Cameron Dokey Brings the Spirited Mulan to Life in Wild Orchid

When I think of brave Disney princesses, Belle usually comes to mind first. However, Mulan – technically not a princess at any point in her Disney existence but still lumped in with the rest – is even braver, posing as a man so she can go off to war in her ailing father’s place. The devotion this young heroine of Ancient China showed to her father touched me, and her courage and independent spirit reminded me of Eowyn, my favorite female character in Lord of the Rings. I’d never heard of Mulan before the Disney movie came out in 1998, but The Ballad of Mulan, the tale from which she emerged, is as beloved in some corners of the world as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. Hence, her story is a part of Simon Pulse’s Once Upon a Time Series, which includes novelizations of a dozen or so famous folk and fairy tales.

Cameron Dokey, who also wrote six other books in the series, is the author behind Wild Orchid, the tale of Mulan that was published in 2009. It bears little resemblance to the Disney version except in its basic storyline: Ancient Chinese tomboy goes to war in her father’s place, falls in love with her commander and saves China. The rest of the details are completely different, so if this book was influenced in any way by the Disney version, Dokey seems to have made a concentrated effort to make them completely distinct from each other.

This version is entirely devoid of any fantastical elements: no talking dragon, no conferring ancestors. Mulan, who narrates the book, is significantly younger, just 14 years old when she joins the army. Raised by Min Xian, an elderly housekeeper who doesn’t keep a very tight rein on her, Mulan is the daughter of a respected general who she doesn’t meet until the age of 13 and his beloved wife who died giving birth to her. Their marriage for love was unusual, a gift granted by the Emperor for her father’s exceptional service. Hence, while everything about this story feels pretty natural and plausible, there is a slight mystical sense that because Mulan was born of such a marriage, even though she grew up in the absence of her parents, she has a heart that is destined to follow its own path.

What surprised me most about this book, which contains 19 chapters and about 200 pages, is the fact that Mulan does not leave home until more than halfway through. We spent a lot of time getting to know her through her unconventional childhood, which is filled with clandestine lessons from her best friend, a neighbor boy named Li Po. While Min Xian insists that she develop feminine skills like embroidery and weaving, she spends her free time gaining a much more interesting education from Li Po. By the time her father returns, she is adept at reading and writing, horseback riding, swordplay and especially archery. But what will her father think of such a rough-and-tumble daughter?

In many ways, this is a father-daughter story. Mulan longs for her father’s love and approval, but she resents his lack of contact throughout her childhood and his refusal to allow her to know her mother’s name. Slowed down by an old war injury and tortured by the thought that history could repeat itself with his second pregnant wife, he is in genuine danger when the summons to fight comes, particularly since he has fallen out of favor with the Emperor and is now only being asked to fight as a regular soldier, but Mulan’s decision to go in his place is almost as much about gaining his respect as it is an attempt to spare him further pain. It’s also an attempt to discover who she really is. She notes repeatedly that she is not like other girls, and she hopes to find a proper place for herself in the army.

Another difference here is that when she goes to war, she meets with two friends in whom she confides her true identity. One is Li Po, who is apprenticed to the other, General Yuwen, a warm, understanding friend of her father’s to whom she became close during his stay in the household after his return home. Having two such highly respected people in on her secret and looking after her makes it a much less lonely and frightening experience. It helps, too, that she quickly forms a curious kinship with Prince Jian, the youngest and most beloved of the Emperor’s sons, after demonstrating her ability with a bow and arrow and her knack for speaking with wisdom and diplomacy. She and the prince seem to understand each other, but does she dare reveal her true identity, and will she have the strength to face the ferocious Huns when they venture forth into battle?

I found this book very well-written and moving. There’s a formal quality to the writing that seems appropriate for the culture in which Mulan is raised. She is extraordinarily well-spoken for a 14-year-old, but then in her world, that is practically considered an adult; it is not at all uncommon for girls to be married off at 15. The unusual freedom she enjoyed in her formative years gives her a deeper level of maturity, even as it contributes to her wild nature. One interesting aspect of this book is the emphasis on names and how they help define and reveal a person’s character. Mulan means “wood orchid,” a fitting description for a spirit so lovely and untamed. Dokey does an excellent job of making her and those she loves real to readers, and I look forward to seeing if she fares just as well with other beloved folk figures.