Rating: 
Summary: 55 days in peking
Review: This is a good book that I probably would have rated 4.5 if it were possible. The author has an excellent introduction that essentially is a synopsis of the whole event. She mentions that there were a number of personal histories and recollections written by the European and American participants. We see the events as recorded by these numerous witnesses and this is effective. I have read many a work of non-fiction that has been dragged down by a ponderous morass of first person accounts. Ms. Preston knows how to "cut and paste" so that we get the flavor but not the indigestion. The story moves and our attention is maintained throughout. This is good because the story is a suspenseful one that takes places simultaneously at several locales. Ms. Preston handles this well by focussing on the main events and filling us in later on the peripheral ones. The conclusion was well done. We get a "whatever happened to" recap of the main characters. This is interesting although I felt short-changed on the recap of the Rev. Roland Allen who became an unmentioned authority on the development of local ministry. The apparent lack of Chinese (and Japanese) sources gives this a rather one-sided perspective. The reader is curious, for example, as to why such small forces could defeat such overwhelming numbers. The author gives some reasons but we lack that personal perspective from the other side. The author's epilogue probably should have been included in her "Notes and Sources" because it seemed a poor way to finish an otherwise engrossing account of a footnote in History.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book, a must for a history buff
Review: While not much is written about the Boxer Rebellion, Diana Preston, does a great job. I could not put this down, it reads like a novel. Preston vividly re counts the events leading up to the rebellion, as well as the conflict itself. The discription of the charaters in the same detailed light (the sexual habits of the players is also mentioned, but not over done)places a face on the conflict. It also descibes the awkward union of the world powers that sent troops to rescue the legations in Peking. What I noted the most is that in some aspects China has changed very little. The maps and pictures help with the story. I liked this book very much, and being an avid history reader I could not tell if this was a novel or a history book. If you are looking for a great read that covers this period (in which so few books are written) buy Preston's book.
Rating: 
Summary: Ignorance trumps greed
Review: Why were the Europeans in China? I boils down to greed. However, this greed brought benifits to the Chinese people. Unfortunately, the utter ignorance of the peasants and the "greed" for power of the Chinese leaders created a bloddy ruthless rebellion. Much like we are seeing in the Arab world today. In both cases (Chian in 1900 and in the Arab world today), it's the last desperate gasp of a failed empire. Had China handled the foreigners differently and had the foreigners behaved more respectfully, China would be the world's superpower today (they probably will be in 50 years anyway -- 150 years later than it could have been). Instead they choose the path of destruction.This book chronicles this wart of Chinese history. It was a clash of pride, power, and misunderstanding. Messy , messy, messy. Anyway, Diana Preston makes this moment in history very readable. Although she presents the history from the foreigner's side, it seems very fair and balanced. Some additional background in the politics at the time are available in other references likes Spence's _The Search for Modern China_. One lesson I took from the book is that the Chinese people can be as ruthless, heartless, and conniving as any people in European history, including the Nazi's! It is a shame that a society driven by mass hysteria and propagnada will probably be the next world superpower. I found myself becoming argry at the Boxer's who were extremely ignorant and superstitious. I hated Princess Dowager who sought to harness the zeal of the Boxer's for her own aspirations. It seems that China could have benifited from the railroads, telegraphs, etc. that the "foreighn devil's" were introducing. However, by the end of the book, I was ashamed of the behaviour of the Europeans. They were as barbaric and ruthless as the Boxer atackers. As someone in the book said, civility is a thin veneer. I give the book three stars (which I regard as a strong recommendation). I use four stars for a must read and five for "classics." I recommend readinf Spence's _The Search for Modern China_ before reading _The Boxer Rebellion_ although that is not necessary: _The Boxer Rebellion_ stands on it's own. The book also had an appropriate number of maps and photographs. There should be better detailed geograhical map in the front: the one that is there is barely acceptable.
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