Paper Wife

A Novel

By: Laila Ibrahim

Narrated by: Nancy Wu

From the bestselling author of Yellow Crocus comes a heart-wrenching story about finding strength in a new world.

Southern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling’s parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband’s first wife - a paper wife.

On the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she’s met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.

Mei Ling is penniless, pregnant, and bound to a man she doesn’t know. Her fragile marriage is tested further when she discovers that Siew will likely be forced into prostitution. Desperate to rescue Siew, she must convince her husband that an orphan’s life is worth fighting for. Can Mei Ling find a way to make a real family - even if it’s built on a paper foundation?

©2018 Laila Ibrahim. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Paper Wife

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story, and I hope to find another one by Laila Ibrahim in the near future. I felt as though I had met Mei Ling and her family by the end of it. The narrator’s voice was soothing and went well with the story.

Superb writing

Paula Ibrihim has written superbly a masterpiece of a book. I enjoyed and was mesmerized by this story. Beautifully drawn believable characters whose lives are traced from China to San Francisco.

Love the book

I enjoyed the book, story and the narration so much! I can’t stop myself listening till the end of the book.

Very interesting

This was a make you think book. To see through the eyes of another greatly different culture is definitely thought provoking.

This Listen is Definitely Worth the Time

Loved this Book! Loved how the narrator appropriately changed her voice for each character. The story itself had me listening to it every chance I would get. Even choosing to take the long way home in order to enjoy just a little bit more.