The Emperor of Gladness

A Novel

De: Ocean Vuong

Narrado por: James Aaron Oh

The instant New York Times bestseller • Oprah’s Book Club Pick • Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive

“Stunning . . . A heartfelt and powerful examination of those living on the fringes of society, and the unique challenges they face to survive and thrive.”—Oprah Winfrey

“Magnificent . . . In writing this book, Vuong may have joined the ranks of an elite few great novelists.”—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times

The hardest thing in the world is to live only once…

One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to transform Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community on the brink.

Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Ocean Vuong’s writing—formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness—are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.

©2025 Ocean Vuong (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Vuong’s protagonist, Hai, is a drug-addicted college dropout living in the fictional town of East Gladness, Connecticut. After he forms an unlikely bond with an elderly widow from Lithuania, whose house he moves into, he begins working at a fast-food restaurant, HomeMarket, where all of the employees are, like him, searching for some kind of home. The novel brims with feeling for these figures, who, though scorned by society, belong to it nonetheless.”—The New Yorker

“On the surface, The Emperor of Gladness is about people on the margins and how they survive hardship, but it’s also a story of how contradictions often exist in conjunction. War and loss run through the pages of The Emperor of Gladness, but so do love and joy. Estrangement ripples through the novel too, yet The Emperor of Gladness celebrates profound connections . . . Soulful and at times heart-wrenching.”—The Seattle Times

“In [The Emperor of Gladness] Ocean Vuong blends grief, healing, and resilience into a powerful and poetic narrative.”—PBS NewsHour

This is one of those books you don’t forget

This book is beautiful. It aches in its honesty, there is no nostalgia, there is joy. The character development is incredible and the narration is perfect.

Mixed feelings

The descriptions in this book are overwhelming wonderful. I have never read anything that the language allows to totally picture the thoughts and scenes being described. Sometimes more descriptive than needed. But Spectacular!
I do have misgivings about the story line. perhaps I have missed the whole point but, to me the story never got going. I felt the story went in circles never progressed. Another comment I would have is I felt the language was more “salty” than necessary. At some point I found it offensive.
Give it a try…. I know you will enjoy the wonderful descriptions.

A gifted narration of a human story of underdogs, loss, and the family you find.

Breathtaking story about being lost and adrift and then found and moored in a motley crew of flawed, interesting, and humanly rendered characters. A story of redemption, family, and being ok (and that being more than enough). Absolutely loved everything about this story and the narrator is a wizard. Insanely talented with a repertoire of voices to match and embody each person you meet. Bravo!

Absolutely love this

This is such a beautiful novel with relatable characters, normal people struggling for their lives, makings ends meet.

Deep

I have not read this author, but must read all written. It is sublime and just, more.

Magnificent.

What a joy this book was. Ocean Vuong is so gifted. Messy and hopeful all at once. And so incredibly funny.

Very good read with such depth

interesting story with so much description and emotion. This is the first time I have read this author and found his book both fascinating, and feel as though that the author is telling a story with his feelings.

Food Service Elegy

Meandering through restaurant relationships far beneath Anthony Bourdain, Vuong makes the expedition with two immigrants, a 60s Vietnamese and 80something Lithuanian WW2 survivor against the backdrop of a fast food harbor in a gutted New England mill town. Of course the London Times reviewer thought Vuong was overly sentimental, British school ties never like anything raw.

The story of humanity and kindness

Despite all the struggles we humans endure we get through them because there is an element of humanity in all of us. Ocean Vuong words and the vivid details of a life gives us the mundane made into brilliance.. pain into resilience and humor, and above all many true examples of kindness and love. The "heart" that is placed with in this book just astounds me. The narrator was fantastic, giving voice to the characters that we so needed. It's on my list as one of my favorites..

Well written and read but…

I got halfway through this book but realized I really didn’t care about the characters all that much. Maybe it was the “stuckness” of it all that just grinds the story and characters down.