This book was written as if Eastern Jewel was writing a memoir. At the end, I wondered why I didn't have a feel for who Eastern Jewel was as a person. I didn't know her motivations, her abandonment issues, her attachment to Japan, or disgust for China. After reading a person's journal for 300 pages, I expect to know a little more! Why didn't Eastern Jewel get more upset about being sterilized after the abortion? Wasn't she scared of the abuse of her stepfather and stepgrandfather? She didn't seem to miss her mother or Sorry until the very end.

Lindley wrote this book as historical fiction to give a one-dimensional character some dimension. All I saw in Eastern Jewel was a woman who slept around with everyone. Eastern Jewel was very matter of fact about her entire life, showing emotion precisely twice in the book: falling in love with Yamaga and falling in love with Jack. I only know she was in love because she told me. The entire book was Eastern Jewel telling me things, not showing me.

A poorly written book about a great topic. Clearly Lindley's first novel.