The Ghost Bride

A Novel

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.

©2013 Yangsze Choo (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

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.

Another Amazing Book from Yangsze Choo!

This is the second book I've listened to by Yangsze Choo, and what I love most about her is the way she expertly weaves a story and takes the reader on an adventure alongside her protagonist. (I also adore the fact that she narrates her own stories...I don't think anyone else could do her stories justice the way that she herself does). In this story, Li Lan faces having to become a "ghost bride". Her would-be fiance begins to haunt her. She finds herself becoming attracted to another, less deceased member of the Lim family, and her life becomes very complicated. Added to this, she falls ill and lands herself in the land of the dead.

I don't want to give anything away in this story. Suffice to say, you will go on a journey with Li Lan to a place you have never, ever been before. Possibly a place you have never thought of in your wildest imagination. There is action on every page of every chapter, and never a dull moment. I was surprised (somewhat) and satisfied very much with the ending. I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the Netflix depiction of it, although I believe it will be in Chinese. Hopefully it will have subtitles.

I also want to add, that even though this book deals with ghosts and after-life type things, it is not a horror or scary type book. I would also not consider it a romance. Although it deals with marriage and attraction, it doesn't saturate the story. It's just in there enough to let you follow the plot. Nothing syrupy or gratuitous.

Fantastic!

This book touched on a side of the paranormal that I never thought of before, but found now that I love. the author reads her story perfectly with all of the right inflections and tempo needed to make it an enjoyable listen. I found myself wishing the book didn't end or that there was a sequel waiting for me. Definitely a must listen! 😁

Glad I listened!

Great original story, culturally informative and interesting read. I loved learning about the folklore aspects and found Li Lan to be a believable character for the most part. I liked the variety of personalities and appreciated the smart female perspective.
The only trouble I had with it is that the ending felt really rushed. We spent so much time laying the groundwork (and I started getting a little bored) and then the plot picked up, (got a little bored) and plot picked up again, to a really interesting and enticing place and then it just ended so suddenly. Honestly, this would make an amazing movie/series which would allow parts of it to be expanded. I think the book could have used some editing but overall really worth it and id like to read more of the author’s work.

A splendid journey between alternative existences.

What an absolute delight to read a such a unique and enthralling novel. Most novels are formulae, and this mystery romance set in the Buddhist afterlife and the contemporary world of the 1930's created a story which was almost impossible to stop listening and live one's own life.

Not at all what I expected

This plot took so many twists and turns and I was at first not as interested in it as I thought I would be but eventually it picked up.