Manchu Palaces

Set at the Imperial Court of China's Manchu Qing dynasty in the 17th century, Larsen's marvelously imagined, if somewhat convoluted, second novel (after Silk Road) centers on the coming-of-age of shy, beautiful Lotus, who will be chosen for the coveted position of bond-servant to the Empress Dowager. Young Lotus, living with her extended family (all bond-servants to the emperor) on the outskirts of the palace, is still grief-stricken over the recent death of her mother. Together with her spirited cousin, Wintersweet, she is kept busy with courtly duties. When Lotus's father returns from a long absence, he brings his new love, a worldly concubine called Little Auntie Tao, who teaches Lotus the importance of controlling her emotions and the nuances of traditional feminine power. These skills come in handy when Lotus catches the eye of a prince, who pursues her with the approval of the Empress. This gently intriguing, brilliantly detailed tale forms the strong backbone of the novel. Larsen weakens it somewhat by lavish use of interpolated material, including Chinese fables and mythology, faux historical manuscripts (one penned by an 18th-century Portuguese explorer; another by a scholar in the 1930s) and bland (if satirical) contemporary criticism of Manchu literature. Lotus's singular story of enlightenment, involving a statue of the goddess Tara and the secret of a mandala, is the radiant center of these diversions, however. The result is like a vividly rendered painting whose commanding central image is sometimes obscured but more often enhanced by minutely observed background detail. (Oct.)