Paper Wife cover art

Paper Wife

A Novel

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Paper Wife

By: Laila Ibrahim
Narrated by: Nancy Wu
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About this listen

From the bestselling author of Yellow Crocus comes a heart-wrenching story about finding strength in a new world.

Southern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling’s parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband’s first wife - a paper wife.

On the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she’s met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.

Mei Ling is penniless, pregnant, and bound to a man she doesn’t know. Her fragile marriage is tested further when she discovers that Siew will likely be forced into prostitution. Desperate to rescue Siew, she must convince her husband that an orphan’s life is worth fighting for. Can Mei Ling find a way to make a real family - even if it’s built on a paper foundation?

©2018 Laila Ibrahim. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction United States World Literature Marriage

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All stars
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I really enjoyed listening to this story, I have a huge love for Chinese history but was never aware of this part of their American history. very reccomended

interesting insight into history through fiction

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Once I started this book I couldn't stop listening. What an insightful moving look into the life of early Chinese immigration. The emphasis on the strength of females for me made this book a particularly powerful one.

A very disturbing and enjoyable listen.

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Thoroughly enjoyed this book despite travelling with the protagonist through some heavy life challenges and much change.
Interesting to watch the main character develop through the obstacles & dilemmas life threw at her and see her mature & blossom from innocent girlhood to competent strong womanhood.

Transports to an intriguing time in history

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I really enjoyed this novel, the characters and all of the voice actors in the audiobook.

A beautifully written story

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A really lovely story, I was sad when it ended and the ending seemed quite abrupt. I hope there's a second part to this story. I'm glad I listened

Lovely story

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This was a slow-paced, but ultimately entertaining story. I enjoyed learning about Chinese-American history and the immigration process of the day. Without giving anything away, I felt there could have been more tension in the story: it was wrapped up a little too neatly for me. It felt like the author had a deadline to meet and just - stopped.

I read part of this book and listened to the rest on Audible. I found the narrator’s intonation a little off-putting as she tended to use uptalk which made every sentence sound like a question (?). Once I noticed it, I found it hard to ignore.

Whilst I wished for more - a more complex storyline, more tension, and not such an abrupt ending - I would still recommend this book. I can see this being made into a film.

Enjoyable & informative, but in the end, flat

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