The Time of the Dragon

by Dorothy Eden, Charles Geer (Illustrator)

Sweeping from China to the Thames Valley, spanning seventy-five years in the fortunes of a great trading dynasty, Dorothy Eden spins a spellbinding tale, of three generations of the Carrington family whose dealings in priceless antiques take them to Peking on the even of the Boxer Rebellion and embroil them in a struggle that will determine their destinies and reach out to touch their heirs even to the present day.

When Nathaniel and Amelia Carrington arrive in Peking in 1899, each has reason to rejoice, Nathaniel in the treasures on which he as a successful importer sets his own value, and Amelia in the exotic beauties of the city itself-the delicate loveliness of the peach and plum blossoms, the thin sound of wind-bells in the air, the herons standing stark in the lakes, the labyrinthine rooms of Dragon House, their new home, and the potent sinister fascination of the great Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi, like a golden idol at the heart of her opulent palace in the Forbidden City. It was a place to escape and to forget the searing pain of Nathaniel's betrayal with a young governess back in England.

But the delights of the Orient prove more fragile than the ancient jades and porcelains the Carringtons have come to acquire. The disturbingly beautiful young American whom Nathaniel insists on hiring as governess to their young family serves only to remind Amelia of past pain. And even more ominous are the rumblings of the coming Boxer Rebellion which echo around the Tartar Wall sheltering the Legation District and its "foreign devil." The tide of Chinese nationalism will not be stemmed, and for eight harrowing weeks the Carringtons, as chief among the desecraters of the Chines heritage, huddle together in the European complex, while marauding Boxers in scarlet headbands and with savage long swords demand their lives. The Chinese Dragon has spewed its venom into the Carrington blood.

Two generations later the rebellion still casts its deadly shadow over the family as Suzie Carrington, the only child born after the siege and named after the Empress Dowager, lives out her fantasies in the decaying family mansion on the banks of the Thames. There she writes and revises the will disposing of the fabulous Carrington collection of stolen Chinese art. And with each new draft of the will the reader comes closer to the heart of the Carrington mystery, as intricate and subtle as a Chinese puzzle.

Shimmering with suspense and enchantment, The Time of the Dragon is intriguing new territory filled with Dorothy Eden's old magic. The unchallenged mistress of the dynastic novel has written her most ambitious and captivating novel to date.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Gothic, Novels, Historical, Mystery

284 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1975

About the author

Aka Mary Paradise.

Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This short little book (256 pages) is really two stories in one. Nathaniel Carrington brings his wife Amelia and children to Peking in 1899 so he can take over running the family's antique business. Things go reasonably well at first, including a invitation to the ladies in the Legation Quarter to tea with the Dowager Empress Tz'u-Hsi. There's a lot of unrest in the countryside and it isn't long before the Boxer Rebellion is in full swing and the mostly European residents of the Legation quarter face attack and a full blown siege. The flip-side of this is set two generations later in 1975, where the Carringtons returned with their collection Chinese artifacts (including a few pieces purloined from the Empress's abandoned palace). Nathaniel's youngest daughter Suzie is in her 70s and in control of the fabulous collection of art and lords it over friends and family as to who she intends to leave it all to. There's a bit of intrigue and mystery surrounding it all with some unexpected twists and turns from the past that can only be solved by an entry in a very old diary kept by Nathaniel.

All in all an entertaining, quick easy read. It didn't rock my world, but Eden did keep me reading and I didn't pick up on the last minute twists until just before they were revealed. I wasn't too thrilled at first with the alternating story-lines, but it does work in the end. I wouldn't go running out to buy this one, but if you come across it (or any Eden novel) at a library sale or used book store it's worth a shot. 3.5/5 stars.

[Dorcas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
A multi generational mystery starting during the boxer rebellion and running up to 1975. Identity, precious treasures and inheritance all play a role in this novel
I found it pretty engaging and well done

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel comes from the latter part of Dorothy Eden's career, when in response to changes in the popular fiction market, she began to write family sagas. It still, however, is a neatly packaged mystery, albeit one whose twists and turns most adept readers will see coming early on. Despite that, it is full of her deft writing and her surprisingly textured characters, who tend to be more complex than one would expect in a genre novel. The novel shuttles back and forth between 1899 Peking and 1970s suburban England, following the fortunes of a family once involved with the East Asian antiquities trade. Just what happened to the family during the Boxer Rebellion...and how has that played out 75 years later for the grown-up chlidren and their descendants? Eden vividly evokes her two locales. The novel moves swiftly and ends satisfyingly. It certainly left this reader with the desire to look at more historic Chinese art!

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters were stereotyped and mostly unlikeable. I figured out some of the plot twists early on although I didn't get that Amy was Angel's granddaughter. I did see that Suzie was Medora's daughter and that was why both Lucy and Suzie had the rings.

This was definitely not "can't put down" and took me longer to read that other longer novels.
I think I want to re-read Moonraker's Bride now which was also about the Boxer Rebellion and English characters in China, but in my recollection was much more readable.

[Carole Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest...I feel like I didn't technically read this. I skipped a lot and skimmed a lot. I just couldn't get into this story and I didn't really give a hoot about any of the characters. That's pretty sad, but true. I was so excited to read this because it's set in China and even during the Boxer Rebellion! I haven't read many books about this rebellion, but it's always been an interest of mine and so to find a book set in this time period made me dying to read it.


Dorothy Eden did an AMAZING job with her descriptions of the land and the time period. I really felt like I was with the Carrington family in China. While I was reading, I could imagine the surroundings, but I could also feel the ever increasing tension.

Okay, I told a lie...I really did like Amelia, but she annoyed me. I really wanted her to get more of a backbone, but that wasn't the case. She's a smart cookie, but she just lets everyone walk over her. Even though her lack of a backbone annoyed me, I still loved reading her viewpoint.

I'm not sure what else to say...it just didn't do it for me. Even though I didn't like it that much, I would still recommend it to other historical fiction lovers. One man's trash is another man's treasure. ^.^ Overall, I really liked Dorothy Eden's writing style and her word usage. I also liked Amelia. I wouldn't say that I "hated" this. I just didn't care that much. Out of five stars, I grant this one 2 stars. In all reality it would be 1.5, but I don't give decimals, so I rounded. Also...I must apologize for the short review...I just don't have much to say about this book.

Favorite Character(s): Amelia and little George
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Mr. Nathanial Carrington (I just wanted one of the rebels to stab him and end his honorless existence. I can't see why Amelia loved him so, I would have left him)

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the imagery in this novel. The ending took me a tiny bit by surprise. I also really enjoyed the historical aspects to it.

[Fey Kanz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes choosing a book by its cover is a bad idea.

So i received this book for free from the little 84 year old asian lady that runs the used book shop in Cambria, California. The poor thing had her shop flood this winter....

I liked the cover. Its romance - not my genre but I'm on a wine tasting holiday with my love so I figure why not. Coupled with the historical Chinese element and its last Empress - thats my jam.

Well this wasn't. I got 39 pages into it and DNF'd it. I'm debating if I toss it in the trash....i mean the recycle bin.

The racism of one of the characters was laughable as ignorant and somewhat historically accurate of 1899. But then the narrator herself went on to use terms like "lemon-coloured face" to describe the Empress of China and that was eye opening.
I mean the book was written in 1975!
Damn, I guess anti-Asian sentiment was strong enough in English speaking countries at that time to allow this type of hatred to be printed.

I told myself "Ok I will sit through this as an anthropologist would and just see how 1975 looked at us Asian folks....." and I continued on. Then the next chapter started and we find out that the other love interest of the 30ish year old husband is the 13-year old governess he talked his wife into hiring.

PEDOPHILE
And the wife says "A man lived by different rules."
A statement that is repeated twice in the first two chapters.
GROSS. DON'T NORMALIZE PEDOPHELIA!

Having a somewhat contemporary female author perpetuate this type of behavior is sad. I guess she missed the whole Womens Liberation movement that started in the 1960s. Or perhaps this is who they were fighting against?

Whatever the case. I couldn't go on. Its sitting on my table.
Do I tear off the cover and keep it? The lady's dress is so late 70s cute....

[IAmNotACentipede · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. There was mystery, there was family drama, there was scheming. It was a packed adventure of a story. It was an easy read and a full story of how generations later trauma and war can affect a family.

Do be warned this book does have some archaic views - talking about racism, gender roles, and how men in marriages are permitted to have affairs. I think this just has to be taken with a grain of salt as the book was written in the late 70s

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Gothic family saga by Eden. Great historical details, memorable (and flawed) characters. Fun to see the way it went back and forth between 1900 and 1975 to weave the family's past and present, unfolding the secrets along the way. It was easy to guess many of the things before they were revealed, but still a suspenseful read.

[Lucy Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will have to read more books by this author. This was a great story, and I learned about the Boxer Rebellion. The book was published in 1975. I found this copy in one of my mother’s many bookshelves. It had my aunt’s name written inside so I’m sure she lent it to my Mom and there it stayed. I felt a connection to both of them as I read this book that they shared.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, spanning the time from the Boxer Rebellion in China to 1975 England. It is a story full of war and mystery and ghosts and plundered treasures, all wrapped around a dysfunctional family. Quick but delightful read.

[Susan]

1899-1900 Peking during the Boxer Rebellion in juxtaposition with 1975 mystery

[Oscar Maquito · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.7/5

[Sandy Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

the first 100 pages were extremely boring, but then it got better.

[KayLee · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a little hard to follow sometimes but i liked how i couldn't have expected how the story would go. but the ending felt empty, it made me feel like the story and all the characters went through didn't mean anything. it was a good story though up until the ending.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was a different book, one I'd read when I was a kid.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A love story during the Boxer Rebellion.

[Gena Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much my cup of tea as some of her other offerings.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe 2.5

[Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this years ago……

[Susan Lorenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned a bit about the Boxer Rebellion in China at the turn of the twentieth century