Anyway, this one was written by Laurence Yep, who also writes for American Girl. He did Mia and Isabelle's GotY series, plus Spring Pearl's book for the Girls of Many Lands collection. I mention this because this book reminds me a bit of Spring Pearl's. Both feature fish out of water main characters who are placed in the homes of wealthy Chinese families. Spring Pearl's is more novel and less historical fiction with nicely-developed characters you really care about, while Lady of Ch'iao Kuo is a bit too historical. Lots of talk of battles and war and less about the characters themselves, which is the strength of Spring Pearl's book.
That said, I do quite like Princess Redbird. She's a fascinating person that sadly, we don't know too much about. I think Yep did well in crafting a family and life for her, although I felt more removed from the majority of the characters than I like to feel.
I recommend this one, because it gives insight into some of China's very rich history, and I did feel like I learned a lot, even though it was a bit dull once it got into the war stuff. (Expect to hear this a lot when I get to the boys in war books. All the battles. Ho hum.) Definitely read Spring Pearl's book! Maybe someday I'll review the GoML series, which I give a high recommendation to.
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