Author Yiyun Li, honored as one of Granta's 21 Best Young American Novelists under age 35, continues her illustrious career with this insightful collection of short stories. With compelling visions of the scrapes and unpleasant situations in which people find themselves, Li's works trigger emotional responses of all types-whether through a tale of unrequited love, an unburdening of guilt, or something else entirely. These heartrending stories are certain to strike a chord with listeners as they recognize aspects of their own lives.
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"This is a book of short stories, and they were so good that I wanted each one to continue. I learned a lot about Chinese culture. "
— Janelle (4 out of 5 stars)
“Further proof that Li deserves to be considered among the best living fiction writers.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Each narrator brings his or her story’s characters to life with unemotional voices that seem appropriate for Li’s emotionally stunted characters. The weight of the unhappiness central to each tale makes this a collection one will want to experience slowly, a story at a time, with a breather between.”
— AudioFile" The novella was better than the short stories IMO. But on the whole, I didn't think these stories held a candle to Ha Jin's short stories, told around the same time and of the same generation and era. "
— Pia, 4/27/2011" I wanted to enjoy this book, and read through, but I admit that I skimmed parts of it. None of the characters were intriguing and likable -- I found myself indifferent to and bored by their melancholy... "
— Meghan, 3/28/2011" A thread of loneliness connects these stories of the educated in Beijing. Melancholy and ambiguous. "
— Sarah, 2/2/2011" Intelligent, poetic writing. The stories left me sad. "
— Renee, 1/21/2011" she seems obsessed with the relationship between older women and younger women and older men and younger women or older men. quirky. didn't like this collection as much as her first short story collection. "
— Eleanor, 1/21/2011" Melancholy and spare short stories. Several of them were quite good, and I'll probably read her again in the future, but I found the collection as a whole to be hit-or-miss. The first novella-like story was waaayyy too long, and a few others bored me a little. "
— Toni, 1/13/2011" Good collection. Deals alot with issues of parenting, adoption, family dynamics, in a Chinese context. "
— Craig, 1/8/2011" a bit depressing for this time of year but the writing is excellent and kept me in the book "
— Linda, 12/19/2010Yiyun Li is the author of several works of fiction and the memoir Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life. She is the recipient of many awards, including the PEN/Malamud Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Windham-Campbell Prize. Her work has also appeared in the New Yorker, A Public Space, The Best American Short Stories, and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, among other publications. She teaches at Princeton University.
James Yaegashi has appeared in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions, film, and television roles. He was also a popular radio disc jockey in Japan. He is a four-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award for audiobook narration, and his voice-over credits include a featured role in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Jackie Chung is an actress and Earphones Award-winning narrator. Her acting credits include several short films, as well as appearances in television shows.