The Garden of Perfect Brightness

The Forbidden City #3

by Melissa Addey

China’s most beautiful garden. The man who built it. The woman who had to leave it.

18th century China. Giuseppe Castiglione, a promising and ambitious Italian painter, is recruited by the Jesuits to serve the Emperor of China. Tasked with turning a country estate into an imperial wonderland, Giuseppe enters the Garden of Perfect Brightness and meets Niuhuru, concubine to a minor prince.

Drawn together, yet always kept apart, each has no choice but to follow the path fate has laid out for them. But as the Garden changes and Niuhuru is swept upwards to ever-greater importance, is something precious being lost? And will either of them ever find a way to express their feelings?

A delicately told story of unspoken love and art forming a bridge between two cultures, The Garden of Perfect Brightness is the irresistible third book in the Forbidden City historical fiction series. If you enjoy exploring the extraordinary destinies of real historical characters, then you’ll be touched by Melissa Addey’s novel of love and longing.

Step into the most beautiful garden the world has ever seen. Buy The Garden of Perfect Brightness today.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Asia, Romance, Historical

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2019

About the author

I mainly write historical fiction: my first novel, The Fragrant Concubine, was Editor’s Choice at the Historical Novel Society, my latest, The Cold Palace, won the 2019 Novel London award.

I was the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library and now run regular workshops there. I have a PhD in Creative Writing and have self-published 13 books.

I live in London with my husband and two children.

If you’d like to try my writing, visit my website www.melissaaddey.com to pick up a free novella, The Cup.

Reviews

[Erin (Historical Fiction Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this and other reviews at: https://historicalfictionreader.blogs...

Confession: I’m an easy sell for anything that promises to take me off the beaten path.

It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but when it does, the intrigue these titles inspire in me proves a boon to the authors as I tend to drop cold hard cash on the publications. Assuming I enjoyed it, the author not only gets paid, they also get a review which brings me to Melissa Addey’s The Garden of Perfect Brightness.

Now I know what you’re thinking so before you get your panties in a twist, let me explain that a three from me is a good thing. It means this title did everything I expected it to. My socks are still on and my mind isn’t blown, but I am happy with the time I spent with this piece and will be reading this author again (no joke folks, another of her titles is already on my kindle).

I will admit the premise reminded me vaguely of A Little Chaos (2014) and that I’d have liked more emotional development between Giuseppe and Niuhuru, but neither of these personal opinions prevented me from getting lost among the wisteria of The Forbidden City’s imperial gardens.

The novel is definitely on the lighter end of the historic spectrum, but it does touch on the complex power/social structure of the palace inhabitants and I appreciated the sub-note references to the missionaries of the day and their efforts to gain a religious foothold in the East.

[Monica Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating insight into the world of China and its systems of Emperors, concubines, heirs etc. That this story is based on a true story, makes it even more interesting to me.

Giuseppe is a man completely out of his depth in 1720's China, and he can't hope to get his brain around the various customs and rules that control the Emperor and his palaces (complete with concubines and heirs). As he adjusts to life in China and learns Mandarin, also adjusting his painting techniques to be more pleasing to the tastes of the Emperor, he becomes fascinated by one of the Prince's concubines.

Niuhuru is a girl who is sent to be a wife to a Prince, when she is only 13 years old. This comes as a bit of a shock to her but she makes the best of her situation, with the help of a maid who is the same age as herself. As she spends her days in the Garden of Perfect Brightness, she encounters Giuseppe and their attraction is immediate (and forbidden). How this story plays out, is the subject of this book.

Really unusual and interesting book and kudos to the author for her research. The life of a concubine in 18th century China could not be more different to my own if it tried. My heart goes out to those girls whose lives were so completely regulated and controlled by others.

4.5 stars from me.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a break from routine. We travel back centuries and span cultures as a Renaissance artist becomes a Jesuit priest in order to be sent to the Court of China. A young woman is early chosen to wed a minor prince, and goes to live in his country home, a manor called the Garden of Perfect Brightness. Yet royal turmoil and rivalry reach the door, and the European painter follows.

Well worth a read and I look forward to more books from this scholarly author.
This is an unbiased review.

[Elizabeth Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read anything set outside of the United States, Europe, or the Caribbean. I'm so glad I did. This is fantastic. It did take me a bit to get into it - I advise you to read all the way to the end of the free sample on Amazon. I bet you'll be hooked like I was. Apart from a few aspects that weren't to my taste, such as the insta-love, this held me enchanted throughout. It was all so darned interesting and so skillfully written: the details of Castiglione's artwork, the rivalries in the Imperial court, the chance to stroll in a beautiful and peaceful Chinese garden. The Jesuit painter attracted me initially, but Niuhuru's voice has an endearing intimacy that made her immediately sympathetic. Both main characters are based on real people, and thanks to this novel I have discovered Castiglione's stunning paintings. Melissa Addey not only picks intriguing subjects, she's a superb writer.

[Helen Hollick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs

"Melissa Addey has a way with words. She uses them to describe worlds which are unfamiliar and she paints a vivid picture. There is no waste with her writing; every word is carefully chosen and placed to assist with the world-building, without ever getting in the way or disturbing the narrative flow."

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story of duty, love, devotion. The strict social, legal and cultural structure of 18th century China characterized an inevitability in the lives of its members.

The love and devotion that blossoms between a concubine wife of the prince and artist priest is beautiful and heartbreaking.

THE GARDEN OF PERFECT BRIGHTNESS is written in gorgeous language and imagery. The author’s descriptions of nature, art, architecture and the endless beauty and detail of Chinese courtly life were lovely.

The storyline slowed and became redundant halfway through the novel. The characters never truly came alive to this reader.

This is a mediocre historical fiction novel.

[kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Italian painter named Giuseppe is one of the voices in this interestingly told historical novel. Niuhuru is the second voice as the concubine of the 4th prince of 1720's China. The setting is the Chinese Emperor's Garden of Perfect Brightness.

I loved being transported back in time to this setting with such diverse tensions as East meets West! Giuseppe is an accomplished painter from Italy who yearns for adventure in his life. He was excited to get the opportunity to journey to China with the Jesuits and paint for the Emperor. He learns that the Chinese have very different ideas of what to use (watercolours vs oils) and that perspective is not something they utilize in their artwork. How will his time there as the Emperor's painter unfold?

Niuhuru has such a sad beginning to her story of being picked to be the 4th prince's concubine. She is too tall and has unusual grey eyes. She was too young in the beginning but blossoms into womanhood in her new setting. She has a friend in her personal serving girl in a world that isn't very welcoming to one of her lower station when she arrived. The beautiful setting of the garden and it's explorations fills her days until a chance meeting with Giuseppe.

I hate to go into a lot of plot detail in a review. Suffice it to say that the writing style of the author is easily engaged by the reader. I felt transported to this time and place. I liked how one chapter would be the painter's voice and another chapter was the concubine's voice. This sure made for interesting reading with the differing viewpoints.

I have read a few of the other books written by the author, Melissa Addey. The descriptions are vivid in the various settings in her historical novels. The story lines are interesting! I can't imagine all the work she has gone through to research various time periods to present her novels so convincingly to her readers. I always look forward to hearing about her new books.

I received a complimentary copy and am providing my honest review.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Italian painter, Giuseppe agrees to join the Jesuits in their missionary work in China hoping he would become famous whilst painting for the Emperor. Once he got to China though, he found that he had to re-learn how to paint, as the Chinese had their own technique in painting and that was not the only thing he had to learn but in the end Giuseppe was totally enamoured with life in China. He served under three emperors over a span of more than two decades. He had also fallen in love with a Prince's concubine when he first arrived in China. Niuhuru lived in the garden of perfect brightness at the time, enjoying every minute of her days there. However as things have a habit of doing, they changed and both Niuhuru and Giuseppe thought they changed for the worse. This is an intricately woven tale of beauty amidst harshness, jealousy, back stabbing, cold heartedness but also one of great sublime love. The narrative is beautifully descriptive bringing to life for us the readers, the artifice used to create the breath taking garden of perfect brightness as well as the soul crushing loneliness suffered within the high walls of the enclosed Forbidden City. Both Giuseppe and Niuhuru were torn between two lives whilst wishing for a third life which was totally inaccessible to them and would always be so! His ambition had cost him so much. All they both wanted was a simple life yet they were expected to smile in the face of all the trivial gaudiness which surrounded them in the Emperor's court. How had he ever thought that painting on order would ever satisfy him? Painting should come from the heart and done with and for love! Melissa Addey does it again, her writing is truly magical and so poetic, providing us with such an enjoyable read!

[Clarissa Labue-Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Garden of Perfect Brightness was a very surprising novel for me. I initially put off reading it after finding out it was dueling perspectives of a male (I usually don't read much from the male perspective) and female. Waiting so long to read this was a mistake.

The story is told from the perspectives of concubine Niuhuru and Jesuit painter Giuseppe. I enjoyed both perspectives but felt a deep connection to the artist. Giuseppe Castiglione is a brilliant painter whose only goal is his artistic ambitions and passion, that is until he meets Niuhuru. Niuhuru is a kind young girl, chosen as a concubine, from humble beginnings whose thrust suddenly into Prince Yong's household.

As we move through their lives we are introduced to an assorted and diverse cast of characters from Giuseppe's love struck young protege Laura to servant and eunuch couple Yan and Kun, we even see three different emperors through Giuseppe's eyes. As Giuseppe's career advances Niuhurus life sees many changes and shifts that she must adapt to. Their love and longing endures a lifetime.

This was a very moving and emotional book that is a great character study on some of the most human and real characters I've come across.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt as I was reading that I could actually see the vistas that were written about, the beautiful gardens as well as the impersonal coldness of the Imperial Palace. As with all Melissa Addey's stories, I became entranced as I read, wondering of the love and beauty weaved into this story. I love her style of writing and her vivid characterizations. As the story unfolds, you are introduced to two main characters as well as several more minor ones that also continue through the book and get to know them well. Ms. Addey's ability to make you visualize her scenes are a speciality of her writing. I am simply writing to let you know how much I love her stories and I won't tell you anything about the actual story when you can read the snapshot of it and other reviewers. No spoilers here at all.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my usual choice in reading but I have read The Cup and A String of Silver Beads both and loved them so I had to give this a try. Apparently, this IS my choice in reading (I did not think I liked historical fiction but I DO!!!), because I really loved this story. I love reading about countries other than my own and learning new things but also I love escaping the here and now and adventuring with someone somewhere new. And the best thing I have found about this book and others that I have read is that there must be facts in the book. This is an awesome book. Keep writing these!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Irina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little conflicted about this one... the plot gets too distracted with other stuff happening for it to be a romance, but there's WAY TOO MUCH yearning and angst for it to be just any ol' historical drama, so... I don't know where to put this one, but I really liked it (specially the yearning, istg it was off the charts!).
I think it's a great adition to the series, acting as a prequel as it is. I adored the relationship between the main characters and the bittersweet-ness of it all. My only gripe would be the pacing, as it was all over the place, but not so terrible as to make this unlikeable.
Anyways, a good read.

[Marvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book right from the beginning. Everything is described in vivid detail, and I had no difficulty imagining the garden and people described.
I read for distraction and entertainment, to be transported for a while to a different place. This book has succeeded in doing that for me, beyond my expectations.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic Story of Imperial China
This is the type of expansive story that lets the reader's mind live in the story for a few days. I have read the entire series and it is wonderful food for thought. I love the concept of a 'Memory Palace'. I believe we all have one deep within our hearts. The author is a master at describing a scene of nature so well that the reader can even smell it. I received this ARC book for free from Booksprouts and this is my honest review.

[Marie Shirley Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically fascinating!

This series of books has been amazing! I thought I knew a great deal, but the author's research, especially on taboo subjects like creating a eunuch, while fascinating, is beyond barbaric.

The characters are well fleshed out and the never ending rituals are explained so well.

Recommend you start with Book One of this series, it's worth your time and effort.

[Kathy Ballman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I was reading a series but in this third book the author takes us back instead of forward. It really would have been helpful if there was a preface stating that that was what was happening!!! I became so upset that I started skimming the pages half way through and felt cheated or deceived as the story progressed! I may have to go back and reread this book again!

[Barbara Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step back in time nearly 300 years to Beijing for this PG13 historical romance that takes about ten hours to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deborah Necessary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved this book. If I could go to one place overseas, it would be China. The Yuan Ming Yuan (Garden of Perfect Brightness) was a real place, but sadly burnt to the ground in 1860’s during The Opium Wars.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that draws you in

Beautifully written
The storyline draws you in, captures your heart and slowly rips it apart as you so desperately want happiness for Guiseppe and the ladies of the Impetial family.
I look forward to reading more of this series.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed the story of China past. Completely intriguing

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that THE GARDEN OF PERFECT BRIGHTNESS by Melissa Addey is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

[arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

As the first two books of us an amazing story that brings these characters to life as well it makes you feel as part of this story plot

[Kim Teel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it.

This is the 3rd book I've read in this series. And it is sweet and slow and wonderful. I love the history woven throughout. Highly reccomend.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forbidden City Book 3

I like the book but thought that book 2 and 3 should switch places. I watch lots of Asian Historical Dramas. I think these books was right on point.

[Leah Mowery · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but not as good as the Fragrant Concubine

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful, well written story. My favorite book in this series, although my heart broke for Niuhuru and Giuseppe. I just wish I had known that this was the FIRST book in the series (not 3rd, as it says on here.) so I could have read them in the correct order. It would have made it a little less confusing, as to why I was going back in time instead of progressing forward in the series.

[J. Else · Rating 4 out of 5]

China, 1720s. Niuhuru never expected to be chosen. Thus, when her name is called to become a minor prince’s concubine, Niuhuru has difficulty believing it. When brought to her new home, the Garden of Perfect Brightness, Niuhuru quickly falls in love with its beauty. During her garden wanderings, she meets Giuseppe Castiglione, an Italian painter serving the emperor. Giuseppe is enchanted by Niuhuru, unaware of her role in the prince’s life. As years pass and fates change, Niuhuru and Giuseppe will discover that despite their contentment living a quiet life, the pressures of ambition and power will change the course of both their futures.

The author has created an irresistible storyline with sumptuous character and setting details. Giuseppe and Niuhuru alternate points of view, with intriguing distinctions made between Giuseppe’s native culture and Niuhuru’s. The book’s titular garden is beautiful and absorbing. However, the romance thread needs more focus, as major development happens between chapters. Characters are enjoyable, with adequate time spent on each, providing deeper layers to the storyline. Basing her novel on real people, Addey provides alluring insights into the power struggles plaguing one imperial family. A poignant yet sweet love story with an immersive setting and sympathetic characters. Recommended.

Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at: www.historicalnovelsociety.org.