The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure

By Adam Williams

Book Overview

In this sweeping Far Eastern epic in the tradition of James Clavell, a cast of innocents, fanatics, sinners, and lovers are drawn to an infamous brothel that overlooks an execution ground as the Boxer... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0340827874
• ISBN13: 9780340827871
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Flame (GB)
• Length: 704 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The definition of sensuous

I have read this book maybe four or five times since I bought it last year. Yes, the book is that good. The story flows seamlessly as it describes life at the turn of the twentieth century in China. It details the culture, lifestyle and politics of the time beautifully. The book weaves the politics of the Boxer Rebellion, which was a peasant up-rising against the foreign rulers of the day, into a detailed love affair between a Victorian agent/spy and a goody-two-shoes, covent-raised young woman. The story jumps back and forth between the foreigners attempting to modernize/dominate China and the happenings in The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure (A brothel in the city). The author makes these jumps effortlessly and manages to entwine the two into one majestic tapestry of story-telling. The characters are so well drawn and the words so well-balanced that this book is impossible to put down. It is the ultimate page-turner. This is the book you've been waiting to read.

An adventure story with history to boot . . .

A well written account of the Boxer rebellion, the book centers on the lives and fates of a small group of europeans in the fictional chinese city of Shishan. I found the first few chapters a bit slow but once the book picked up speed it was a gripping read. The characters weren't that well developed. Henry's dialogues are reminiscent of Bogart and while his character as charming spy/ne'er do well is well done, Helen Frances seems a petty little wretch most of the time. I was surprised at how the book ended. Not so much at how the events unfolded but at how the author chose to convey them. Instead of following the characters as he had throughout the book, he suddenly switched to a dialogue between two new characters to give us an idea of how Henry and Helen Frances finally ended up. Have to say I felt a bit cheated at that. After being shown every nuance of the relationship it felt like the end was cut short. Still a good read with some hefty skimming on my part. I particularly enjoyed the character of the Mandarin and the enigmatic Mongol Shaman. And I learned a lot about the Boxer rebellion too :)

One of the best

Interested in Chinese history? Even just a little? Do you also like a novel that`s a real page-turner? Whether you know a lot about Chinese history or not, this novel will captivate your imagination throughout. A longer novel than most, I didn't get bored anywhere! The vivid portrayal of characters in constantly imaginative, challenging situations combined with what is obviously thoroughly researched historical context make this novel absolutely unforgettable!This is a good chance to learn about Chinese history and culture and enjoy every minute of it!

It was a dark and stormy night . . .

I bought this book last summer because it was the only English-language book available in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris that I had not read and was not written by Jacqueline Susann. As my plane lifted off for the States, I was at first afraid that I had made a mistake. The style is much more like something from the Victorian era than 2004. However, I soon became entranced by the story, and the anachronistic prose just made it better for a long flight. The characters are well-developed, even when not totally credible, and the reader soon comes to care about their trials and tribulations. Mr. Williams displays a thorough knowledge of Chinese history as he paints a panoramic portrait of a country in turmoil. If nothing else, the book should be nominated for a Bulwer-Lytton award, since it really does begin on a "dark and stormy night."

A good yarn

This book is just a brilliant read. It isn't the best written book ever and some of the reviews are right in saying that maybe one never really forms a true attachment to the characters. That said it is a fantastic and gripping story, scenes are well set and although I know nothing about the history of this time, it certainly created a lovely image in my mind of how it may have been in China at this time. Above all it is good fun!