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Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom
- China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War
- Narrated by: Angela Lin
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
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Publisher's summary
Stephen R. Platt is widely respected for his incisive nonfiction, particularly in regard to his knowledge and understanding of China. With Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom, Platt details the absorbing narrative of the Taiping Rebellion, which resulted in the loss of 20 million lives. Occurring in the 1850s, this is the story of a cultural movement characterized by intriguing personages such as influential military strategist Zeng Guofan and brilliant Taiping leader Hong Rengan.
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- Adam
- 07-07-12
InTOLerable Reader
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
The book was fascinating. An interesting description of a little known (in the west) period of chinese history.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Angela Lin?
Almost anyone, I think. Ms. Lin puts a heavy, portentous emphasis on almost every other word. It's intolerable, and it makes the book pretty much unlistenable. The READING DESTROYS all PLEASURE in the BOOK. You get the point.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Yes.
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15 people found this helpful
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- William
- 02-13-13
Painful to listen
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
I could not get more than a couple of chapters into this. The narrator is truly awful, and makes the entire book unlistenable. It's a shame, because the subject is very interesting.\
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10 people found this helpful
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- DJ
- 08-26-18
A Civil War by Any Other Name
Stephen Platt's history of the "Taiping Rebellion" captures the interplay between the slow decline of the Qing dynasty and the rapid, chaotic rise of the Taiping. He allows the reader to see the Taiping as something approaching a separate state, albeit one founded by a bizarre and perhaps psychotic leader. Platt also does a fine job presenting the rule of chance in history, particularly regarding the British efforts to intervene in the war.
The book is weaker, however, in its organization. Seemingly critical events are passed over quickly, while side shows, albeit side shows involving the players on whom Platt chooses to focus, get a full narrative treatment. Also, important leaders, particularly on the Taiping side, are referred to by their proper names, their "kingly" names, and sometimes by nicknames. Further, in his efforts to correct what he sees as a historical bias viewing the Taipings as mere rebels, Platt tends to minimize the problems in areas under Taiping control, while emphasizing the (admittedly brutal) misdeeds of the Qing regime.
Finally, a word on the narration, by Angela Lin. Frankly, it's not great. She reads on an odd, staccato style. Sometimes the pauses are intended to indicate quotes within the text, but at other times they are inscrutable. Also, pronunciations of the same terms, often in Chinese, but sometimes in English as well, vary throughout the book. Some ("admirality" for "admiralty") are just wrong.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Virginia Postrel
- 04-25-18
Narrator is so bad I may not be able to finish it
What disappointed you about Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom?
The narrator is terrible. She reads with randomly placed emphasis, the way TV newscasters sometimes do. That may be OK for a 30-second report but hours of it are terrible.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
It's an important incident and little-known in the West. I had read a review of the print edition that made it sound worth reading, which it probably is.
Would you be willing to try another one of Angela Lin’s performances?
Absolutely not, even if you paid me.
Any additional comments?
Why oh why didn't I read the reviews first? I'd read a review of the print book and it sounded interesting.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-07-13
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me
Where does Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.
Which character – as performed by Angela Lin – was your favorite?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.
Any additional comments?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Mark D.
- 07-22-20
Excellently Written, Yet Over-Dramatic Narration
This deep dive into China's mid-1800s Taiping Rebellion is very instructive for our current times. Platt takes us on a well-researched deep dive into how a confused charismatic leader crafted his own pseudo-Christian cult and rallied ignorant but patriotic Chinese into a right-wing anti-foreign nationalistic uprising that left at least 10 million dead. The book is scholarly and very well written, yet the female narrator uses an over-dramatic and enthusiastic tone (sample it yourself) that seemed more appropriate for children's stories (or North Korean propaganda?) which was more distracting than helpful. For this reason I take off what could have been a 5 star audiobook.
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- Garrett Tuggle
- 06-05-19
A dense review of the Taiping Rebellion
This book contains a great deal of information regarding the background, lead up to and the rebellion itself including vast coverage of all parties involved both internal and external. While ultimately a great deal of blame goes to the meddling of Westerners (the English), the narrative does not feel biased. Very interesting subject that receives little coverage in modern Western society (especially in the USA) due to it chronologically paralleling the US Civil War.
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- Heloise
- 08-29-18
Fascinating Historical Account & Great Narrator
Great account about this fascinating historical time. And I particularly liked the narrator. There were some earlier reviewers who did not seem to like the narrator- I have the opposite opinion. I think she did a wonderful job, and am particularly happy about how I think the Chinese names and words seem to be correctly pronounced.
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- Thomas
- 12-02-16
Shocking epic retelling of bloodiest civil war in human history
18 hr retelling of taiping uprising and concurrent second opium war. Worth the time in its timeless lessons of statecraft, treachery, and neocolonial dim grey boundaries between duty, honor, and humanity of naive Western powers playing the great game in the midst of a foggy, faraway quagmire.
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- Noah Smith
- 03-10-14
A real-life story of the apocalypse
What did you love best about Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom?
The humanization of the characters, the apocalyptic visions of the last days of the Chinese empire, and the feeling of immersion and immediacy.
Which scene was your favorite?
The first scene, where the British gunboats break into the Chinese river, and the Chinese peasants bow down to them and worship them. That set the tone for the whole book.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The end of the rebellion is extremely sad.
Any additional comments?
There are a few really apocalyptic wars that humans have managed to document - the World Wars, the Thirty Years War, the Russian and Chinese Civil Wars...and the Taiping Rebellion. If you want to read about cataclysmic, world-shattering wars, include this book in your reading series.
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Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
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Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
By: John Keay
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The Tragedy of Liberation
- A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957
- By: Frank Dikotter
- Narrated by: Bruce Mann
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Following the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, after a bloody civil war, Mao hoisted the red flag over Beijing's Forbidden City, and the world watched as the Communist revolution began to wash away the old order. Due to the secrecy surrounding the country's records, little has been known before now about the eight years that followed, preceding the massive famine and Great Leap Forward. The Tragedy of Liberation bears witness to a shocking, largely untold history.
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I don't believe this is read by a real person
- By Bjornie Herjolfson on 09-16-20
By: Frank Dikotter
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The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom
- America and China, 1776 to the Present
- By: John Pomfret
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Our relationship with China remains one of the most complex and rapidly evolving and is perhaps one of the most important to our nation's future. Here, John Pomfret, the author of the best-selling Chinese Lessons, takes us deep into these two countries' shared history and illuminates in vibrant, stunning detail every major event, relationship, and ongoing development that has affected diplomacy between these two booming, influential nations.
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Indispensable for understanding the US China relationship
- By D. Keith on 03-12-17
By: John Pomfret
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Imperial Twilight
- The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age
- By: Stephen R. Platt
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As one of the most potent turning points in the country's modern history, the Opium War has since come to stand for everything that today's China seeks to put behind it. In this dramatic, epic story, award-winning historian Stephen Platt sheds new light on the early attempts by Western traders and missionaries to "open" China even as China's imperial rulers were struggling to manage their country's decline and Confucian scholars grappled with how to use foreign trade to China's advantage.
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Balanced readable narrative about the Opium Wars
- By Carl A. Gallozzi on 09-05-18
By: Stephen R. Platt
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Empress Dowager Cixi
- The Concubine Who Launched Modern China
- By: Jung Chang
- Narrated by: Jolene Kim
- Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At the age of 16, in a nationwide selection for royal consorts, Cixi was chosen as one of the emperor's numerous concubines. When he died in 1861, their five-year-old son succeeded to the throne. Cixi at once launched a palace coup against the regents appointed by her husband and made herself the real ruler of China - behind the throne, literally, with a silk screen separating her from her officials who were all male.
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An insult to audiobooks. Get a print version.
- By Reademandweep on 02-23-15
By: Jung Chang
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The Story of China
- The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream
- By: Michael Wood
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 20 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Michael Wood has travelled the length and breadth of China, the world's oldest civilization and longest lasting state, to tell a thrilling story of intense drama, fabulous creativity, and deep humanity that stretches back thousands of years.
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Please hire narrator who can pronounce Chinese
- By Rob on 07-28-22
By: Michael Wood
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China
- A History
- By: John Keay
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
-
-
Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
By: John Keay
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The Tragedy of Liberation
- A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957
- By: Frank Dikotter
- Narrated by: Bruce Mann
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Following the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, after a bloody civil war, Mao hoisted the red flag over Beijing's Forbidden City, and the world watched as the Communist revolution began to wash away the old order. Due to the secrecy surrounding the country's records, little has been known before now about the eight years that followed, preceding the massive famine and Great Leap Forward. The Tragedy of Liberation bears witness to a shocking, largely untold history.
-
-
I don't believe this is read by a real person
- By Bjornie Herjolfson on 09-16-20
By: Frank Dikotter
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The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom
- America and China, 1776 to the Present
- By: John Pomfret
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Our relationship with China remains one of the most complex and rapidly evolving and is perhaps one of the most important to our nation's future. Here, John Pomfret, the author of the best-selling Chinese Lessons, takes us deep into these two countries' shared history and illuminates in vibrant, stunning detail every major event, relationship, and ongoing development that has affected diplomacy between these two booming, influential nations.
-
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Indispensable for understanding the US China relationship
- By D. Keith on 03-12-17
By: John Pomfret
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The Search for Modern China
- By: Jonathan D. Spence
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth. With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China.
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Excellent book, lazy narrator
- By Delano on 10-19-12
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The Siege at Peking
- By: Peter Fleming
- Narrated by: David Shaw-Parker
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In June 1900 the foreign legations at Peking were attacked by troops of the Boxer rebellion and Imperial Chinese troops. The ensuing siege lasted 55 days and shook the world. In this work, Peter Fleming traces its history and impact.
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Old school, but engaging
- By J. on 09-07-12
By: Peter Fleming
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Mao
- The Unknown Story
- By: Jung Chang, Jon Halliday
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 29 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before, and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this is the most authoritative biography of Mao ever written.
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Fills many gaps! Very good..but!
- By Jene on 08-07-06
By: Jung Chang, and others
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The World Turned Upside Down
- A History of the Chinese Cultural Revolution
- By: Yang Jisheng, Stacy Mosher - translator, Guo Jian - translator
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 26 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As a major political event and a crucial turning point in the history of the People's Republic of China, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) marked the zenith as well as the nadir of Mao Zedong's ultra-leftist politics. Reacting in part to the Soviet Union's "revisionism" that he regarded as a threat to the future of socialism, Mao mobilized the masses in a battle against what he called "bourgeois" forces within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This 10-year-long class struggle on a massive scale devastated traditional Chinese culture as well as the nation's economy.
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Soooo much info...
- By BenRias on 05-26-21
By: Yang Jisheng, and others
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On China
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Nicholas Hormann
- Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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