Oracle Bones

A Journey Through Time in China

By: Peter Hessler

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today, the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes.

©2007 Peter Hessler (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A brilliant observer with a novelist’s ear for character and dialogue, Hessler is both fascinating and funny.” ( Entertainment Weekly)

“A remarkable travelogue documenting aspects of a country still little understood.” ( Kirkus)

“Engaging.... Acutely observed, moving, frequently funny and a perspicacious X-ray of China’s zeitgeist.” ( South China Morning Post)

Pure pleasure, Joy, escapism!

I don't even recall why I bought this book. I found it on my IPAD as something half lost in titles and just thought since I had paid for it I would get it out of the way. I spent the next five days in wonderland! What an amazing writer. The best performance EVER for a reading. I traveled the world into universes I never knew existed! China now became a reality for me. I had an agenda to read a group of other books after this as my attention had been swayed in another direction, but once I finished this, that was all forgotten. I had to go back and buy every book this writer has written and the reader has performed. I feel bridged into a country and a culture thousands of miles away from me. I feel I have traveled although I never left my home. I feel I skipped all over the universe although I have been sitting in one neighborhood. THIS is why I read!

Great book

Where does Oracle Bones rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my most favorite book so far. I do not speak chinese, so I would not know how the pronunciation is on certain words, but the performance and the storyline was amazing for me.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The struggles of each of the main roles. Its hard to find one moment.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book so much, that I have bought the hardcopy as well. Having audio is nice for me since I am not able to allocate much time for reading, but this book was such a good story, that I was happy to buy the hard copy as well. (Make sure I did not miss anything)

Believe the other reviewers - bad pronunciation!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book was recommended to me by another China-lover, who had also spent a decent amount of time there. It was dry, and that was tough for me, but the narrator also butchers many pronunciations of Chinese words, and even to my American ear, it was painful. I bought this book ignoring the warnings, thinking those must be people who are very fluent. (I have taken about 2.5 years of Mandarin Chinese courses and spent a few months there years back.) But no, if you've ever studied Chinese, his narration will drive you INSANE. If you haven't, well then, you might enjoy this saga of new and old China.

Would you recommend Oracle Bones to your friends? Why or why not?

See above as well; I recommend it for the history and present-day juxtaposition of China. That's why I was interested. I found it too dull for my liking. If you've spent time studying the language, beware of this narration.

Would you be willing to try another one of Peter Berkrot’s performances?

Yes, so long as it's not a book heavily based in an Asian nation.

Personal History in China

The author was a reporter of sorts in China and this is the account of his life there over 10 years. Very interesting view of culture and history. I enjoyed all of it.

Interesting and enjoyable

I have read (listened) to several other books by Peter Hessler.. This one is interesting as it moves from different time periods and people from different backgrounds. Since I don’t speak Chinese the pronunciation of the Chinese words by the narrator was no problem for me. He has a pleasant voice. Thanks to everyone involved for making this book available, JK

Another performer who cannot speak the language

Would you consider the audio edition of Oracle Bones to be better than the print version?

No. I'm going to return the audio book and buy the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

Peter Hessler has don a great job of researching this book, and he's a skilled writer.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Berkrot?

I wish someone who can actually pronounce Chinese would read the text. It's actually quite important to be able to understand what the performer is talking about, to follow the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I couldn't get through chapter one; the reader's Chinese was so horrendous.

Any additional comments?

Please stop hiring people who don't speak Chinese to read books about China! And stop making the performers read quotes by Chinese people in a thick Chinese accent. It's so unnecessary.

I was very pleasantly surprised at good this was.

I wanted a book which would describe a little about China's culture and people. The stories in this book delivered on a deeper level than I expected. It tells of real people with lives that show how their country changed in recent decades. It is real life and real people. I really enjoyed it!

Good if you're headed to China

I listened to this shortly before a trip to China and I was glad I did. It provided some very interesting insights and I was happy to have the knowledge. That having been said, it was a chore to get through.

Very disappointing after 'River Town'

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The storylines about Chen Menjia and Polat are not enjoyable. Without them this would have been a much better book.

Would you recommend Oracle Bones to your friends? Why or why not?

No, I would not recommend it. There are better books by Hessler and China in general than this one.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's pronounciation of Chinese words and names is very bad and the silly accents he uses for the dialogue of some of the characters is highly annoying.

Could you see Oracle Bones being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

Peter Hessler’s ‘River Town’ was one of the first books I read about China and I loved it, partially because I was working as a volunteer in China at the time and many things were very recognisable. Based on ‘River Town’ and some longread articles by Hessler I have read since I was having high expectations for the follow up ‘Oracle Bones’. Having finished it, I’m quite disappointed.

‘Oracle Bones’ is almost like reading four intertwining books. The problem is that three of those are not all that interesting. The best parts of the book concern Hessler’s work as a journalist and the interactions he has with China. At times Hessler himself might be a bit too prominent a protagonist but there’s also chapters on some of his students from the ‘River Town’ book and other characters. These chapters help you understand China from the perspective of young adults and their personal ambitions and challenges. Some of these chapters have been published before in The New Yorker (and can be found on their website) and thereby sometimes make the book feel rather fragmented, missing the flow of a real story like ‘River Town’. They does however make for some fun and interesting reading, like in the chapters where Hessler stays in a hotel near the North-Korean border and gets a visit from a burglar (later reprinted in the ‘Unsavory Elements’ anthology) or the chapter in which he accidentally stumbles into a village where local elections are taking place. Chapters on Shenzhen, the Chinese reactions to the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia and 9/11, radio-show hostess Hu Xiaomei, actor-director Jiang Wen, the old couple who refuse to move for a development project, Deng’s reform and opening up and Taiwan were also enjoyable.

The other three storylines in the book are supposed to solve the mentioned problem of continuity and create a connecting thread. Throughout the book there are historical artefacts that Hessler describes. Many of these might not be all that interesting to anybody who’s not a China history buff. The artefact sections lead into the storyline about the search for the personal history of oracle bone scholar Chen Mengjia. Besides the stories about the horrors of the Cultural Revolution I found the whole Chen storyline dragging and uninteresting.
Finally there’s the storyline of Polat, a Uyghur who migrates to the United States by pretending to be a political refugee and forging some documents. Most of Polat’s story has little to do with China and it’s difficult to feel compassion for the character. As a matter of fact, one almost feels he got what he deserved when his life becomes harder when public sentiments change after the 9/11 attacks.

The book would probably have been more appealing without the artefact sections, the Chen Mengjia and Polat storylines. Although it would have felt more like a collection of Hessler’s articles for The New Yorker (and you might actually be better of reading them in the online archive of The New) but it would be a much more enjoyable read. Alternatively, check out the book ‘Age of Ambition’ by Hessler’s New Yorker colleague Evan Osnos, which does a much better job of describing China and recycling some of his New Yorker own articles.

On the audio book:

Although I did own the e-book book I ended up listening to ‘Oracle Bones’ as an audio book in the car. The audio book suffers from two big issues. First, the narrator’s pronunciation of Chinese names and words is dreadful. At times I had to listen to what he was saying several times before I realised what he was actually talking about. Not only does he mispronounce Chinese syllables, he also uses the same tones on all the words. This is a common problem with audio books about China, making me wonder why Audible doesn’t use a narrator that is familiar with the language. More annoying though is the silly voices and accents that the narrator uses for the dialogue of certain characters, making them sound more like Mexicans and Russians at times but annoying at all times. Also, he makes every Chinese woman sound like a fragile, mousy person. This took away a lot of the enjoyment in even the better parts of the book.

Wonderful writing Terrible reading

Why hire a performer who can pronounce Arabic for the Buried. But not a performer who can pronounce Chinese for Oracle Bones?
Love Peter Hessler writing! Finally read all 4 of his books on China. Chinese who are being suffocated in reality lives in his books.