Well-written historical fiction immerses us in the past as surely as a movie might pictorially show us a scene. In THE FOURTH PRINCESS, Janie Chang takes us to China in 1911, where we learn about the Boxer Rebellion and the endangered Imperial dynasty.

The action is set in Shanghai, and the story is cleverly told through two points of view. Liu Lisan (first names are second in China) is an orphan taken in by a wealthy bachelor from a very important family. She was educated at private schools but wants to make her own way in the world. Caroline Stanton is a newly arrived wealthy American who wants to hire a secretary to help her with her social obligations. Instead of bringing on an American, she decides that a Chinese secretary might be more useful.

"Because the characters and their situations are so compelling, the pages practically turn themselves. Take a trip into the past and halfway across the world, and enjoy the mystery regarding the truth about Lisan and Caroline. You won't regret it."

Lisan is thrilled when Mrs. Stanton hires her. Caroline seems kind and down-to-earth, and she appreciates Lisan's intelligence and knowledge of Shanghai businesses. Lisan knows the best tailors, patisseries and florists. Her penmanship is exquisite, and she is polite and discreet. Caroline's husband came to Shanghai to be with his uncle, Mason. Together they plan on investing in Chinese railroads. While Thomas Stanton is a millionaire in his own right, Caroline brought her immense fortune into the marriage.

What we learn is that there are questions about both Caroline's and Lisan's backgrounds. While Lisan's narrative describes her strange, realistic nightmares, Caroline's is not as open and above board, although that is not clear at the start. Both women have been lied to, but their reactions when they learn about the mendacity could not be more opposite.

THE FOURTH PRINCESS is described as gothic, and there is indeed an entity that seems to be haunting the mansion where Lisan works. Although it's not difficult to guess its identity, that doesn't detract at all from the mystery of the message that it’s trying to communicate. Only Lisan sees the spirit, and only she hears its cryptic message. Chang makes clear from the start who is not to be trusted. That's why when she turns the tables and we see that we were led astray, we are taken by surprise and shocked.

What I loved most about this book is the way that I felt immersed in Shanghai as it was over a century ago. I was lucky enough to have visited Shanghai, so I could picture the European buildings on the Bund and imagine how Shanghai has changed since the setting of the novel. It's also fascinating to see the old names for cities like Peking and Soochow (Beijing and Suzhou) as they would have been used during that time.

I enjoyed the two female protagonists and the expert manner in which Chang depicted their personalities and their struggles to take control of their lives at a time when women were very limited in what they could do. And while American women had much more freedom than their Chinese counterparts, Caroline's money was still controlled by her husband. Lisan's life was completely taken over by her guardian. Although he was generous and kind, she lived in a gilded cage, only able to spread her wings if he gave permission.

Because the characters and their situations are so compelling, the pages practically turn themselves. Take a trip into the past and halfway across the world, and enjoy the mystery regarding the truth about Lisan and Caroline. You won't regret it.