Fascinating story with historical connection - Rated 
Fascinating story about Mao's wife. It is well written, and connects to the history of China very well. It is an interesting portrait of an interesting woman and I am very happy to have read it - and I would read it again. The political descriptions and discussions in the book are however sometimes to long, especially when compared to other books by Anchee Min. I assume that this has to do with who Madame Mao was and what she left behind in regards to eye witnesses, notes etc.
Anchee Min has a way of weaving stories using a lot of "real" facts which she successfully mix with fantasy, a fatastic skill to have an an author.
I will read more by Anchee Min, but "Becoming Madame Mao" is not her strongest book - or Madame Mao was a more difficult person to base a story on perhaps? I believe that the more you know about the history of China, the more interesting this book becomes though. Unfortunately a lot of history - books, documents and so forth - were of course destroyed under the "Cultural Revolution" in China in the late 60-ies, early 70-ties. Has the manipulation of history manipulated Madame Mao's background as well? One can't help but wondering...
Madam Mao - Rated 
Initially i thought this was based on the real life of Mao's third wife. However, after reading Mao's true story this story is more fiction based ad very different (i suppose Mao biography is more in depth and demonstrates every small detail). I still enjoyed reading this story, as i took it as a story and not as Mao's true story.
This is the story of Jiang Chang Mao wife who supported him and helped in his success. She only felt the need to do this when her marriage to Mao was coming towards the end. She her self went through many relationships to proof her worth to her last husband and to China. This is a story of a lady who went through many difficulties to reach her destination and become Mao's wife.
This is a great story that is worth reading. If you are genuinely into the Chinese culture then this is another book that is worth reading and capturing more of the culture through stories inspired by the history of China and its legends.
disappointing - Rated
Having read empress orchid, and really enjoying it, i decided to also read becoming madame mao, and was disappointed to find the writing style and story telling completely different. Although a fascinating story, i found that half way through the book, i wasn't too bothered about finishing it.
It's definitely worth a read if you want to learn more about the history of china from a different perspective, but considering the life madame mao led, its made to sound much duller than it could have been written, even when following the facts.
A sensual ficticious biography - Rated 
A beautifully crafted novel that uncovers the barely known, myth like first-lady of China, Jiang Chian - the wife of Chairman Mao through his period of power.
Looking through her eyes, this ficticious biography offers an insight on how she got her reputation as a hard faced lover of torture and war, it also offers a different view than any other Mao biography, essay or book. To watch Madame Mao play her role through each act in her life is to follow Mao's success and her downfall. A great idea for a novel is transformed into a spectacular biography. The story has a strong use of chinese poetry the whole way through it, giving a romantic and genuine feel to it. (...)
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