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Land of Big Numbers
- Narrated by: Chris Noaki Lee, Eddy Lee, Fiona Rene, Matt Yang Kim, Christine Lakin, Katie Tang, Lynn Chen
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
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Land of Big Numbers
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Summary
A dazzling debut collection which, deftly and urgently, tells the stories of those living in the biggest and most complicated country on Earth.
A Barack Obama Reading List Selection for Summer 2021.
A brother competes for gaming glory while his twin sister exposes the dark side of the Communist government on her underground blog; a worker at a government call centre is alarmed one day to find herself speaking to a former lover; a delicious new fruit arrives at the neighbourhood market, and the locals find it starts to affect their lives in ways they could never have imagined; and a young woman's dreams of making it big in Shanghai are stalled when she finds herself working as a florist.
These are just some of the myriad lives to be evoked in the Land of Big Numbers, a collection of stories which - sometimes playfully, sometimes darkly - draws back the curtain on the realities of modern China and unveils a cast of characters as rich and complicated as any in world literature. With virtuosic brilliance, Te-Ping Chen sheds light on a country much talked about but little understood and announces the birth of a bright new star in the literary firmament.
Critic reviews
"In this magnificent collection of stories, the author vividly captures the desires and losses of a richly drawn cast while drawing on the realities of contemporary China." (Cosmopolitan)
"Te-Ping Chen’s Land of Big Numbers contains 10 illuminating, sharp stories set in China, penned by a former investigative reporter who worked in Beijing for several years." (The Independent)
"Te-Ping Chen shows us how much life, loss, and quiet pleasure exists in the world, just out of view." (Alexandra Kleeman, author of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine)
What listeners say about Land of Big Numbers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alcidae
- 14-05-23
Enjoyable, interesting dip into life in China
An accessible collection of short stories, mostly about people in their twenties and thirties (and a few older) in different predicaments within the Chinese system and society. Gives a good insight into everyday life and people. A little dark or depressing, but in a rewarding enough way. A useful introduction to perspectives in China, and a relatively undemanding listen.
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