Empress Orchid
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Narrated by:
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Alexandra O'Karma
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By:
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Anchee Min
About this listen
Seventeen-year-old Orchid belongs to an aristocratic family that has fallen on hard times. Unexpectedly, she is chosen as one of the emperor's lesser concubines. Within the Forbidden City are thousands of women hoping to bear the emperor a son and become his empress. Orchid, determined and resourceful, schemes her way into the royal bed and seduces the emperor. But as the opium trade erodes the might of the Ch'ing dynasty, Orchid find herself at the center of a crumbling nation.
A colorful depiction of one of history's least understood women, The Empress Orchid is another enthralling masterpiece for Anchee Min.
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- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Independent-minded Sibylla Spencer feels trapped in 19th-century London, where her strong will and progressive views have rendered her unmarriageable. Still single at 23, she is treated like a child and feels stifled in her controlling father's house. When Benjamin Hopkins, an ambitious employee of her father's trading company, shows an interest in her, she realizes marriage is her only chance to escape.
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The Lioness o Morocco
- By MM on 06-23-17
By: Julia Drosten, and others
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The Second Empress
- A Novel of Napoleon's Court
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Adam Alexi-Malle, Emma Bering, Tanya Franks
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the 18-year-old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war. Marie-Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleon’s reputation. But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husband’s affection....
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A brilliant novel!
- By BVerité on 12-08-12
By: Michelle Moran
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The Tale of Murasaki
- A Novel
- By: Liza Dalby
- Narrated by: Allison Hiroto
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 11th century Murasaki Shikibu wrote the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, the most popular work in the history of Japanese literature. In The Tale of Murasaki, Liza Dalby has created a breathtaking fictionalized narrative of the life of this timeless poet - a lonely girl who becomes such a compelling storyteller that she is invited to regale the empress with her tales. The Tale of Murasaki is the story of an enchanting time and an exotic place.
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Great book, reader lacked emotion
- By Epiphany on 06-05-18
By: Liza Dalby
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Imperial Woman
- The Story of the Last Empress of China
- By: Pearl S. Buck
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of Tzu Hsi is the story of the last empress in China. In this audiobook, Pearl S. Buck recreates the life of one of the most intriguing rules during a time of intense turbulence. Tzu Hsi was born into one of the lowly ranks of the Imperial dynasty. According to custom, she moved to the Forbidden City at the age of 17 to become one of hundreds of concubines. But her singular beauty and powers of manipulation quickly moved her into the position of Second Consort.
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The Last Empress and the Destruction of China
- By MarilynArms on 07-29-13
By: Pearl S. Buck
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Push Not the River
- By: James Conroyd Martin
- Narrated by: Dawn Harvey
- Length: 19 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Push Not the River is the rich story of Poland in the late 1700's - a time of heartache and turmoil as the country's once peaceful people are torn apart by neighboring countries and divided loyalties. It is then, at the young and vulnerable age of seventeen, that Lady Anna Maria Berezowska loses both of her parents and must leave the only home she has ever known.
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Save your time; buy something else.
- By AMS on 10-22-15
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Madame Tussaud
- A Novel of the French Revolution
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador Thomas Jefferson to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie's museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, and word even arrives that the royals themselves are coming to see their likenesses....
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Tales from a turbulent time
- By Tim on 07-23-12
By: Michelle Moran
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The Sisters of Versailles
- Mistresses of Versailles Series # 1
- By: Sally Christie
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the lavish backdrop of the French Court in the early years of the 18th century, The Sisters of Versailles is the extraordinary tale of the five Nesle sisters - Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne - four of whom became mistresses to King Louis XV. Their scandalous story is stranger than fiction but true in every shocking, amusing, and heartbreaking detail.Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife.
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Best book I've listened to in ages
- By Dr. A. on 01-09-16
By: Sally Christie
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The School of Mirrors
- A Novel
- By: Eva Stachniak
- Narrated by: Ell Potter
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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During the reign of Louis XV, impoverished but lovely teenage girls from all over France are sent to a discreet villa in the town of Versailles. Overseen by the King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, they will be trained as potential courtesans for the King. When the time is right, each girl is smuggled into the palace of Versailles, with its legendary Hall of Mirrors.
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Fascinating but pedophilia nonetheless.
- By Barbara W. on 05-10-22
By: Eva Stachniak
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Mademoiselle Boleyn
- By: Robin Maxwell
- Narrated by: Suzan Crowley
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When her father is assigned the task of spying on the French Court, the charming and sweetly innocent Anne Boleyn is delighted by the thought of a new adventure. And she is not to be disappointed, for her beautiful sister, Mary, has been handed a mission: to let herself be seduced by the King of France in order to uncover his secrets. Mesmerized by the thrilling passion, intrigue, and betrayal that unfolds, Anne discovers the power of being a woman who catches the eye of a powerful king.
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Intriguing
- By Anonymous User on 11-10-18
By: Robin Maxwell
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Hand of Isis
- By: Jo Graham
- Narrated by: Gigi Shane
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.
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Reader does not know how to pronounce words
- By Gail N. on 07-31-19
By: Jo Graham
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Antoinette's Sister
- By: Diana Giovinazzo
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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As Marie Antoinette took her last breath as queen of France in Paris, another formidable monarch - Antoinette’s dearly beloved sister, Charlotte - was hundreds of miles away, in Naples, fighting desperately to secure her release from the revolutionaries who would take her life. Little did Charlotte know, however, that her sister’s execution would change the course of history - and bring about the end of her own empire.
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Started off good, but I lost interest as time went
- By Tess of the D'urbervilles on 02-02-22
By: Diana Giovinazzo
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What listeners say about Empress Orchid
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Danielle
- 08-07-20
Such a good story
Whoever edited this though needs to take the mouth sounds of the narrator, swallow and obviously drinking water.
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Overall
- Anonymous User
- 09-06-07
Historical fiction china
Loved it. Had lots of interesting information and a plot that kept you wanting to listen! Great listen - or read!
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Pamela
- 06-10-04
intruiging and broad
I am not normally interested in things Royal or excessively interested in things Asian, but this was a good book. It covers a rather long portion of time, in which age happens to characters and they act not always as proscribed. I like the strength of the title character, who is drawn with the lightest brush strokes and in an understated manner. A real welcome from female characters who are strong and in your face. The narrator speaks very slowly and in hushed tones, mimicking the role of women in traditional Chinese society.
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2 people found this helpful
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- A. S.
- 10-17-20
The audio version does not sync with written versi
I love the book and will continue to read this in Kindle version. But bought both the Kindle version and the Audible version to do through “whisper-sync”. But they do not sync up. The narrated version would not download in Kindle. And the chapter headings don’t match up. So you can’t in fact go back and forth between reading and listening. Drove me crazy and wasted tons of time trying to find where you left off.
The narrator was only “decent”. I didn’t mind the saliva and throat sounds as much as others, and yes she was on the bland side, but it wasn’t that bad.
Great book. But either read it or listen to it, don’t try to go back and forth.....
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- R. Williams
- 05-18-17
Liked the book, but not the narration!
I liked this book, but I cannot recommend this audio version. Each swallow and mouth sound the narrator made, which happened very often, was a huge distraction and very irritating to me. If this was not the book of the month for my book club, I would have abandoned it early on.
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- Joan
- 04-23-13
empress orchid
Would you try another book from Anchee Min and/or Alexandra O'Karma?
possibly.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The story was too long and drawn out. I enjoyed the historical aspect, but it was an 18 hr. listen.
Did Alexandra O'Karma do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
She did.
Do you think Empress Orchid needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No.
Any additional comments?
The story teller was too close to her microphone. You could hear every time she would swallow. It was a bit distracting.
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- Angelyn S. Furst
- 09-22-11
Fabulous Story Ruined by a Terrible Narrater
The Empress Orchid is a fascinating look into the inter workings of China's Imperial Court. However, the narrator was absolutely the worse I've ever heard. I almost never complain about the narration, but this narrator is terrible. Not a single sentence was completed without loud slobbery swallowing. I read the other reviews which criticized the narrator, but I was interested in the story so I knew what I was getting. Why or why do producers of audiobooks allow such terrible narrations.
Background on the stories reveals that the writer and others are trying to rehabilitate the last Empress Dowager. Apparently, in the 1900's stories about Empress Dowager Cixi's cruelty and manipulations were highly exaggerated to make a good story. Somewhere in the middle is probably the truth.
Great story if you can tolerate the narrator.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Morey
- 04-21-07
Wonderful Story
I loved this book. The color and tenor was rich. I can't wait for the next book to come to audible. I have always enjoyed stories from this period in Chinese, Japanese and European history and this was beautifully done.
While I love, love, love the story, this is honestly the worst narrated book I have ever heard. She sounds like she has a bad case of cotton mouth. You can here the smacking noises she makes all through the book. And As I would just get caught up in the story, the narrator would swallow and gulp. Please find someone else to do the reading!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Meyhlou Humblet
- 12-03-20
Narrator pauses too often
I read this book a while ago and really liked it. I had some credits to use on Audible and thought I'd download it and listen while I traveled. I should of listened to the sample first. The narrator seems to pause more often than is necessary and at what seems to be in the middle of sentences.
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Overall
- D. SylverFoust
- 11-28-05
Great book
The depth of the the history, culture, and humanity expessesed in the telling of this astonishing life story cannot help but to enrich you long after you have listened to the last of this book
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