I am afraid that I don’t have much time for Wallis Simpson, but I usually enjoy finding out more about her. Here Paul French forensically examines the infamous ‘China Dossier’ and gets rid of the myths and gossip surrounding Wallis’s time in China. However, although it is well-researched and the author brings the glamorous, but dangerous world of 1920s China to life with his vivid descriptions, much of it is speculation and it is still hard to determine what the ‘real Wallis’ was like.

She was terrifically intrepid though, willingly going further into a China beset by factional fighting, warlords, poverty, disease and growing hatred of foreigners. She still managed to find an exclusive society of racing and card lovers, and staying in the hills with her good friends Herman and Kitty Rogers where they liveda life of luxury. She took to wandering around the deserted temples and countryside in spite of the danger of bandits.

It’s certainly worth reading. Wallis is always fascinating.

Traitor King by Andrew Lownie is next on the list.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review

Unfortunately, I think this book wasn't for me.

Wallis Simpson's story has always intrigued me and this book was an opportunity for me to give it a go. However, the pace of the book was quite slow and the writing style made it hard for me to get through it.

This made for a fascinating read. It digs deeper into the life and time of a woman often just portrayed as a selfish harridan of a woman trying to either become queen or bring down the monarchy depending on whos account you read. There is much to like about this book.

Her Lotus Year offers a vivid portrait of 1920s China and the expat culture that surrounded Wallis Simpson during her time in Shanghai. Paul French brings the setting to life with rich historical detail and paints a fascinating backdrop of glamour, danger, and cultural upheaval.

However, for a book centered on Wallis, she often feels like a side character in her own story. There’s plenty of context about the era, but I was hoping for more direct insight into Wallis herself—her mindset, motivations, and how this period truly shaped her. It’s a compelling read for fans of historical nonfiction, but I left wanting a fuller picture of the woman at its center.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I am fascinated by Wallis Simpson and the opportunity of reading this intrigued me

Really well researched and I did learn more on the subject

I would recommend this

This biography focuses on a lesser-known chapter of Wallis Simpson’s life - her years in China during the 1920s. The author paints a vivid picture of the woman who would later famously captivate Edward VIII.

As an avid reader of books on the British royal family, this was surprisingly my first deep dive into the life of Wallis Simpson. She remains, for me, one of the most enigmatic figures ever associated with the monarchy. I appreciated how thoroughly researched and richly detailed this book was—it offered many insights I hadn’t encountered before and presented Wallis as a complex and compelling woman.
That said, I did find parts of the narrative somewhat repetitive. By the final chapters, this began to wear on me a bit and slightly impacted my overall reading experience. However, the strength of the research and the engaging writing style still make this a valuable read.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the British royal family, interwar history, or women's lives in the early 20th century. It offers a unique perspective on Wallis Simpson that goes beyond the familiar headlines.

I enjoyed the opening of this book and was eager to learn more about the woman and the background to this historical event. The writing was engaging but from my subjective point of view I found the repetition of ideas and the attempts at suspense not really to my liking.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Whoa! I love learning about the Royal Brotiah family and thise that marry into it. Wallis has always been an intriguing figure. I had never heard of this time she spent in China. Wildly engaging, interesting and masterfully done.

Very disappointing
I read Paul French’s last wo books and they were terriffic. This was not.
Wallis Simpson is a bit player in this with overreliance in her unreliable memoir.
French draws superficial portraits of China in the 1920’s and then drops in Simpson from time to time.
Repetitive and not deeply researched., the book is neither satisfying as a history of China in theis period and particularly unsatisfying as an in-depth potrait of Simpson during this time.