• The Interpreter's Daughter

  • A remarkable true story of feminist defiance in 19th Century Singapore
  • By: Teresa Lim
  • Narrated by: Teresa Lim
  • Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (11 ratings)

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The Interpreter's Daughter  By  cover art

The Interpreter's Daughter

By: Teresa Lim
Narrated by: Teresa Lim
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Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover one family's fascinating story in this beautiful, sweeping multigenerational memoir, spanning 19th-century south China to modern-day Singapore.

I would learn that when families tell stories, what they leave out re-defines what they keep in. With my family, these were not secrets intentionally withheld. Just truths too painful to confront.

In the last years of her life, Teresa Lim's mother, Violet Chang, had copies of a cherished family photograph made for those in the portrait who were still alive. The photo is mounted on cream card with the name of the studio stamped at the bottom in Chinese characters. The place and date on the back: Hong Kong, 1935. Teresa would often look at this photograph, enticed by the fierceness and beauty of her great-aunt Fanny looking back at her. But Fanny never seemed to feature in the told and retold family stories. Why? she wondered.

This photograph set Teresa on a journey to uncover her own family history. Through detective work, serendipity and the kindness of strangers, she was guided to the fascinating, ordinary, extraordinary life of her great-aunt and her world of sworn spinsters, ghost husbands and the working-class feminists of 19th-century south China. But to recover her great-aunt's past, we first must get to know Fanny's family, the times and circumstances in which they lived and the momentous yet forgotten conflicts that would lead to war in Singapore and, ultimately, a long-buried family tragedy.

The Interpreter's Daughter is a beautifully moving record of an extraordinary family history. For fans of Wild Swans, The Hare With Amber Eyes, and Falling Leaves this is the next classic in the making.

©2022 Teresa Lim (P)2022 Penguin Audio

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A story that will make you think!

Entertaining, well written, researched and narrated. The story will make you realize how truly fortunate most of us really are. A true five star recommendation.

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Singapore Story

An excellent history of a family and their journey throughout Chinese history and culture.

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Fascinating history!

This was a very intriguing and personally poignant story. I grew to love the narrator's voice and accent, which rendered the whole in place and time in such a way that Lim's story became that of my dear friends.

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A Peek into History

as someone who was born and grew up in Singapore, I truly enjoyed this story. The narrator brought me back to my childhood days. This book is filled with rich history, some of which I never knew. The story of Fanny was very heartbreaking but also gave you a peek into feminism in Asia that paved the way for other Asian women.

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