La vida secreta de Joya de Oriente

by Maureen Lindley

Prostituta y espía, Joya de Oriente es un personaje extraordinario por su espíritu indomable y por su vida de aventurera. En la China y el Japón de la primera mitad del siglo XX, esta novela extraordinaria sigue los pasos de la princesa que se negó a aceptar un matrimonio concertado, y que decidió entregarse sin límites al placer, mientras buscaba sin éxito el amor. Basada en la vida real de un personaje histórico, su trama infatigable nos convierte en espectadores de las intrigas políticas y los secretos de alcoba de un mundo fascinante.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, China, Asia, Historical, Japan, Asian Literature

415 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2008

About the author

Maureen Lindley was born in Berkshire and grew up in Scotland. She was trained as a psychotherapist and also worked as a photographer, antique dealer and a dress designer before writing her first book, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel. Maureen lives in the Wye valley on the Welsh borders with her husband.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh - I had so much trouble getting through this book. I made it about halfway through my advanced copy. The descriptions are beautifully done and the book is well-written. However, the character is just simply unlikeable. At first I had sympathy for her but it became painful to read. Every few pages contains a graphic sex scene, most of which involved rough, aggressive sex bordering on BDSM. This is not something I'd choose to read (to each his/her own, no judgement, but not my thing)...but I felt I had to keep reading to fulfill my agreement to review the advanced copy for Amazon. I was incredibly disappointed - it could have been taken in a different direction and the author obviously has writing talent.

Also, I felt that this book, so scandalously written by a British author with no connection to Asian culture, smacked a bit of Orientalism. I think the whole topic could have been more sensitively handled by someone with more familiarity with Asian cultures. I'm not Asian but I've been reading a lot of literature about Chinese and Japanese peoples for a long time and this didn't feel "real" to me - It felt like someone's fantasies.

[MAP · Rating 1 out of 5]

I spent most of this book just wanting it to be over so I could read the next one.

This book is given one star, not because it's the monstrosity seen in some of my other one star reviews, but because of the incredible disappointment it is, and because the author very clearly states in her forward what she wanted from this book, and because she failed so utterly at it.

Lindley says in her forward that she came across the story of Eastern Jewel, and felt that the consistent portrayal of her was that of one-dimensional badness, and she wanted to explore how she had gotten where she was, and some of her good points (courage, loyalty.) Despite this, Eastern Jewel is one of the most patently unlikable protagonists I have ever encountered. She never did a single thing that endeared me to her, and her every thought, every action grated on me constantly.

There are several other flaws with the book. Completely pointless things are detailed excessively, such as food, furniture, clothes, descriptions of rooms, and dreams. But where detail would have been helpful...none. For example, when Eastern Jewel moved to Japan, did they speak Chinese with her? Did she already know Japanese? How? Was there a language barrier? The same goes with her Mongolian in-laws. How did she meet her circle in Shanghai? Why would her father be willing to let her be raised in Japan? Late in the book, one character is dropped without mention for nearly SEVENTY PAGES, and then suddenly mentioned again as if this were normal.

The descriptions of dreams and food chapter names did nothing to add layers to the book, and instead only came off as -- and I hate this word and try not to use it -- incredibly pretentious. Like the author was desperately trying to be artistic and just falling flat on her face.

Her fascination with men's clothing is never explained beyond one lame line early on, and never explored later on. Her love and loyalty for Japan is never really explained either, and in fact, all of her descriptions of her early life in Japan would make me, and I suspect many others, in fact feel nothing for contempt for the culture and society if that is what I had lived through. These things are both key to what we know about the real Eastern Jewel, and yet they are so unsatisfyingly discussed in this book, it's unbelievable.

Oh, and the ending is just...I mean, really? Seriously? ARGH!

This book is almost nothing but rough sex, dreams, and descriptions of furniture and food. I'd be willing to bet if you took out everything but those 3, you'd take out maybe....60 pages?

I really want to know who the real Eastern Jewel was now; she can't have been as supremely annoying and one-dimensionally awful as portrayed in this book.

[Efka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nuobodoka ir bedvasė, kartais labiau primenanti faktų ir istorinių įvykių sąvadą, o ne romaną. Personažai panašesni į karikatūras, nei tikrus žmones. Visiškas nusivylimas.

[drey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book based on the cover--I didn't know who Eastern Jewel was, which makes me wonder if I should somehow be ashamed to not know the history of my own race? Anyway. I asked for it, received it, and read it.

I have to admit, it took me a while to finish. Not because I didn't enjoy the book, but because the subject's life--while it must have been entertaining and adventurous to her--made me feel sad that she was as exploited as she was, and how willingly she participated in her own exploitation, all in the guise of freedom. Abandoned by her own family, mistreated by her adoptive family, and married off to live in a wasteland (especially when compared to her former homes!), Eastern Jewel, a.k.a. Yoshiko Kawashima, decides to make of the rest of her life what she wants. And so she runs.

Who knows if she might have been better served by staying in Mongolia? It's a moot point anyway, seeing as how her feet were set firmly on the path she was to traverse, from the tender age of fifteen. One wonders how her life might have differed, if the women in her adoptive family would have tended to her better than they did. Or if the family she was born into, would have kept her and taught her instead of sending her off to Japan.

As penned by Maureen Lindley, Eastern Jewel's story will resonate with those who seek to overcome society's mores to live their lives on their own terms. It also serves as a precautionary tale as to the predators who are willing to assist in achieving that life, yet exact a price--one that may be too high to contemplate.

Inasmuch as this is a fictionalized account of the life of a Chinese-princess-turned-Japanese-spy, I mourn the loss of a daughter of China to China's inability to love her own daughters.

[Helena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another case of a white writer desperately trying to convince their readers they're familiar with the culture they're writing about.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow I can't believe this has such a low average rating...... I loved this book. Perhaps lindley's view of Eastern Jewel is slightly romanticised so maybe as an historical record it may not be up to scratch. I definitely enjoyed every minute of this book. The descriptions are amazing & I could practicall smell & taste them.

Oh I also loved the way each chapter was given a title relating to food/drink/scent.

Quite a sad story.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. The back cover had everything I usually like - spies, intrigue, based on a true story, Asia, WWII, strong female character.

But the execution did not go as planned. I looked up some real sources for the woman known as Eastern Jewel and the author seemed to take some extreme liberties with her story, liberties that were unnecessary since her real life sounded so interesting. There was a surprising amount of non-con sex in this book and while it tried to play it off as something that Eastern Jewel ultimately grew strong from, I was not convinced.

The latter half of the book which detailed her time working in China as a spy for the Japanese was most interesting and well done. Unfortunately by then I had already formed an unfavorable opinion of the book. It just made the final hours finishing it easier to take.

I am not sure if there are factual books dealing with Eastern Jewel but I would not recommend this book to learn about her life.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 stars - English Ebook

Peking, 1914. When the eight-year-old princess Eastern Jewel is caught spying on her father's liaison with a servant girl, she is banished from the palace, sent to live with a powerful family in Japan.

Renamed Yoshiko Kawashima, she quickly falls in love with her adoptive country, where she earns a scandalous reputation, taking fencing lessons, smoking opium, and entertaining numerous lovers.

Sent to Mongolia to become an obedient wife, Yoshiko mounts a daring escape and eventually finds her way back to Peking high society-this time with orders from the Japanese secret service.

Based on the true story of a rebellious woman who earned a controversial place in history, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel is a vibrant reimagining of a thrilling life-a rich historical epic of palace intrigue, sexual manipulation, and international espionage.

I enjoyed this book. It does have a unique viewpoint and the historical context is fascinating.

I read a lost of history and it is rare to read a story from the viewpoint of a Chinese woman. And than a "Mulan" in her time. Turning odds to her hand. And a lot of courage.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not-so-historical fiction, September 8, 2009


First, I wish this book had been billed as pure fiction, rather than 'based on a true story'. I'm not sure how much truth Lindley managed to include in her story - I'm not sure that very much truth is actually known about Eastern Jewel. While her life and story would be riveting to explore, this novel seems taken entirely from Lindley's imagination and relies far too heavily on the princess and her supposed sexual exploits to fuel every plot twist.

The book is well-written and was a fast and enjoyable read, but I'm left with a definite distaste for Lindley's portrayal of life in Asia during such a tumultuous historical period. Eastern and Western characters alike are presented as stereotyped caricatures of real people, while the placement of plot points in actual history seemed disjointed - time is skewed, as 'years passed' but Eastern Jewel had only aged one year.

I give Lindley 3 stars for her vivid descriptions and smooth, easy writing style, but I wish she'd chosen pure fiction and left claims to historical accuracy for another genre.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel is a novel written in flowing report/ journal style and details the life of a Chinese Princess who turned her back on her native country to serve its rival, Japan, as a spy. Based on the real-life story of Yoshiko Kawashima, Private Papers dishes up an interesting twist on traditional Asian historical fiction.




The book reads like a strange formula: Eastern Jewel is full of wit and dare, Eastern Jewel wants to seduce Boy, Eastern Jewel uses her clever charms to seduce Boy, Eastern Jewel loses/forgets/runs away from Boy (or sometimes, Girl). And then it happens over again. And then again. And then again. The book may read as a horny 'Ode To Sex' in some parts - Eastern Jewel is one easy seductress.



But if you can get past this glitch (and I urge you to try), it is a strongly historically-developed, absorbing, detailed read. Those who enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha for its sweetly tantalising details of historical Asian life from the female perspective will be well-rewarded. Strangely, this novel is not much about the life of a spy so much as a novel exploring the thoughts and actions of a woman who cannot sense her own path to happiness. There are some beautiful (and sometimes strange) insights and thoughts about humans and their surroundings which the author expertly weaves throughout the novel's 285 pages of seemingly autobiographical material, and allows the reader to glimpse the soul of Eastern Jewel, who otherwise appears to hold the reader at arm's length. Her style of writing insinuates elegance, but also a misunderstanding of her own emotions and instinct, which fills the second half of the novel with a stilted sort of sadness, despite the exciting life Eastern Jewel continues to lead.
It is because of the fascinating yet not entirely likable character of Eastern Jewel, and the sensations experienced reading about China, Japan and Mongolia and its unrest during the first half of the 20th century which puts The Private Papers ahead of the average attempt in this genre.
3 and 1/2 stars.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a Chinese princess who rejects her traditional role and becomes a notorious figure in pre-WWII Japan. Based on a true story, the premise of this tale is really interesting. Eastern Jewel's rebellious spirit leads her to flee her arranged marriage and become a Japanese spy. However, the writer fails to make Eastern Jewel a sufficiently sympathetic protagonist, and the story falls flat.

I never felt as though I understood Eastern Jewel's motivations and desires. She's a relentless sex addict, perhaps because she equates sex with freedom, but the writer does not allow Eastern Jewel enough introspective moments that would give the reader true insight into her behavior. Eastern Jewel wants to be shocking and notorious, but we don't know why, necessarily. She discards relationships, both friendly and sexual, with callousness. She feels comfortable with lies and betrayal. She cares for no one more than herself. In order to sympathize with a person like Eastern Jewel, you'd need to really get inside her head and understand what makes her tick. You'd need to sense that she's a redeemable character at the end of the day. This just never occurred in this book. I didn't like her and I didn't root for her.

This is an interesting portrait of a particular place and time, but the book left me wanting more of a connection with Eastern Jewel and a true understanding of her choices.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written as if Eastern Jewel was writing a memoir. At the end, I wondered why I didn't have a feel for who Eastern Jewel was as a person. I didn't know her motivations, her abandonment issues, her attachment to Japan, or disgust for China. After reading a person's journal for 300 pages, I expect to know a little more! Why didn't Eastern Jewel get more upset about being sterilized after the abortion? Wasn't she scared of the abuse of her stepfather and stepgrandfather? She didn't seem to miss her mother or Sorry until the very end.

Lindley wrote this book as historical fiction to give a one-dimensional character some dimension. All I saw in Eastern Jewel was a woman who slept around with everyone. Eastern Jewel was very matter of fact about her entire life, showing emotion precisely twice in the book: falling in love with Yamaga and falling in love with Jack. I only know she was in love because she told me. The entire book was Eastern Jewel telling me things, not showing me.

A poorly written book about a great topic. Clearly Lindley's first novel.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual story based on the true life of a woman who lived in China, Japan and Mongolia, and was the daughter of a Chinese prince and one of his concubines. She was born in 1907 and died in 1948. The story flowed smoothly for me but it certainly was different from many that I have read. From an early age she was made aware of sex as a means of power and control and she certainly seemed to have no hesitation in using sex to her advantage from adolescence until her death. Through her royal connections she associated with those in powerful and privileged positions in all three countries, and she was shown to be a manipulative and scheming woman from an early age. Her friendships were built in the same way and seemed to be easily abandoned. Eventually she ended up spying for Japan against the Chinese and when Japan was defeated at the end of WW2 so was she. Seemingly she lived all facets of life to the absolute limits but of all the women I know I'm not sure if a woman would really behave in the way she is portrayed.

[Eileen Souza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utterly and completely unreadable. This is based on the life of Easern Jewel, Yoshiko Kawashi, who was a cold and heartless ______ (feel free to fill in the blank, they are all true). Not only could I not relate to this character, but her calculating and careless destruction of other people's live sickened me.

The author was trying to write from this woman's perspective, which must have been quite a challange, but the way the "character" thought about things just - it just wasn't human.

I'll never ever read this again. I got about halfway through and just tossed it.

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, I found this novelization of a fascinating Chinese princess somewhat boring. Even the numerous sex scenes fail to really spice up the narrative. The author attempts to make the cruel heroine likable and I wonder if the novel might have been better if she had not tried. I did find the historical character of Yoshiko interesting, and after reading the facts of her life and the times in which she lived, I wish it had been novelized in a more exciting and engrossing manner and more true to the spirit of her era.

[S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this from FirstReads!


I was hesitant to start reading this book but the minute I did, I was engrossed until about half way through. It's a dark tale of a Chinese Princess, Eastern Jewel, sent to Japan at a young age. She grows up to live an untraditional life. She's not very likeable. What redeems her are some of her good thoughts and feelings towards people but she doesn't act on them. The sex is hollow and graphic, slightly disturbing. The dream descriptions are distracting.

[Natasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great fun to read and held my attention the whole way through. I loved learning more about a land and time period I knew little about. Lindley’s writing is detailed enough to get a good feel for the surroundings and action, but not so detailed as to bog the reader down in descriptions.

[Ajla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacking in emotion.

[Skirmantė Rugsėjis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kartais labai smagu po detektyvų ir trilerių pabėgti į visai kitokio tipo, istorinę knygą, paremtą tikrais faktais. Perskaičiau greitai ir su malonumu, o tam daugiausiai įtakos turėjo būtent tai, kad istorija alsuoja Kinijos, Japonijos ir Mongolijos kasdienybe ir kultūra (aišku ne šių dienų).
Veikėja kilminga kinė mergaitė, vaikystėje tėvo atiduodama japonui draugui, bet neramus charakteris taip niekada ir neleidžia jai prisitaikyti prie įprastinio moterų gyvenimo ir nuolankumo. Nuolat krėsdama išdaigas ji užauga į dailią merginą, kuri ištekinama už mongolo. Gyvenimas stepėse jos nesužavi ir be skrupulų suvedžiojusi vyro brolį, mergina pasinaudoja juo, kad pabėgtų, o nuo tada prasideda jos kaip savarankiškos moters gyvenimas.
Knygoje liečiama politinė tema, pasakojami įtempti santykiai tarp Japonijos ir Kinijos, o veikėja gavusi šnipės darbą sąmoningai kenkia kinams, širdyje tikėdama, kad priklauso Japonijai. Daugybė šalutinių veikėjų, kiekvienas savaip spalvingas ir įdomus, atvirai aprašinėjami jos meilės nuotykiai, kurių netrūko ir vidinis noras priversti šeimą suvokti, kad ji ne tokia, kokią ją visada laikė.
Nors pagrindinė veikėja kaip žmogus manęs jokiu būdu nesužavėjo, tačiau perteikta ji puikiai. O visos smulkmenos ir detalės puikiai atspindi rytų kultūrą ir mąstymą. Skaitydama visai susidomėjau koks skonis mongolų tradicinės arbatos su druska ir raukiausi skaitydama apie kinų geriamą degtinę su rūgpieniu. Savaip šokiruoja sužinoti, kad tais laikais už kiaulę buvo prašoma daugiau pinigų nei už vaiką, o opijaus rūkymas toks artimas kinams, pasirodo buvo visai nepriimtinas japonams.
Patiks tiems, ką domina rytų atmosfera persmelktos knygos ir istorinės, tikrais faktais paremtos istorijos.

[Penny Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story based on a real person. Well written, a rollicking read that takes you from China to Japan to Mongolia in the early part of the 20th century. The story of a woman who wanted to live life on her own terms. Highly recommended.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those books that everyone else will rave about, and I simply thought was OK ...

Which is not to say it wasn't interesting. This is the story of Princess Eastern Jewel, whose father was of the Qing Dynasty in China, and whose mother was one of the father's concubines. The book begins in Peking, in 1914, when 8-year-old Eastern Jewel is caught spying on her father and a servant girl having what is politely referred to as a "liaison." She is banished from the family, and from China, and sent to live in Japan with a powerful family. They change her name to Yoshiko Kawashima, and though she is not really treated as part of the family, she is included in most of their lives.

As she becomes older, she completely falls in love with her adopted country, and begins to consider herself Japanese. Her adoptive father arranges for her to marry a Mongol prince, against her will. After a brief marriage, she escapes and the rest of the book recounts her adventures for the next 40 years or so.

There is a lot of talk about sex and sexual activities in this book. Eastern Jewel/Yoshiko is obsessed with sex from a young age, and sees every male she comes into contact with as a potential sexual conquest. She makes very few true friends, and of all of her sexual partners, feels anything serious for only two of them. She uses sex as her tool to gain power, and for the most part, she gets what she wants.

She serves as a spy in China for Japan in 1931. Her first assignment is to spy on her cousin, the deposed emperor Pu Yi (of "The Last Emperor" fame). From there, she becomes more and more enmeshed in the Japanese spy system. Then in 1945, when the U.S. bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki, her world starts to unravel. She is arrested by the soldiers of Chiang Kai-Shek and sent to prison in Peking. In 1947 she is found guilty of spying on China for Japan, and is sentenced to death, which occurs in March 1948, when she is beheaded.

The entire time I was reading this book, I couldn't decide how I felt about Eastern Jewel/Yoshiko. She didn't appeal to me at all, and seemed completely amoral most of the time. She had expectations that people should treat her well, yet did not feel the need to reciprocate. I found her exploits to be pretty amazing, and the descriptions of life in China and Japan were very engrossing.

This book is based on an actual person, Princess Eastern Jewel, but is a fictionalized account of her life. It's a page turner for the most part, but I doubt much of it will stay with me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very nearly had this as a DNF. There was something that about the writing style that immediately turned me off. There's a lot of telling and telling and telling, despite some intermittent details that are actually almost poetic in description.

But I don't like to just be told what's what. I need to be shown to feel it, you know?

That said, there is also something entirely readable about this book. Unlike some other reviews I've read, I wasn't put off by the sexual activity that romps through the pages. In fact, I wished in places that it was expanded on.

The relationships Yoshiko enters at various points in her (short, maybe) life were what captured my attention more than the 'I LOVE JAPAN' plot line (which seriously started to grate on me). I just wish that the author had taken it slower because this could have been a sprawling epic, and still I would have read it. It needed to be longer, to explore, and then feel, each moment.

the good bits

Yoshiko - I really like her as a protagonist. She's strong, she's a little nuts, but she's fun.

Setting - Can't beat that! Japan, China, Mongolia. Really well painted.

Love/lust - I was all about the relationships in this book.

the not-so-good bits

Plot - I struggled to believe the 'yay, now I'm a spy!' concept. I needed more reasoning to suspend disbelief, and then there are some moments where her superiors insist her role is so important.. And yet, I couldn't help but feel like there were easier, less troublesome ways to achieve the same ends.

Spyage - I really wanted her to assassinate some bitches! She's got a cool uniform.. Now give her a knife and get to work! It was less 'secret service' and more 'Chinese whispers'.

Ending - My GOSH that was a cop out. I won't give it away, but I was really let down by how weak the end was.

__

there are plenty of 'cons' for this book, but then there is something about it, something that despite the fact that in places I wanted to take my red marker pen to it and edit the hell out of it, I kept reading. And I was sad that it finished so soon.

I feel like this book didn't realise its potential, it could have been EPIC! As it is, it's just good. A darn good read. But still not quite hitting it.

A solid 3.5 stars.. Leaning towards 4 because of readability.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining.. I felt sorry for Eastern Jewel despite my disgust with her lifestyle choices. The author showed us many possible sides to this controversial woman. The book is written like a memoir starting with Eastern Jewel as a child who is shunned from her home, family, and country of China for spying on her father while he has relations with a concubine. All through her childhood, EJ or Yoshiko as she becomes tries hard to make people love her, but to no avail. Seems everybody has a "use" for her, but no kindness or love is shown to her. She is sent to Japan where she is wanted for her body. Her adopted "father" and "grandfather" both partake of her in cruel, sexual ways. This pretty much ruins her for life as from this point on Yoshiko replaces lack of love in her life with sex. She is forced to marry a Manchurian prince and uses sex as a means of escaping the country and family. Majority of the book is Yoshiko having sex.. with various men.. with women.. with generals.. with geishas.. with pilots.. with American reporters.. it goes on. Pretty much everyone she crosses paths with ends up in her bed. It was a bit too much. In the last quarter of the book she completely turns her back on China just as she feels China turned its back on her and becomes a spy for Japan. I would have liked more spying, less sex. She goes back and forth with her emotions, proud of destorying Shanghai one minute and regretting it the next. She has bouts of depression in which she drinks a lot of vodka and smokes a lot of opium. And that pretty much sums it up. The ending rather leaves you hanging. Does Yoshiko make another selfish choice, harming yet another person, or does she redeem herself and her past somewhat by taking responsibility for her actions for a change? Hard to say...

[Bruce MacBain · Rating 5 out of 5]

[This review originally appeared in Historical Novels Review:]

“In 1914, at the age of eight years, I was caught spying on my father Prince Su as he made love to a fourteen-year-old girl.” This is the opening sentence of a remarkable novel: the fictionalized account of a real life Chinese princess who became a Japanese spy in the 1930s and 40s and finally died by the sword in a Chinese prison camp.
Banished to Japan for her childish indiscretion, she finds herself trapped in the loveless household of Baron Kawashima, a powerful and ruthless man who rapes her repeatedly. Her response to this is not the expected one. She enjoys the rough sex and, far from seeing herself as a victim, she learns to use her beauty as a weapon. Throughout her life, sex will be a tool of her trade as well as an anodyne for the depressions and nightmares that haunt her. She also develops an early taste for opium, alcohol, and male dress—not wanting to be a man but to enjoy a man’s freedom and power. The ruling passion of her life, however, is Japan. She admires Japanese strength while she despises Chinese weakness. And her youthful predilection for spying will now be employed in Japan’s interest. The requirements of her masters will send her to Mongolia, Manchuria, Shanghai, and Peking—always living the high life and leaving behind a string of lovers. But her own heart is broken too, and her depressions become deeper. Her motto had always been: “We are all animals and to survive well should be each individual’s aim.” But when Japan is defeated and her own life is in ruins, one supremely selfless act redeems her.
It is Eastern Jewel’s self-knowledge and complete honesty that rescue her story from sordid tragedy. Lindley’s writing is subtle and sensitive and every page shines a light into some dark corner of human nature.

[Introvert Insane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows the journey of former Manchurian princess turned Japanese aristocrat who experienced disturbing life-journey from childhood to adulthood, being used and abused throughout her life. Personally, I find the journey very interesting. However, the writing style bothers me. I don't know about other editions of the book but mine has no spacing so it was really overwhelming. The author is trying to cram in so many details in one page that I easily lost track.
As for the main character, I mostly pity her but I can't relate or root for her. Her upbringing and constant sexual abuse by the patriarchs around her turn her into that person. I do understand and sympathize but I guess I can never make peace with how almost every time she solve her problems by sleeping with someone. I guess that's just how it works back then. I do love the complex relationship with some of the people in her past and the conflicts she had about her identity; being born Chinese but raised as Japanese. She want to be identified as Japanese but her past keeps catching up to her. She has this conflicting frenemy with her supposed adopted mother and father (supposed because the mother refused to acknowledge her and the father sexually abuses her, and she grows to like it, even misses it). I like how the author depicts the psyche of a person who has been living in abuse all her life and conditions that way. But as she grow older, it began to feel icky as she never sees the wrong with the treatment she received.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ovo je bilo zabavno čitati iako je stil pisanja krut, novinarski stil. Inspirirana na istinitim životnim događajima Yoshiko Kawashima knjiga je pisana u prvom licu kao memoar. Radnja započinje sa sudbinom male djevojčice Yoshiko od 8 godina koja je kao dijete prognana iz svoje obitelji i zemlje (Kine) i predana na odgoj u Japan kod majčine daljnje obitelji, a sve iz razloga jer je kao dijete iz dosade ''špijunirala'' svog oca kako se ''igra'' u krevetu sa svojom konkubinom.

Tužna sudbina (ženskog) djeteta, rano je iskusila (okrutni) seks i to po njihovom običaju. Uvijek je pokušavala da od drugih dobije ljubav, ali čini se da su ju svi samo iskorištavali, pa se tako i prilagodila da ona počinje druge iskorištavati za svoje ciljeve sa sexom. Prisiljena da se uda za Mandžurijskog princa koji joj nije bio po volji kao ni sama hladna zemlja, koristila se sexom da pobjegne od nove obitelji i zemlje. Većinom knjige, Yoshiko se seksa sa raznim muškarcima, ženama, generalima, pilotoma, s američkim novinarima i tako dalje. Pada u depresije i u sebe nalijeva puno votke i puši opijum. U zadnjih 50 stranica ona postaje špijunka za Japan. I opet izdana od muškarca završi u zatvoru.

Malo sam čitala dojmove i drugih čitača ove knjige i nisam vjerovala tako niskoj ocjeni, jer mi se činila stvarno zanimljivom i uzela ju na čitanje. Knjiga i jest zanimljiva ali zbog krutog novinarskog stila pisanja umanjuje dobar dojam.

[Beagle44 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say first, I have not read other reviews so my viewpoint has not been colored. As a first novel I found myself hoping Maureen Lindley will write more. I believe because of the author's background in psychotherapy, fashion design, photography and antiques, she brought an amazing amount of detail together wrapped in the honest emotions of a very unique individual. There was an honesty about the description of the life of "Eastern Jewel" that was non-judgmental and while I never felt I had to take sides either way with any of her behavior, I found this a fasinating read. I also again counted my blessings at not having to face war first hand.

[Jane Mettee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a true story. A historical novel based on the life of a Chinese Princess. Her wealthy father banished her at age 8 for misbehavior to live with a wealthy family in Japan. She was raised in Japan by strangers who did not care about her. She was sexually abused by the men in the family. She developed into an adventurous promiscuous young woman. She became infamous during WW II in Shanghai where she began serving as a spy for Japan. She ended up belonging to neither country but with a strong allegiance to Japan. After the war she was put in prison in China and executed as a traitor. Very well written.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my recent Phoenix travel book and I found myself very entertained in reading about Eastern Jewel, a Chinese princess who was given up by her father for adoption by an influential Japanese man. She was later introduced into the world of espionage, which ultimately led to her downfall. The book is pretty racy, but very interesting to learn more of the relationship between China and Japan in the events leading up to World War II. This book is based off of the diary of Eastern Jewel, which always adds credibility to books.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictional telling of the life of Eastern Jewel, a Chinese princess who became a spy for the Japanese and was executed for such actions by her own people. As I know nothing of Eastern Jewel, I can't say what was truth and what was literary licence. It was a decently written novel and I felt swept up in the life of the protaganist up to the last 60 or so pages when the writing suddenly began to drag and I ended up skim reading to the end.