The Ghost Bride

By: Yangsze Choo

Narrated by: Yangsze Choo

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.

I want there to be more book

If there was a sequel, I'd listen in a heartbeat--loved the book, beginning to end.

A favorite for sure

I Loved every moment of this book and performance!! Would highly recommend to anyone interested in Chinese culture. A great tale!

Great Book

What made the experience of listening to The Ghost Bride the most enjoyable?

the narrator was great

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Ghost Bride?

to lear about a whole different culture and what people have to do to find love

What does Yangsze Choo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A whole different experience. I hate reading books but this is great to listen to.

Loved it!

Very interesting concept and I do wish they'd exp lo bored the "real romance" more at the end, but I couldn't put it down!

Beliefs of the afterlife

A description of Chinese afterlife beliefs, presented, so well, as if these are reality and we tend to confuse reality and belief, so that it’s necessary for the reader to continually remind himself that reality is not belief and vice versa. The books wakes me up to the absurdity of all religions and the need for society to reject religion if is going to make progress.