Name: Jessica Takacs's review of The ghost bride by Yangsze Choo
Item: The ghost bride
Rating: 4
Author: Jessica Takacs

Yangsze Choo

"One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride ..." Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound. Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price. After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy--including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets--and the truth about her own family--before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.

The ghost bride

sage lynn

It seemed to me that in this confluence of cultures, we had accumulated one another’s superstitions without necessarily any of their comforts.

Jessica Takacs

Really enjoyed reading this novel!!!! The amount of new knowledges that I got makes me want to learn more about chinese culture. Will reread this book for sure. I really love Li Lan characterization <33

arwen

A haunting, evocative and highly unusual romantic debut Seventeen-year-old Li Lan lives in 1890s Malaya with her quietly-ruined father, who returns one evening with a proposition - the fabulously wealthy Lim family want Li Lan to marry their son. The only problem is, he's dead. After a fateful visit to the Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also her desire for the Lims' handsome new heir. At night she is drawn into the Chinese afterlife - a world of ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, monstrous bureaucracy and vengeful spirits. Enlisting the help of mysterious Er Lang (a dragon turned clerk) Li Lan must uncover the secrets of the ghost world - before she becomes trapped there forever. Drawing on traditional Malayan folklore and superstition, THE GHOST BRIDE is a haunting, exotic and romantic read perfect for fans of EMPRESS ORCHID and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA.

The Ghost Bride

Maria

4.5/5 
I enjoyed this very much. The writing was beautiful, the descriptions so vivid that I felt myself transported into Li Lan’s spirit world. I wished we’d gotten an epilogue, although the last line of this book was just as enchanting as the rest of it.

li lan is the og monster fucker i think that's very neat and i support her 100%. this book is a MUST read and im so happy to see the representation of chinese and southeast-asian cultures

Now a Netflix Mandarin original drama! From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Tiger, a Reese’s Book Club pick Yangsze Choo’s stunning debut, The Ghost Bride, is a startlingly original novel infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, and unexpected supernatural twists. Li Lan, the daughter of a respectable Chinese family in colonial Malaysia, hopes for a favorable marriage, but her father has lost his fortune, and she has few suitors. Instead, the wealthy Lim family urges her to become a “ghost bride” for their son, who has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at what price? Night after night, Li Lan is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, where she must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family. Reminiscent of Lisa See’s Peony in Love and Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, The Ghost Bride is a wondrous coming-of-age story and from a remarkable new voice in fiction.

A Novel

a story attentively and lovingly filled with cultural details, so much so that you’re swimming in the environment. has a slow start but the last 1/3 makes you race towards the end, filled with questions about a girl, a dragon, and whether the ghosts we encounter ever truly leave us

rin 🐇

Catarina Silva

While the beginning is a bit slow and tedious, the introduction of the spirit world and characters such as Er Lang eventually pull you into the mixed world of 1893 Malacca and the ghosts that lie beneath it. 

Isabella Chiara Vicco 

I have never wanted to punch a ghost more in my entire life. Honestly. Imagine being dead and still finding a way to be an unmitigated asshole incel. 

Anyways this was an interesting book about a brand new horror I didn’t even know could exist for girls! Always great to unlock new misogynistic fears. Imagine a guy dies, but he saw you one time and thought you seemed cute, so he will tell his mother to marry you to his spirit after he dies (don’t worry they have a chicken to stand in for him) and then you get to live in his moms house forever as his widow, never marrying again! Neat!

This is a book about that, only this girl fights back, traveling to take the guy on and refuse his proposal direct in the spirit world. But nothing is that straightforward and all kids of things get mucked up (naturally.) It was interesting and not like things I have read before and that adds a star. 

Apiecalypse Jen

I have never wanted to punch a ghost more in my entire life. Honestly. Imagine being dead and still finding a way to be an unmitigated asshole incel. 

Anyways this was an interesting book about a brand new horror I didn’t even know could exist for girls! Always great to unlock new misogynistic fears. Imagine a guy dies, but he saw you one time and thought you seemed cute, so he will tell his mother to marry you to his spirit after he dies (don’t worry they have a chicken to stand in for him) and then you get to live in his moms house forever as his widow, never marrying again! Neat!

This is a book about that, only this girl fights back, traveling to take the guy on and refuse his proposal direct in the spirit world. But nothing is that straightforward and all kids of things get mucked up (naturally.) It was interesting and not like things I have read before and that adds a star. 

Enjoyable, but falls into several gender stereotypes and exoticizing Oriental ideals. Does the heroine really have to be pale, with fluttery eyelashes? Really? I enjoyed the adventure aspect of it, as well as the author's voice, but I could do without females relying so heavily on male heroes.

Colleen

This book was a delightful surprise. I came across it on a list of books set around the world and was intrigued. 

The setting is Malacca, Malay in 1893 (now Maleka, Malaysia). The main character, Li Lan, is a young women from a genteel yet broke family who is offered relief of their debts if Li Lan accepts a ghost marriage. I knew a little bit about this tradition but was eager to read more. The author was very effective at establishing the complicated culture of a trade town that was a melting pot of mainland Chinese traditions, the infiltrations of first Dutch then British rule, as well as cultural influences of Islam and Buddhism brought by traders and travelers. There is also a wonderful juxtaposition of the modern Western notions and progression compared with local customs and beliefs. Part of the journey of Li Lan regards her decisions of what to believe. A small example of this is the opposing theories of how smallpox was spread (evil spirits versus germs). 

The second half of the book went in more of a paranormal direction than I was expecting, but it was never cheesy. The concepts aligned with the little I know of Chinese mythology. There were enough twists to keep me guessing, and I really didn't know what would happen next. Though this was mostly plot driven, there was still a underflow of a traditional coming of age story and I enjoyed watching the characters grow. Both the subject and the writing style were distinct and refreshing. So many contemporary books are unoriginal and boring. My only complaint is that I wish there had been a stronger emotional connection with the main character. Otherwise this might have been five stars.

I really wish Yangsze Choo had other books out, because I am anxious to read more!

taryn a.

Having read The Night Tiger prior to The Ghost Bride (and persuading myself not to start the Netflix series before I’d wrapped up the book), my expectations were fairly high as I thoroughly enjoyed the former. Unfortunately TGB just didn’t do it for me the same way. There was something almost YA-sequel about the romance, the writing was far more dull, and the ending anticlimactic. Still an interesting story whose setting steals the show, but otherwise I procrastinated picking it up.

Merve A. 

yangsze choo manages to pull you into this world with her atmospheric and beautiful writing. i loved reading through li lan's point of view. how she managed not to lose her mind despite being put into such situations is beyond me, but i love her. and she was so funny (mostly unintentionally). also i adored li lan and er lang's interactions. certain elements of the story and li lan and er lang reminded me of spirited away, which added to my enjoyment. i only wish we got more li lan and er lang.

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. 
I love how different beliefs clashed in this story. Sort of like a meeting point of Eastern and Western culture.

Yangsze Choo is a fourth generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. Due to a childhood spent in various countries such as Germany and Japan, she can eavesdrop (badly) in several languages. After graduating from Harvard University, she worked as a management consultant before writing her first novel. 'The Ghost Bride', set in colonial Malaya and the elaborate Chinese world of the afterlife, is about a peculiar historic custom called a spirit marriage.

Vilde

I really liked it, mainly because it's about Chinese in colonial Malaya, and Chinese afterlife, Malayan folklore and superstition; though I thought the ending was a bit... too abrupt.

Risa C

I was impressed by depth of the world building and lore that sprawled throughout the 350 or so pages of this book. From the vibrant snapshots of Malacca culture and customs to the captivating and at times unnerving depiction of the Buddhist afterlife, I found myself enthralled by this tapestry of a world so different from what I am accustomed to reading. This book barely scratches the surface of this rich mythology, though I don't take this as a point against it since that isn't the story it sought to tell, but I do find myself wanting to read other books with a similar setting.

The book flits between several genres: fantasy, mystery, paranormal, romance(, horror?). Sometimes abruptly and without finesse, but I enjoyed the bumpy ride nevertheless and managed to stay on until the end. The awkward meshing of genres calls to mind one of the more memorable quotes in the book: "It seemed to me that in this confluence of cultures, we had acquired one another's superstitions without necessarily any fo their comforts." The mystery is pretty half-baked and the romance (which I enjoyed tbh) felt a little rushed, but despite the prose being drenched with lush descriptions of the world, the book was intensely readable, thanks to the engaging characters.

I'll admit: I was on the fence about Li Lan for most of the first half of the book. She would weep at everything and lacked any agency in the early parts of the book, but I think it would be unfair to judge her for not ticking all the boxes to which western media confines "strong female characters". Li Lan displayed her own strength and upheld her values in her own way and within the societal limits placed upon her, which I came to appreciate eventually. I also really enjoyed her relationship dynamic with the love interest. It was combative without devolving into something abusive being passed off as an ideal relationship. It kind of reminded me of Howl and Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle?

One major point against this book was the dialogue. It sounded extremely wooden and stilted throughout many parts of the book and would often take my out of the story. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or just something I'm not used to, but it definitely detracted from my enjoyment of this book.

Nadine 

Not at all what I expected- most of the book takes place in the world of the spirits, but it was an interesting look at Chinese “beliefs/superstitions” and particularly to learn in the afternotes how many of these are endemic to overseas rather than mainland communities.

Sheila

3.5 stars. Thanks to the Netflix release, I was finally pushed to read this after letting it languish on my to-read pile for 5 years. 

This book may have been narrated by Li Lan, but the real protagonist is Malacca. The descriptions of the port city at the cusp of the 20th century are vibrant and immersive. You truly get a sense of the mosaic Malaysia was by that time, particularly the sociocultural changes. There is some light romance (and a love triangle, natch), but I was pretty much here only for Li Lan's adventures through the afterlife. 

Based on the trailer I get the feeling that the show on Netflix takes a very different direction with the story, so I appreciate having read this first.

Jennifer McNeil

A frustratingly slow and winding plot with one-dimensional characters (like the puppet servants of the story, how ironic).

There were up points in the story but for the most part, it was predictable and slow. I think a lot of the "twists" were truly meant to be a shock to the reader, though I find myself unable to imagine a reader actually being surprised by them. The big reveals often felt laughable, the main character Li Lan exclaiming in surprise and reeling from new information that had seemed painfully obvious for (at times) several chapters.

It took days of self-motivation to force myself to finish reading this book, and I'm just very disappointed from what seemed like a great book based in the description.

Nur Syirin Sukarneva

For me, the beginning was kinda slow. Like it took me a while to get myself invested but the story gets interesting and I'm glad I didn't drop this book!

Samiha Tasnim

I had too much left unfinished—my soul was full of unfulfilled desires and yearnings.

 



My heart was too full, my thoughts a storm of paper fragments.




For all who have seen ghosts and spirits are marked with a stain... 




Haunted, I chafe at the tight orbit of mahjong parties that I once thought so glamorous, and glance over my shoulder for wind and shadows, yearning for the forbidden.

 



When Er Lang comes for his answer, I will tell him that I’ve always thought he was a monster. And that I want to be his bride.

Sahi K

I’m honestly still struggling between a 3.5 and 4.

To be honest, I had never heard of this book before and didn’t know that it also had a tv show on Netflix. But when my dear friend Dany suggested that we buddy read it, I was immediately interested and it turned out to be quite a fascinating experience. 

The whole idea behind this story is not something I’ve ever read before and I found it very interesting. The setting of late nineteenth century Malacca (now Malaysia), the diversity of the place as well as the cultural differences between Chinese residents and others who had settled there after coming from various different countries, the mythology behind how the afterlife works and even assigning a bureaucracy to the workings of the land of the dead - it was all so vividly portrayed that I felt transported to the era and kudos to the author for making me feel that way. The mystery which is alluded to is not nearly as compelling, but the journey the main character takes to figure out the truth is fun to follow. 

Li Lan is an interesting protagonist to follow. She is sheltered and slightly naive, but has an inner strength that enables her to take on the dangerous path set before her. However, she doesn’t always get to make choices that she wants and sometimes, just has to make do with the situation and find creative ways to get out of the obstacles she faces herself with. She also encounters many interesting characters on her journey and I could never decide who can be trusted. There is romance here too but it was totally instalove, and while I’m not opposed to the concept at all, I thought it was not as convincing here as I wanted it to be. And I was particularly both impressed and skeptical about the romantic choices that Li Lan makes towards the end. 

In the end, this was a fun fantasy read and I’m glad I decided to pick it up. If you like YA fantasies which have a strong sense of setting and culture, then you will love this book. While romance is a part of the narrative, it’s not the main plotline and I definitely enjoyed that the story focused more the main character’s own personal journey to discover herself. However, if you hate instalove as an idea like many other readers I know, you might not like this one. Despite its high personal stakes, I think this is an entertaining read that is perfect for these troubling times that we currently find ourselves in. I think it’ll be a good distraction for a few hours.

Toni Turner

I’m obsessed. I will be rereading this for the pure happiness the story brought me in the future.

Sunyi Dean

Really good novel

Quiet gem of a book that perhaps hasn't been as marketed or pushed as it deserved to be. I thought it was generally brilliant with a great non western narrative structure.

Jordan Robinson

I loved this book. I loved the whimsy and how paranormal it was. Waaaay more than I expected. And I loved the love interest(s) Just all the book is the best.

Jessica Takacs &
The ghost bride by Yangsze Choo

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