The Garden of Perfect Brightness

Forbidden City

By: Melissa Addey

Narrated by: Kelly Wilkinson, Francesco Pagnoncelli

China, the 1720s. Giuseppe Castiglione, a promising and ambitious Italian painter, is recruited by the Jesuits to serve the Emperor of China. But his painting style is rejected as inauspicious. Meanwhile, Niuhuru, a grey-eyed, too-tall girl is chosen as a concubine to a minor prince and sent to live in the Garden of Perfect Brightness, where Giuseppe meets her when he is tasked with turning the Garden into a wonderland for the Qianlong Emperor. But as the Garden changes and Niuhuru is swept upwards to ever-greater importance, is something precious being lost? And will either of them ever be able to admit to their true feelings for one another?

©2019 Melissa Addey (P)2025 Melissa Addey

A Perfect Jewel Box of a Novel

Truly a treasure. This novel held me enchanted throughout. It was all so darned interesting and so skillfully written: the details of Castiglione's artwork, the rivalries in the Imperial court, the chance to stroll in a beautiful and peaceful Chinese garden. The Jesuit painter attracted me initially, but Niuhuru's voice has an endearing intimacy that made her immediately sympathetic. Both main characters are based on real people. I admit it took me a bit to get used to each narrator's accent, but the adjustment is well worth it. I also loved the way Giuseppe and Niuhuru's relationship is reflected, both happily and sadly, in minor characters. Melissa Addey is a superb writer. In particular, the ending of this novel is one of the best in any piece of fiction I've ever experienced.