This is a fictionalized account of the life of Pearl Buck, as seen through the story of her (fictional) best friend Willow. I have read other books by Anchee Min, and I was really looking forward to this one. I have loved Pearl Buck's "China" books since I can remember. I was terribly disappointed in Pearl of China. The author took some pretty serious liberties with Pearl Buck's story, and while I thought Willow's story and perspective was interesting, to a point, I also felt the writing was choppy and the focus was more on Willow than Pearl. The other thing that really frustrated me was the complete omission of historical context. There was a passing reference to the Boxer Rebellion, but no real discussion of the political conditions, warlords, factions or foreign influence. There was a passing reference to the Japanese invasion of China, but other than that, you would think that WWI and WWII had no effect on China at all. That was particularly frustrating given that much of the story takes place in Nanking where the Japanese invaders made a fairly significant impact on the lives of the citizens. I was able to tolerate these problems fairly well, and then, Willow married a communist who was a close adviser to Mao. After that, it was sort of impossible for me to suspend belief and enjoy the story. I may have to go re-read Pearl Buck in China just to feel better.