The Last Star of the East: Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia and Her Films by Akiko Testuya (2005)
1 January 2007I don’t know what took me so long to read this book, I bought it a while back and had meant to read it, but somehow it moved back in my bookshelf, but on my trip back to Cleveland for XMAS I took it and read most of it on the flight back. It is an excellent book, not only for all fans of the Hong Kong film star Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia or even fans of Hong Kong film in general. It is written in Interview format with the first part being a medley of 4 Interviews Akiko had with the usually quite and seemingly retired Lin Ching Hsia, and the rest is interviews with her friends and people she has worked with throughout her career. It paints a vibrant picture of the actress and gives insight into the Hong Kong and Taiwanese film industry.
The book is well edited, a quick read and very enjoyable. Well worth the price.
In fact I know Akiko, though I have not seen her in some time, as I met her through my good friend Jeff Briggs. She is a reporter on Hollywood for Japanese Entertainment News, but she decided to write this book in English and I am quite glad that I did.