Empress Orchid by Anchee Min is the fictional story of a country girl who becomes on of the wives of the Emperor of China. Tzu Hsi and her family move to Beijing following the death of her father. There, while living in her uncles house her life takes a major turn when she is selected to be one of the wives of the young Emperor. She begins her life in the Forbidden City where she learns how she must survive and overcome a life of loneliness. She learns very quickly the culture and power structure of the Forbidden City. The palace dynamics and intrigue is very interesting. Min makes the people come alive as she describes the inner working of the palace and the relationships among the different people who live there. This story of the women who became Empress Orchid where a smart you woman, who lived during very turbulent time in China, is able to rise in a very male dominated environment to become a person who greatly influences and even helps run the country of China. It is an impressive story written will that will keep you interested and wanting more. I hope to read other Anchee Min novels especially "Becoming Madame Mao" and "The Last Empress." I think I would recommend this book for high school students especially girls. I potential middle school students could also read it. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it also for adult book clubs.