The Red Chamber

By: Pauline A. Chen

Narrated by: Grayce Wey

In this lyrical reimagining of the Chinese classic Dream of the Red Chamber, set against the breathtaking backdrop of eighteenth-century Beijing, the lives of three unforgettable women collide in the inner chambers of the Jia mansion. When orphaned Daiyu leaves her home in the provinces to take shelter with her cousins in the Capital, she is drawn into a world of opulent splendor, presided over by the ruthless, scheming Xifeng and the prim, repressed Baochai. As she learns the secrets behind their glittering façades, she finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue and hidden passions, reaching from the petty gossip of the servants’ quarters all the way to the Imperial Palace. When a political coup overthrows the emperor and plunges the once-mighty family into grinding poverty, each woman must choose between love and duty, friendship and survival.

In this dazzling debut, Pauline A. Chen draws the reader deep into the secret, exquisite world of the women’s quarters of an aristocratic household, where the burnish of wealth and refinement mask a harsher truth: marriageable girls are traded like chattel for the family’s advancement, and to choose to love is to risk everything.

Excellent!

great story that kept me interested the entire time. The performance was very well done. the reader was able to change her voice based on the characters and made me feel like it was a play. now I look forward to the movie...

Just OK

Put your headphones on while you do your housework. It will keep you in the zone.

Good Story

If you like ancient Chinese literature, this is a book for you. Despite the difficulty of strange names, it is easy to follow the players. Three young women's lives come together by way of family connections. Times go from plenty to poverty. The women have no power yet they are the ones to strategize their survival. Narration is well done.

Excellent Narrator, Interesting Novel

An often sad, but very intriguing work of historical fiction. Chen does an excellent job of sharing her characters' deepest thoughts while weaving an engaging narrative. The narration is outstanding.

so good i had to listen twice!

this is such a great story. so touching and meaningful. i have been looking for a translated version of the original but hard to find. this is a vet good rendition though.