Farewell to My Concubine

A Novel

By: Lilian Lee

Narrated by: Nancy Kwan

In 1930's China, the all-male Peking opera was luxurious entertainment for the privileged class—but only children from the poorest families were sent to opera schools to train as actors. Abandoned by his mother—a prostitute who can no longer care for him—Xiao Douzi is brought to an opera school. With seeds of bitterness in his soul, the nine-year-old boy endures hardships and misery to learn and perfect his craft.

Farewell to My Concubine focuses on the all-consuming love Xiao Douzi holds for the boy he befriends and the beautiful female courtesan who comes between them. Caught up in the events that devastate China, these three remarkable individuals are forced to act in order to protect the one they love.

©2009 Lilian Lee (P)2009 Phoenix Books, Inc.

A Trip to another world.

Where does Farewell My Concubine: A Novel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not one of the best, but quite good still.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Farewell My Concubine: A Novel?

In the first scene, the opera is putting on a play of the Monkey King. The actor playing the Monkey King takes a fall and the other actors fall like dominos.

Which character – as performed by Nancy KwAN – was your favorite?

I'm not certain. They're all excellent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

There was already a film made in 1993.

Any additional comments?

My first foray into Chinese Opera.

Considerably worse than the film

The film Farewell my Concubine is extraordinary. The novel is not.

I highly recommend the film, but not the novel.