First published in 1980, this is an engaging and well-written novel of 17th Century China. (It's also the second novel in the author's Imperial China series, following DYNASTY.)
Obvious comparisons would be to James Clavell (one of my favourite authors), and they are quite apt.
Elegant writes well, and he does a very good job writing a novelized account of the Manchu invasion of China, from a foreign perspective.
An interesting read.

Sorry, this one wasn't really for me. I chose it for the setting, and I liked that part! But I just never really connected with the characters. Thanks for the ARC anyway.

Unfortunately I didn't connect to this book and ended up not finishing it. I will not be reviewing it since my opinions aren't based on the entirety of the book and may therefore give wrong impressions.

For anyone who has read James Clavell's "Tai-Pan" and "Shogun" this book is like slogging through a muddy rice field. Give it a miss.

I received a review copy of "Manchu: A Novel (The Imperial China Trilogy Book 1)" by Robert Elegant (Open Road Integrated Media) through NetGalley.com.

Francis Arrowsmith has always been a man without a natural home. The son of an exiled English Catholic father and a French Catholic mother, he grows up at the Jesuit College of Saint-Omer, where he proves himself far more interested in gunpowder than grace. When the Italian Father Giulio di Giaccomo comes to rally support for a new mission to the Ming Emperor in China, Francis is tantalised by the prospect of following his military interests within the service of the Faith. And so, some years later, he arrives in Macao, the European foothold on this furthest and strangest edge of the world. The Empire itself remains closed to all Europeans, but there is one way in: giving military aid to the Ming against the Manchu invaders who harry the northern edges of their territories. Already known as a gifted artillery commander, Francis goes forth into the unknown lands along with a detachment of Portuguese cannon, a band of a brave men, and his own courage.

In principle, it doesn't sound too bad, does it? And, let's be honest, if the book wasn't so damn long and meandering, I'd have been happy to give it three stars. But Elegant seems determined to shoehorn in an extraordinary amount of detail (he spent much of his career working in Hong Kong and China), which often manifests itself as unnecessary repetition. When characters are speaking Chinese, for example, do we constantly need to be given their first words in Chinese before they are translated and completed in English? Do we need to be reminded, every time we meet someone, who they are? From one angle, I see the wisdom of this: one could easily be confused by the unfamiliar names, and perhaps a reader can't always keep track of which language is being spoken at any given time. But does it need to be every time? It just began to grow a little wearing. And there are times when the amount of detail weighs down the story, so that it feels more like reading a military manual or a textbook than a novel. That, I think, is the key problem for me: that much of the life is squeezed out.

I also found the female characters rather unedifying for a book published in 1980. They could easily have stepped out of a 1960s novel in which women's sole function is to be exotic consorts for the adventurous hero. Francis dutifully racks up wives in all three of the cultures present in China of this period, enjoying the ingenious sensual pleasures of the Orient before (spoiler!) realising he can only find true love with a fellow European. While the book as a whole is not guilty of Orientalism, the depiction of the Chinese and Manchu women as rarefied, sphinx-like sirens - or open-hearted, wanton wenches - most definitely is. We are, I think, meant to sympathise with Francis as he struggles with the icy disdain of his first wife, and the clinging adoration of the latter - poor man, to be so set upon by women! - but I was more struck by his complete lack of responsibility and Christian honour towards these poor ladies. And, if the women were somewhat shallow in their characterisation, the court eunuchs were even worse. Elegant clearly can't conceive of a eunuch who isn't overweight, greedy, slimy, perverted or scheming.

Essentially, this requires a lot of investment for a relatively light pay-off. It may well be representative of the historical fiction of its time but, almost forty years on, we're blessed with a much more dynamic, subtle and vivid tradition in the genre. While, yes, I do now feel that I have a better understanding of the Jesuit presence in China, and I certainly know more about the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, I don't think that I got enough from the book to warrant the 634 pages and the near-month of reading it. It's a shame, because Elegant has written other books that piqued my interest - but, with so many books vying for my attention, I think I will look in other directions for now.

For the full review, due to be published on 11 April 2017, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/04/11/manchu-robert-elegant

I felt like the book was very slow moving, I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. The overall story is good, and there are parts I really enjoyed, but overall it didn't hook me

I already was familiar with Robert Elegant having read his articles on Asia in Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times over the years.

This book is a reissue. What I also didn't realize is that it's part of a trilogy--Manchu is the first novel, followed by Mandarin, then Dynasty. A huge commitment if you are so inclined.

If you like historical fiction [as I do] and especially that on Asia [here, in particular, China], this may be the read for you.

Set in the 17th century, the novel starts in the Spanish Lowlands but quickly moves back and forth to Macao, then Peking [Beijing] and other parts of China.

It deals with the Ming Dynasty and of course, the Manchus. The story is told by Francis Arrowsmith, an Englishman.

4 stars

Readers must remember that this book was written in 1984, before some of the more recent upgrades in attitudes towards women. Women in China have always – and still – have a problem with male attitudes. The portrait of a woman as subservient would be even more applicable back in the 17th Century than even now.

This is an exciting book about China, albeit somewhat condescending regarding an Englishman coming to the rescue, as per usual in these types of books. The ruling Ming dynasty is being invaded by the Manchus. Francis Arrowsmith, the Englishman is question, aids the corrupt Ming dynasty.

It is well written and easy to understand. This book is an adventure for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Open Road Integrated Media for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.