The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley is a mildly fascinating novel about the Chinese princess Eastern Jewel. I think I would have enjoyed the novel more if it hadn’t been billed as historical fiction. Although Easten Jewel is an historical figure, most of this story seems to be made up.

Her life story is nonetheless intriguing. She was a strong woman of Chinese birth, cousin of the last Emperor, raised in Japan, sent to Mongolia, and later became a spy for the Japanese during WWII. She was a great beauty who often dressed as a man, smoked opium, flew planes, had many lovers, and betrayed most of the people she came in contact with.

In this novel, she isn’t very likeable, and this made it hard to truly care about her. I suspect the true Eastern Jewel was a much more interesting and even likable person than the character Lindley has written.

Known as the “Eastern Mata Hari” and the “Joan of Arc of Manchuria” she deserves a better biographer than Lindley to tell her tale. However, since this was not meant to be a biography, it is still an interesting read.