The Ghost Bride

A Novel

By: Yangsze Choo

Narrated by: Yangsze Choo

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

A startlingly original voice makes her literary debut with this wondrous coming-of-age story infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, adventure, and fascinating, dreamlike twists.

"One evening, my father asked me whether I would like to become a ghost bride...."

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, traditional ghost marriages are used to placate restless spirits. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.

After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lims' handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits, and monstrous bureaucracy - including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets - and the truth about her own family - before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.

©2013 Yangsze Choo (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Great story and narration…lackluster ending

I loved the narration and the voices that the author gave the characters. I was really immersed in the story until the ending. It felt a bit lacking and I wasn’t convinced by the main characters of their motivations at the end. Overall a worthwhile read despite its flaws.

The ghost bride

I loved the night tiger and decided to try this one. I loved it just as much! Highly recommend. The book takes you into another world that I never even thought of. Now I’ll always look around and wonder who is around me as well.

Wonderful

Great plot development, suspenseful, funny, heartwarming. Reminds us of the brevity of life that too many take for granted, as well as the bonds of family.

Enjoyable and interesting

Found this Book to be a very unique read. It was an enjoyable and interesting story; very vivid storytelling

Excellent story and performance!

I’ve listened to this book at least 5 times! That’s how much I love it.

an enjoyably dreamlike and romantic book

this book was fun to read and I always love added historical references to the culture within the time.

One of the best books I've ever read

This books has it all: adventure, comedy, romance, mystery, faraway places and times. It's the only audiobook I have listened to twice. The romance is unique and believable. The narration (by the author!) is perfect--plus the author has a beautiful voice. The only drawback to this book is that it doesn't have a sequel.

Fantasy novel or Ghost story?

Not bad. It wasn't exactly what I expected, however. Fantasy novel or Ghost story? It was a bit weird, but the Chinese lore was fascinating in that way. Li Lan made so many references to the afterlife having distinct parallels to the life of the living. I thought this was going somewhere and she would learn some moral or truth (whatever), but nothing ever came of this. I was left to come to my own conclusions there, which is fine except that I felt that she was building to something that never came. Many parts were slow for me, hence the 3 stars, but it wasn't bad.

What an unusual book!

This book is a cross between the Odyssey and a Hayao Miyazaki film. Definitely not predictable, as unusual as a Haruki Murakami book but without the weird sexual stuff. I loved it and feel like I have learned something about Chinese ancestor worship. So many twists and turns, I could not stop listening. Loved it all the way to the last period.

At times I wanted to strangle her...

Loved the beginning, wanted to strangle the heroine in the middle, but needed to know how it ended. The main charaters were great and the author has an amazing talent to bring a world to life. It was interesting even when the heroine's choices made me want to scream. I even yelled at her once or twice, but I guess that's what made it a book I was really involved in. I just don't like to be frustrated by characters because I want to always be rooting for them.