PAPER WIFE

Nancy Wu is an excellent choice to narrate this historical novel about young Mei Ling, a Chinese girl who moves to America to be the wife of a man, sight unseen. Wu's style is sensitive, precise, and steady. We are transported back to the early twentieth century, guided by Wu's emotional performance. From Mei Ling's painful separation, to her perilous journey via boat, through several surprises after arriving in San Francisco, Wu makes us feel the high stakes of Mei's journey to a new life and to adulthood. Listeners will lose themselves in a coming-of-age story that is cloaked in cultural issues. The themes, as well as Wu's voice, will resonate long after the story is done. M.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2018]