Told from the perspective of three different men, each giving his perspective on the life of one woman (Otaka Yoshiko / Yoshiko Yamaguchi / Ri Koran), this is an interesting [fictionalized] biography. This book features "the last emperor" Pu Yi and other historical figures (including Kurosawa, Truman Capote and Frank Capra among others). Buruma creates a fascinating composite, but fails to create a unique "voice" for each of his three narrators. And, most importantly fails to give us any really intimate moments with the central character. Ultimately though, it's the story -- and her story is gloriously diverse and does succeed in giving us a fascinating historical novel with insight into realms other than our own. ( )

If you like intricate plots, interesting characters, foreign settings, and historical accuracy, this is a book for you. I knew absolutely nothing about Japanese/Chinese relations or Manchuria during the war and I must admit I had to reread chapters in the first part of the book to gather an understanding of the history of the times, but after that I was totally pulled in.

The first chapter is so compelling and demonstrates the effect stories and imagination can have on the human condition. And then as the book unfolds, one begins to see how stories (movies) can have an effect on an entire nation; are they stories for the imagination or propaganda or both.

Although Ri Koran (or Shirley Yamaguchi or whatever her name could be) is the center of the story, the three men that tell her story at three different times in her life are the most interesting. They provide perfect foils to her personality as she evolves from someone who is knowingly manipulated to someone who manipulates those around her. All of this set in three different parts of the world in vastly different circumstances.

I loved this book. I loved the fact that real historical characters play a part (Truman Capote comes to mind), and the authenticity of the historical events as they unfolded in China, Japan, United States, and Lebanon. There are so many characters in this book and so many little unique connections between them, it was a fascinating read. ( )

A novelization of the interesting life of Yoshiko Yamaguchi, a Japanese girl born in Manchuria in the early 20th century. Yoshiko first becomes famous as a Chinese film star known as Ri Koran during the Second World War, and she then reinvents herself in Hollywood as Shirley Yamaguchi, before taking up a career as a journalist and then a politician in the Japanese conservative party in the 1970's. While her life is certainly fascinating, this novel is told from the point of view of three men whose lives are touched by Yoshiko and inevitably the novel is as much about them as it is about Yoshiko if not more so. This novel certainly peaked my interest about this historical figure, but I was not impressed by the disjointed story and split narratives. ( )

One woman - Ri Koran / Li Xianglan / Yoshiko Yamaguchi / Shirley Yamaguchi (singer, movie star, reporter, diva; a real character, born in 1920 and as far as I know still alive today) - three men - all into movies/propaganda/censorship/politics. The men encounter Yamaguchi at different stages of her career. Telling their own story, they also tell the story of Japan in the 20th century. The three lives bound by one shared relationship also reflect on the role of art in politics, on art being corrupted and prostituted for 'the good cause'. And so are the characters, due to their need to either perform or watch. The strength of this novel is in its historical detail. As many of the characters are modeled after real and illustrious characters, the internet is a rich source of additional material to this novel, providing text, sound and pictures. The novel somewhat peters out in the end. The political, cultural and ethical implications are disturbing (Buruma is the 'puppet master', asking all the questions but not really helping). - A rich reading experience whetting one's appetite for more. ( )

I never got into this, and really didn't like the character. It does take place around world war 2 in Japan and China, and maybe gives some sense of that. But it was written by a U.S. author and I found myself not trusting his sense of history either. ( )