Wild Swans cover art

Wild Swans

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Wild Swans

By: Jung Chang
Narrated by: Pik-Sen Lim
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £22.72

Buy Now for £22.72

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly
Few books have had such an impact as Wild Swans: a popular bestseller and a critically acclaimed history of China that opened up the country to the world. Through the story of three generations of women in her own family – the grandmother given to the warlord as a concubine, the Communist mother and the daughter herself – Jung Chang reveals the epic history of China's twentieth century. Breathtaking in its scope, unforgettable in its descriptions, this is a masterpiece which is extraordinary in every way.©1991 Globalflair Ltd, 2003 (P)2015 Bolinda Publishing Asia Asian Creators Biographical Fiction China Gender Studies Genre Fiction Social Sciences Women Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Suspenseful Imperialism Socialism Soviet Union Imperial Japan War Russia
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

"Immensely moving and unsettling; an unforgettable portrait of the brain-death of a nation." ( The Sunday Times)
" Wild Swans made me feel like a five-year-old. This is a family memoir that has the breadth of the most enduring social history." ( The Independent on Sunday)
All stars
Most relevant
This brave book allows us an insight into the China that we were never meant to see. Compelling and very very sad.

Gets under your skin

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fantastic. A heart wrenching take of survival against inhumanity on a continental scale. It chronicles three generations of women from the same family. One a warlords concubine, another a rebel and the author. All set against the back drop off a turbulent China struggling against imperialism, extreme socialism and Japanese invasion. Mao should rank along side Hitler for crimes against humanity . This is a future classic and should be, I believe, on the national curriculum. It certainly puts life in the West in perspective and highlights why it's such an appealing destination for asylum and immigration...

Beyond brilliant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I found this book although long, fascinating. I couldn't believe that people could be put through such awful things. It makes you feel eternally grateful that you weren't born there in that time. I think everyone should read it. A

Unbelivable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I am so glad that the book was read by a Chinese speaker, rather than a person with a perfect English accent, because I think that it sounds like a much more authentic reading that way. Pik-sen reads the story beautifully. The book is breathtaking and a very sobering account of the experiences of three women in China during the Upheavals of the 20th century. it should be compulsory reading for every school child in the West. Maybe one day it will be compulsory reading for every school child in China

Excellent book, beautifully read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved this, after I realised what it was I was into. A brilliant history and something I had no idea about. And now I'm fascinated.
Brave writing, obviously.
Didn't like the narrator. But that shouldn't put you off. Definitely listen and take in what goes on on our planet that we have no idea about.

Learnt so much

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews