green Phoenix Made My Heart Throb!

I was not prepared for this absolutely glowing review by the seasoned reviewer Kristen McQuinn, who writes for the esteemed book review site Discovering Diamonds and Historical Novel Society.

5 of 5 stars to The Green Phoenix by Alice Poon https://t.co/o89VMKSaet

— 𝕶𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓𝕸𝖈𝕼𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖓 (@KristenMcquinn) February 20, 2019

Beijing Expatriates Picked The Green Phoenix To Read!

I was googling The Green Phoenix and stumbled on a post announcing that the Beijing Book Reading Group of InterNations (an expatriate organization) has selected The Green Phoenix for their September Group Read. They will start the discussion on September 9, 2018! Those who have registered to join the reading and discussion come from six different countries.

The Los Angeles Review of Books China Channel's Review of The Green Phoenix

What can be more rewarding than to read a historian’s well-written and commending review of your new historical novel, and on an influential scholarly platform such as the Los Angeles Review of Books China Channel? It just makes my years of hard work seem all worth it.

Link to the full review

Here are some quotes from the review:-

“Where the novel really shines is in the level of historical detail. Poon gives sumptuous descriptions of dress and hairstyles. Lavish dinners and quick snacks are laid before the reader in such a way as to inspire hunger pangs. The early years of Bumbutai’s life, both at home in the Mongolian Steppe and in Hung Taiji’s palace in what is today Shenyang, particularly come to life with a vivid array of colors, textures, and sensations.”

“The style of the work owes a debt to the famous wuxia novels of Louis Cha (aka Jin Yong). Some passages are lush to the point of being florid, but Alice Poon’s novel is, at heart a, romance of two kingdoms. She breathes fresh life into characters who do not often find their way into English-language fiction, and does an excellent job of bringing to the page the story of a woman who was the foundation upon which an empire that lasted over 268 years was built.”

“One of the joys of studying this period in history is that every name sounds like it was taken from Game of Thrones.”

Thank you so much, Jeremiah!

Historical Novel Society's Review of The Green Phoenix

A fantastic review by Viviane Crystal, Historical Novel Society:~

Link to the full review

Many thanks to HNS and Viviane!

"The loveliness of this novel, however, lies in the characters’ appreciation for beauty in nature, paintings, calligraphy, historical tales and legends, nature and spontaneously shared poetry that never fails to engage the reader. The history is well-researched and accurate, including the advice the Empress and her son receive from the German Jesuit and astrologer, Johann Adam Schall von Bell. The wisdom of Confucian and Chinese teachings ultimately leads the Empress to enable her country to evolve into modernity. The Green Phoenix is delightful historical fiction and a wonderful tribute to a noteworthy Chinese empress!"

Bookish Asia's Review of "The Green Phoenix"

I can’t imagine a better way to start the day than reading a heart-warming review of my book first thing in the morning. And the review is one from the renowned book review site Bookish Asia!

Link to the Full Review

Author Alice Poon obviously loves her characters and Chinese history. She treats the historical story with great but not slavish respect, striking a reasonable balance between accuracy and narrative punch.

The Green Phoenix is a moving account of a great woman’s life, one which will appeal to fans of epic family sagas and Chinese dynastic history. There are the familiar pleasures of forbidden desire, royal splendor, court intrigue, and epic battles amid turbulent times, but here with the fresh focus on a less-familiar protagonist.

Alice Poon says an early source of inspiration was Pearl S. Buck’s Imperial Woman about Cixi, the Qing’s last Empress. I think the Empress Xiaozhuang story is every bit as compelling.

 

Thank you, thank you, Bookish Asia!