I finally got far enough in this book to order Anchee Min’s book that just came out “The Last Empress!” Lan Ping the heroine of this story starts her life with a love for acting and does whatever she can to get to be in her ideal role, including marrying and living with several men. She reminds me somewhat of Undine Spragg from Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton with her strong relentlessness to get whatever she wants no matter what the cost to others. This could change, but somehow I doubt that because Lan already mentions many of the people who had wronged her earlier on in the book and how she had them offed later on in the name of communism. Very intersting, will keep reading – not the greatest, but definitely worth the read. Hopefully the Last Empress is as good as I hope.