The Woman Back from Moscow

By: Ha Jin

Narrated by: Catherine Ho

Through the life of a remarkable woman—based on pioneering stage director Sun Weishi (1921-1968)—this epic novel immerses us in the multifaceted history of China’s Communist Party.

A powerful, insightful account from the National Book Award-winning author, who came of age during the Cultural Revolution.

As a promising young actress, Sun Weishi made the critical decision to pursue her studies in Moscow—with the blessing of her influential adoptive father, Zhou Enlai, and Mao himself. The valuable insights she gained there during World War II, most notably the significance of characters' inner lives, would enable her to excel back in China, where she produced works by Chekhov and Gogol, and other socially progressive dramas, such as an adaptation of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Her striking career as China's first female director of modern spoken drama (Huaju) would be derailed with the advent of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, however, which put her once again at odds with an old enemy—Jiang Qing, a fellow actress who schemed her way to the top as Mao's fourth and final wife.

Through the decades-long rivalry between these two complex women, and their differing approaches to the men in power who shaped their lives, Ha Jin deftly explores the ideals of communism and the reality of the Chinese Communist Party. At the same time, the novel captivates us with Sun Weishi's personal struggles and triumphs, as she navigates friendship, love, art, and politics amidst the great events of the twentieth century.

©2023 Ha Jin (P)2023 Recorded Books

A tragedy that gives deep insight into China under Mao

It's a terribly sad story about a young woman who was adopted and betrayed by Premiere Zhou Enlai, raped by Chairman Mao and brutally murdered by his wife Jiang Qing. The author Ha Jin paints a grim, but true picture of China from the 1940s to the decade after Mao's death. We also get a deep dive into the Stanislavski method in Moscow and it's introduction in China by the tragic heroine of the book, Sun Weishi. My main question is whether the book is a novel or a docudrama. Reading it as a novel, I found it veering into sentimentality, sometimes sounding like Hallmark movie. Either way, it gives the reader a unique insight into Chinese life and theater during the 20th century.

Narration is just unbearable

It's a fascinating story, though it could stand a bit more interiority. The narrative style tries to capture the brainwashed thinking of early CCP adherents, and that comes off at times as unrealistically sentimental. But the narration is just horrendous. Apart from the sing-song presentation, the narrator appears to have tried hard to learn Mandarin tones and sings them out as if competing to earn a gold star in a sixth grade class. An actual Mandarin speaker would blend these Chinese words into the overall diction--do Americans go around yelling AmERican! because the second syllable is tressed? Narrator also gets a ton of tones wrong. Among other things, she mispronounces a crucial place name that figures prominently throughout the book. Just stop trying! It was so distracting I had to give up listening.

Sun Weishi deserves such a book

It’s a history re-write more than a fiction. I’d say it’s actually non-fiction: though the dialogues of the people back then are improvised, yet the story itself is so true.

Thanks the author Ha Jin for such a vivid, detailed, emotion entrenched story. For the sake of herstory.

Amazing story

This is an interesting story that has resonance with the world we live in today. If you want to understand how more about the history of China especially those during the Mao years, this book will take you inside that world. You will also learn much about the theater arts and the roll women played in the cultural revolution.

Flat, Computer generated?

What a disappointment. The narrator is so flat and boring. Monotone. Sounds like she’s computer generated.

A beautiful soul in the darkest time of China

Although I have been an audible member for years, this is my first review on audible. My heart was wrenching when I finished this book. Through the life of Youmei, we saw a beautiful, intelligent, and integrated woman whose life was so thrilling and adventurous, but ending tragically by the cultural revolution. How many more beautiful lives and loyal souls like hers were diminished? All the lives and souls have been tortured and destroyed in the cultural revolution should not be forgotten. This part of history shall never be wiped out in the history of China. Thank you Ha Jin for recording it. It will be remembered by the generations in future. And I hope, one day, that people in China will be able to read this book.

Well done! I'm loving it

Great story by Ha Jin. I am learning so much about a whole cast of Chinese characters.

The narration is fine too, in fact better than most in pronouncing Chinese names. I could recognize every person and place referred to in the book because the narrator used the correct tone for each Chinese character.