The Last Concubine

Growing up deep in the mountains of rural Japan in 1861, Sachi has always felt different, her pale skin and fine features setting her apart from her friends and family. Her life is turned upside down at 11 when an imperial princess passes through her village and sweeps her off to the women’s palace in the great city of Edo. Bristling with intrigue and erotic rivalries, the palace is home to three thousand women and only one man—the young shogun. Sachi is chosen as his concubine. Set in one of the most tumultuous eras in Japanese history, Sachi’s story is a potent mix of adventure and high romance. From the timeless beauty of the women’s palace in Edo to bloody battles fought outside its walls, The Last Concubine is an epic evocation of a country in revolution, and of a young woman’s quest to find out who she really is.