Women, Seated, Zhang Yueran
Women, Seated, Zhang Yueran
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Women, Seated

Author: Zhang Yueran, Jeremy Tiang

Narrator: Cindy Kay

Unabridged: 4 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 08/12/2025

Synopsis

A riveting story of a powerful Chinese family's fall from grace

Enter the world of an elite Chinese couple: a life of luxury, wealth, and around-the-clock service, which includes their trusted nanny, Yu Ling. Slipping in and out of the shadows, meticulous in her care of their only son, she has served the family for years and knows their secrets. But little do they suspect that Yu Ling has secrets of her own.

In the pressure-cooker political environment of China, the fates of even the most powerful families can reverse overnight. When the family becomes the subject of a government investigation, their fortunes crumble, and the nanny is left to make a series of life-changing choices. How far will she go to claim her due?

Taut and enthralling, Women, Seated is a high-stakes story of power and privilege, crimes and secrets, and the elusive pursuit of personal freedom.

About The Author

Zhang Yueran is the award-winning author of several novels written in Chinese, including Cocoon, which was translated around the world and won the Best Asian Novel of the Prix Transfuge in 2019. She lives in Beijing.Jeremy Tiang is a prolific translator whose 2022 translation of Ninth Building, by Zou Jingzhi, was longlisted for the International Booker Prize. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Isabel on April 15, 2025

Well written and suspenseful. Interesting power dynamics. The goose of it all was funny. Unsurprisingly, I loved all the stuff about being a woman + caretaker and sacrifice. Maybe I am dumb but I AM REALLY CONFUSED BY THE LAST TWO PAGES and bc it’s an ARC I can’t look up the ending anywhere.......more

Goodreads review by Jen on August 12, 2025

4.5/5 This book??? Whispered its way into my bones and then refused to leave. I’m days out and still staring at walls trying to process what just happened. Women, Seated drops us into the ruins of a powerful Beijing family, through the eyes of Yu Ling, a nanny who’s been invisible her whole life—until......more

Goodreads review by olishmou on January 18, 2024

3,5. L’hôtel du Cygne est l’un de ces romans qui, du point de vue des idées (l’intrigue, les personnages, etc.), m’impressionnent et semblent avoir tout pour me plaisir; en effet, le kidnapping échoué d’un enfant qui mène à la découverte d’un amour plus profond pour ce dernier par sa nourrice est un......more

Goodreads review by Héloïse on July 20, 2023

This was a short but intense read, a perfect mix of soft and tender moments (with a found family trope that I enjoyed a lot and a bunch of interesting characters) as well as more brutal ones. It was also an interesting picture of modern China.......more

Goodreads review by yelenska on December 18, 2021

Objectivement : 4 ou 4.5* Subjectivement : 5*!......more

Quotes

Praise for Women, Seated:

"Vivid, smart, suspenseful." –Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel Prize

"Women, Seated is a propulsive, tightly wound, and beautifully observed novel that explores ideas of power, secrets, motherhood, and sacrifice. I couldn't put it down." –Meg Wolitzer

“A suspenseful and layered novel…Thanks to Zhang’s astute storytelling, characters that first appear to be villains become more complex as the years of disappointment and fractured ambitions that have shaped them come to light. This gripping drama offers an intimate view into contemporary China’s class dynamics." –Publishers Weekly

“A tight modern thriller about monied elites and corruption in mainland China…These characters may live in your head for some time due to Zhang’s fine pacing and quirky scenes.” –Kirkus Reviews

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