A most immoral woman by Linda Jaivin

It is 1904. At the age of forty−two‚ the handsome and influential Australian George Ernest Morrison‚ Peking correspondent for The Times of London‚ is considered the most eligible Western bachelor in China. But Morrison has yet to meet his match −− until one night‚ where the Great Wall meets the sea‚ he encounters Mae Perkins‚ the ravishing and
free−spirited daughter of a California millionaire‚ and a turbulent affair begins.
I really thought I would enjoy this book but I had to put it aside after I was only half way through. I could not bring myself to finish it because I didn't care what happened. There is no doubt that Linda Jaivin is a formidable researcher, and the time and place in which the novel is set is really interesting, but the characters were not! Morrison and his cronies were all sexist, racist bores, which is obviously historically and anecdotally correct, but the character of Mae Perkins was a real disappointment. There was not enough "fiction" in this novel and this probably flies in the face of recent criticisms about authors playing fast and loose with historical fact. Mae was both fast and loose but that alone does not necessarily make a great premise for a novel.
Rating - I give this 2.5/5
Nothing Special
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Reviewed by Sarah @ Hamilton library