My Splendid Concubine

Our Hart, Elegy for a Concubine, the sequel to My Splendid Concubine, continues the love story that Robert Hart did not want the world to discover. It is well known that behind every great man, there is a woman. In Robert's case, that woman was his concubine, Ayaou. She remained a mystery for more than a century. Robert arrived in China in 1854. By 1908, he was the godfather of China's modernization. The Ch'ing Dynasty called him Our Hart. In Dragon Lady, Sterling Seagrave wrote, "By early May, he had a sleep-in dictionary, his concubine, Ayaou.... Ayaou was barely past puberty but was wise beyond her years." In 1875, Robert described Ayaou as "one of the most amiable and sensible people imaginable," while casting himself blackly as "a fool."Praise for My Splendid ConcubineMy Splendid Concubine won honorable mentions in fiction at the 2008 London Book Festival, 2009 San Francisco Book Festival, and the 2009 Hollywood Book Festival."My Splendid Concubine is packed cover to cover with intriguing characters and plot, a must read for historical fiction fans and a fine addition to any collection on the genre." Midwest Book Review Online A fascinating illumination of nineteenth-century Chinese culture and the complex Englishman Robert Hart, the father of China s modernization. Hart s struggles adapting to Chinese culture, always feeling the pull and force of his Victorian British background, are compelling. His relationships with his concubine and his concubine s sister are poignant the novel is as much a study of the complexities of love as it is anything else. A powerful novel ... Judge of 2008 Writer s Digest Self Published Book Awards