Strange Beasts of China, Yan Ge
Strange Beasts of China, Yan Ge
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Strange Beasts of China

Author: Yan Ge

Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller

Unabridged: 7 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/17/2021

Synopsis

In the fictional Chinese city of Yongan, an amateur cryptozoologist is commissioned to uncover the stories of its fabled beasts. These creatures live alongside humans in near-inconspicuousnesssave their greenish skin, serrated earlobes, and strange birthmarks. Aided by her elusive former professor and his enigmatic assistant, our narrator sets off to document each beast and is slowly drawn deeper into a mystery that threatens her very sense of self. Part detective story, part metaphysical enquiry, Strange Beasts of China engages existential questions of identity, humanity, love, and morality with whimsy and stylistic verve.

About Yan Ge

Yan Ge was born in Sichuan, China. She is a fiction writer in both Chinese and English, and is the author of thirteen books in Chinese, including five novels. The first of her Chinese-language novels to be translated and released in the US, Strange Beasts of China, was one of The New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Yan’s English writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Irish Times, TLS, the Stinging Fly, and more. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia where she was the recipient of the UEA International Award for 2018–2019. She lives in Norwich with her husband and son.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lark on June 27, 2021

This book stayed at precisely the same level of "mildly engaging'" from beginning to end. It was just-delightful enough for me to keep reading, and yet to wonder, as I read: 'why am I reading this?' and 'what the heck is the matter with me?' and: "Why can't I just enjoy this mildly engaging book ins......more

Goodreads review by spillingthematcha on February 20, 2023

I’m in love. • Kiedy sięgnęłam po „Kroniki dziwnych bestii” od pierwszych stron poczułam w tym zbiorze opowiadań ogromną melancholię. Z każdym kolejnym byłam oczarowana ich uniwersalnością oraz wrażeniem przywiązania do tych historii i refleksji, jakie wywołują. Tak jakbym czytała o czymś, o czym kied......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on September 04, 2022

Unfortunately I didn’t vibe with this book. The premise of encountering different beasts throughout the fictional Chinese city of Yong’an was interesting, though I felt like the plot’s slow pacing bored me. I also never got a full grasp of the protagonist’s character or the character of her love int......more

Goodreads review by Stitching on June 17, 2024

On the whole I did enjoy this book, it was engaging and heartbreakingly beautiful at times but there seemed to be a lot of plot holes and strange leaps in logic. I think the plot holes and leaps were an intentional aspect of the narrator, to establish the blend of naivety and arrogance that make up......more

Goodreads review by Karolina on January 26, 2023

Pierwszy chiński tytuł w Tajfunach i myślę, że wyszedł naprawdę mega sztos 🔥 świetne tłumaczenie Joanny Karmasz i równie świetna opowieść Yan Ge.......more

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