“This is a triumph of both research and storytelling.” —Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs
From the bestselling author of The Last Romantic comes a history of modern China throughout the 20th century—from the revolution that ended over 2,000 years of monarchy, followed by World War II, and ending in the loss to the Communist party—and the beautiful, but ruthless, woman at its center.
An epic and comprehensive historical tapestry of 20th century China, The Last Empress revolves around the formidable Madame Chiang Kai-shek and her family. Her father, Charlie Soong, a self-made man who sent his children to the United States to be educated; her mother, Ni Kwei-tseng, an unlikely Methodist from the Mandarin class; her husband, Chiang Kai-shek, a military leader and dogmatic warlord; and her sisters, one married to Sun Yat-sen, who founded the Republic of China, and the other to a seventy-fifth lineal descendant of Confucius.
The Soong family—along with their partners in marriage—was largely responsible for bringing China into the 20th century. Brilliantly narrated, this fierce and bloody drama also includes US Army General Joseph Stilwell; Claire Chennault, head of the Flying Tigers; Communist leaders Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai; murderous warlords; journalists Henry Luce, Theodore White, and Edgar Snow; and the unfortunate State Department officials who would be purged for predicting (correctly) the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War.
Well versed in both Western and Chinese culture, Madame Chiang made several tours abroad. She made the cover of Time magazine three times, befriended by the Roosevelts, stayed in the White House for long periods during World War II, and convinced the US Congress to financially support the Nationalists’ war effort. Although dubbed the Dragon Lady in some quarters, she was an icon to her people.
Compelling and definitive, The Last Empress tells the richly complex story of one of the most formidable, controversial, and unforgettable women of the 20th century, and how she helped bring China into the modern age.
“Ms. Pakula writes like a dream, and her narrative is certainly a pleasure to read; anyone who wants to learn about China in the first half of the 20th century will find The Last Empress a good guide.”
--Melanie Kirkpatrick, The Wall Street Journal
“Pakula’s biography is often absorbing. Madame Chiang emerges as more than just her husband’s wife; we see a brilliant, scheming, deliberately alluring, brave, corrupt chameleon of a woman. . . . The Last Empress . . . presents Madame Chiang as far more complex, awful and brilliant than we had imagined.”
--Jonathan Mirsky, The New York Times Book Review
“Pakula’s biography is often absorbing. Madame Chiang emerges as more than just her husband’s wife; we see a brilliant, scheming, deliberately alluring, brave, corrupt chameleon of a woman. . . . The Last Empress . . . presents Madame Chiang as far more complex, awful and brilliant than we had imagined.”
--Jonathan Mirsky, The New York Times Book Review
“The tale of Soon May-ling, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s American-educated wife, is epic in scope. Hannah Pakula brings vividly to life the tormented odyssey of China during the 20th Century and the enthralling life story of this singular woman in a wonderfully accessible way.”
--Orville Schell, Director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society
