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The Piano Teacher: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 11,163 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
"A rare and exquisite story . . . Transports you out of time, out of place, into a world you can feel on your very skin." —Elizabeth Gilbert The New York Times bestseller Janice Y.K. Lee's latest novel, The Expatriates, is now available from Penguin In the sweeping tradition of The English Patient, Janice Y.K. Lee's debut novel is a tale of love and betrayal set in war-torn Hong Kong. In 1942, Englishman Will Truesdale falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese as World War II overwhelms their part of the world. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong to work as a piano teacher and also begins a fateful affair. As the threads of this spellbinding novel intertwine, impossible choices emerge-between love and safety, courage and survival, the present, and above all, the past.
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"This was was sitting on my table for a while, and turned out to be an excellent story. I found the mysterious plot along with the Hong Kong setting during and after WWII held my interest to the end, despite some very unlikeable characters. "
— Jaycee (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Selected for the January 2009 Indie Next List
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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Selected for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award
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A New York Times Editor’s Choice
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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A Denver Post bestseller
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A Book Sense Pick
The Piano Teacher Listener Reviews
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" Slow start, mostly character development, interesting ending, perhaps there this is setting the stage for another book. "
— Martee48, 2/10/2014 -
" interesting time capsule of Hong Kong during and just after WWII. The ending goes for a big bang but is flat and unsatisfying. "
— Kari, 2/10/2014 -
" I liked it but it was a depressing book! I give it 4 1/2 stars. Well-written. "
— Parker, 2/7/2014 -
" I didn't care about any of the characters. While it was interesting reading about the history behind the concentration camp, I just wanted to get it finished for my book club. "
— Dora, 2/6/2014 -
" Interesting perspective of Hong Kong on the verge of WWII and it's aftermath. "
— Mary, 1/21/2014 -
" I didn't finish this book - there are too many good books to read, why struggle trying to complete a book that doesn't interest me? It seemed too contrived. "
— Bobbie, 1/15/2014 -
" Interesting but weak ending. "
— C.c., 1/15/2014 -
" It went by quickly, maybe a bit too quickly. Maybe I couldn't really grasp some parts because I've never been to Asia. Or because I'm not English. Either way it was a nice read but not very deep to me. "
— Shannon, 1/1/2014 -
" Really enjoyed it. I was captivated, couldn't put it down. The ending was a little more subtle than I wanted, but overall good debut. "
— Monica, 12/30/2013 -
" This was a cool look into the history of Hong Kong and a great story! "
— Lisa, 12/16/2013 -
" Quite good. I haven't read about the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. But the story is about people - not the event. Good read. "
— Verna, 12/12/2013 -
" Reminiscient of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. The tone of the book was painful but addicting, much like the character's experiences with love. The individual was definitely hailed as more important than the group in this sadistic, unfortunate love story. "
— Natalie, 12/12/2013 -
" It moved a little slowly for me, but both characters and setting were interesting. Plot was fuzzy, but part of the point seemed to be that life is fuzzy, sometimes as sharp as a sword abd sometime muted, dull and dreamlike. "
— Stacyericson, 12/5/2013 -
" Ook tijdens vakantie verslonden. Goed boek, mooie beschrijvingen, soms beetje langdradig. "
— PetiteEglise, 7/17/2013 -
" I found the end disappointing, but enjoyed the book overall. "
— Kimberley, 6/30/2013 -
" Slow start and Disappointing ending. Middle was good though!! :-) "
— Jayne, 5/18/2013 -
" This book was very intriguing. It definitely kept me interested until the end. I didn't love the explanations at the end, but it was still good. "
— Donna, 4/1/2013 -
" I liked this book ALOT. It is set in Hong Kong during 1943 when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong and some of the same players 10 years later. "
— Jbrovold, 10/15/2012 -
" I did enjoy this read though started to lose interest half way through. Enjoyed a literary return to Hong Kong "
— Siobhán, 8/6/2012 -
" I like to read about this era in history & historical fiction is one way to do this. It took a while to get used to the time shift but now I'm enjoying it. I particularly like the listen & read the book simultaneously. Interesting book but not 'fabulous.' "
— Norma, 4/6/2012 -
" Trudy Liang = Holly Golightly. "
— Ally, 3/4/2012 -
" Really well written and a great story "
— Amy, 8/1/2011 -
" Completely underwhelming. I didn't like one character and found the words just slipped through my head like water. I finished it, but i wasn't very interested. "
— Styler, 7/16/2011 -
" Interesting....did not know anything about the Hong Kong during WW II. There are some items at the end of the book that still leave questions unanswered. "
— Rayna, 6/9/2011 -
" GREAT UNTIL THE ENDING.... WHAT A WAY TO MAKE IT SO ANTI-CLIMATIC "
— Arlene, 5/17/2011 -
" Easy read novel. Vision of ex-pat life in Asia during Worlsd War II. "
— Vanessa, 5/16/2011 -
" Read it for book club and didn't finish, which is rare for me. Another dull story with unimaginative characters. "
— Sullyfitz, 5/13/2011 -
" I had mixed feelings about the book, primarily because I didn't feel connected to the main characters. However, the description of life in Hong Kong before and after WWII was really interesting, particularly the social class issues. "
— Diane, 5/7/2011 -
" I enjoyed reading this till the end. The scenes of Hong Kong and its population of western expats and mixed-race "exotics" (author's word)was quite engaging, but the end was not the dark revelation the author implied throughout the book. and the piano teacher herself was kind of a dud. "
— Trina, 5/1/2011 -
" I really liked this book up until the ending which didn't seem to wrap things up at all. This historical fiction about Hong Kong left me with too many questions.... "
— Effie, 4/28/2011 -
" A different story. The historical information and the view it provides of Hong Kong were interesting. I could not particularly like any of the characters. Sometimes their motives were strange. Overall though the plot was compelling enough to keep me reading. "
— Michelle, 4/21/2011 -
" It took me awhile to get into this book. I thought it would be better than it was, but it did have an unexpected twist at the end. "
— Delight, 4/19/2011 -
" I picked up from my bedside table where it had been sitting for almost a year- I read last weekend- couldn't put it down- beautifully written- "
— Ellanor, 4/15/2011
About Janice Y. K. Lee
Janice Y. K. Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong and went to boarding school in the United States before attending Harvard College. A former features editor at Elle and Mirabella in New York, she currently resides in Hong Kong with her husband and children.
About Orlagh Cassidy
Orlagh Cassidy, an American actress of stage, television, and film, is an audiobook narrator who has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, as well as many AudioFile Earphones Awards. She is a graduate of SUNY at Purchase and a recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation Scholarship. She has been seen on and off Broadway and in films, including Definitely Maybe and Calling It Quits. Her television credits include roles in Law & Order and Sex and the City and as Doris Wolfe on Guiding Light.