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Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
- Narrated by: B.D. Wong
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
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Publisher's summary
But it is when the two discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation that their re-education takes its most surprising turn. While ingeniously concealing their forbidden treasure, the boys find transit to worlds they had thought lost forever. And after listening to their dangerously seductive retellings of Balzac, even the Little Seamstress will be forever transformed.
From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history, Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening, and the magical power of storytelling.
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- Narrated by: Christopher Canwell, Jackson Parker
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In Atomic Attraction Christopher Canwell takes us on a journey through the dark waters of attraction. What turns women on? What makes them choose one man over another? And how can you become truly desirable and attractive? This book answers these questions by combining the latest scientific research with real-life case studies to show you, the listener, how to ignite the fires of attraction and captivate those around you.
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Disappointing.
- By Rose Conley on 01-19-20
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
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It was like a hallmark movie being waterboarded into my ears for 15 hours
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-19
By: Lori Gottlieb
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F--k Your Feelings: Master Your Mind, Accomplish Anything and Become a More Significant Human
- By: Ryan Munsey
- Narrated by: Ryan Munsey
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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95 percent of decisions are based on feelings. Not logic. Not rational thought. Feelings. Can you feel the pull of emotions, hunger, guilt, pain, jealously, depression, and everything else weighing on every decision that you make? Business owners, entrepreneurs, regular people looking to get in shape, anyone with a goal that isn't terrified of tough love - you need to listen to F--k Your Feelings - as soon as possible! In this audiobook you'll learn how to use personal mind control techniques to control the way your brain is wired and much more.
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Science heavy for those of us who want the why
- By Beth T. Irwin on 10-29-18
By: Ryan Munsey
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Models
- Attract Women Through Honesty
- By: Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Austin Rising
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Models is the first book ever written on seduction as an emotional process rather than a logical one, a process of connecting with women rather than impressing them. It's the most mature and honest guide on how a man can attract women without faking behavior, without lying and without emulating others. A game-changer.
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The content is great but the reader is awful
- By Mark Speener on 06-24-14
By: Mark Manson
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The Mastery of Self
- A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom
- By: Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
- Narrated by: Charlie Varon
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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The ancient Toltecs believed that life, as we perceive it, is a dream. We each live in our own personal dream, and these come together to form the dream of the planet, or the world in which we live. Problems arise when our perception of the dream becomes clouded with negativity, drama, and judgment (of ourselves and others), because it's in these moments of suffering that we have forgotten that we are the architects of our own reality and we have the power to change our dream if we choose.
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listen.. .then listen again
- By Casiano on 12-22-16
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Ho Tactics
- How to MindF**k a Man into Spending, Spoiling, and Sponsoring
- By: G. L. Lambert
- Narrated by: Patrick Stevens
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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I have discovered a group of women who refuse to be exploited, are immune to manipulation, and who never settle in the name of love. These ladies know what they want and take what they want by beating men at their own game. Utilizing the secrets exposed in this book, these women gain power, money, and status. Men call them gold diggers, women call them hos, but they call themselves winners. This is the book that society doesn't want you to listen to….
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I spent $24,000 in 4 months
- By B.M. on 10-06-18
By: G. L. Lambert
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How to Be a 3% Man
- By: Corey Wayne
- Narrated by: Corey Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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My book covers both the dating world and long-term relationships. You will learn how to meet and date the type of women you've always dreamed of. The best part is you can do this while remaining who you truly are inside. The book teaches you how to create sexual attraction in women and get women to chase and pursue you! It takes you step by step with easy-to-follow instructions. You will be able to meet women anytime, anyplace, and anywhere. This will give you choice with women.
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3% MAN
- By Anonymous User on 07-07-17
By: Corey Wayne
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How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids
- A Practical Guide to Becoming a Calmer, Happier Parent
- By: Carla Naumburg PhD
- Narrated by: Patricia Rodriguez
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Stop the yelling, lose the guilt, and become a calmer, happier parent. Drawing on evidence-based practices, here is an insight-packed and tip-filled plan for how to stop the parental meltdowns. Its compassionate, pragmatic approach will help listeners feel less ashamed and more empowered to get their, ahem, act together instead of losing it.
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Good content written poorly
- By Red Beard on 09-01-20
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Not Nice
- Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, & Feeling Guilty... And Start Speaking up, Saying No, Asking Boldly, and Unapologetically Being Yourself
- By: Dr. Aziz Gazipura PsyD
- Narrated by: Dr. Aziz Gazipura PsyD
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Are you too nice? If you find it hard to be assertive, directly ask for what you want, or say "no" to others, then you just might be suffering from too much niceness. In this controversial book, world-renowned confidence expert, Dr. Aziz Gazipura, takes an incisive look at the concept of nice. Through his typical style, Dr. Aziz uses engaging stories, humor, and disarming vulnerability to cut through the nice conditioning and liberate the most bold, expressive, authentic version of you.
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Changed my life forever
- By Shannon Slater on 12-07-18
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Take Control of Your Life
- How to Silence Fear and Win the Mental Game
- By: Mel Robbins
- Narrated by: Mel Robbins
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Mel Robbins is back! The international bestselling phenomenon and creator of The Five Second Rule and Kick Ass with Mel Robbins returns to help you tackle the single biggest obstacle you face: fear. This life-changing Audible Original features a powerful mix of one-on-one life-coaching sessions and a personal narrative with vital take-aways that you can start using immediately.
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Stop living in fear
- By Nike7 on 02-08-19
By: Mel Robbins
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What listeners say about Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- brokenspiners
- 07-06-17
Not Bad, but Not Great
If you could sum up Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress in three words, what would they be?
It took me a lot longer to read this book than expected and because of it, I got the audiobook; which by the way stopped and would no longer with only about an hour left in the recording. Anyway, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress was underwhelming. For the most part, the story is well told, but I found myself asking questions (i.e. what happened to Luo's mother? why didn't Luo or the narrator's parents pay for the early release of their sons?). I found myself, at times, wanting to read Balzac rather than this book. I was definitely angry that the Mao regime band all "cultural" books in an effort to get people conform and not have individual thoughts and thus be considered a threat to someone else's belief system. I also feel like the ending was just thrown together and it seemed like there should have been something else there. I wonder what a sequel would look like. Tieing up loose ends. Whatever happened to the Seamstress, Luo, the narrator, Four-Eyes.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
I found the concept of re-education interesting
What does B.D. Wong bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I like B.D. Wong as an actor, but for some reason he didn't bring to much to this story. The narration fell flat or maybe is it was the overall story.
If you could take any character from Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress out to dinner, who would it be and why?
I've read several reviews in which reviewers ended up not liking the Seamstress, but I liked the fact that she discovered there was something more to life than Phoenix Mountain. Having said that I would like to have dinner with her to find out if "city" life met her expectations.
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Overall
- Rick
- 05-06-04
A great Tale sewn into real Chinese History
This is a great story set in an era when China was killing off its intellectuals and imprisioning their children. A story that reveals a whole new world to one character and gives hope for a future.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kaui
- 06-28-16
A Chinese version of Ex Machina
Any additional comments?
This little book is a gem. The language is tight, well crafted. The storyline is a bit slow to start, gathers steam in the middle, and has a surprising (sad) twist at the end. Many who have reviewed this book disparaged the ending. I do not find it as disappointing or disjointed as others. My view of Chinese stories is that they are always laced with tragedy, but from the tragic ashes rise hope, understanding and enlightenment. I feel that this book does not disappoint.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Lanakila
- 06-26-07
Delightfully Funny
The characters in this story were excellent and the word-painting of the author did a great job bringing images to my mind.
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1 person found this helpful
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- NicoleMarieYogini
- 08-01-13
Interesting, Not Amazing
It was an interesting story in that it takes place during the Cultural Revolution and I’ve not read a lot of fiction set during that harrowing time. I also appreciated the main characters’ love of words and literature and found this theme enchanting. I liked how it showcased the power of books to heal and change people for the better. That said, although the book kept my attention, I’m pretty lukewarm on it overall mostly because I felt there was little closure to running themes and the ending was uneventful and sudden.
The narration was quicker than other audiobooks I've listened to, which I really appreciated. But I felt like some sentences were spoken unclearly and had to rewind multiple times to hear what was said.
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Overall
- Cid
- 04-07-05
Wonderful!
This is a lovely story, with fantastic narration by B.D. Wong. I've listened to it several time, and enjoyed it again and again.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Walter Reade
- 08-01-03
Mixed Feelings
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Sijie Dai, presents the story of two young men moved from the city to the Chinese countryside to be re-educated during Mao's Cultural Revolution. The young men discover and read a number of foreign books (forbidden during the revolution), the contents of which captivate their thinking.
BLCS is beautifully written and has an evenly flowing prose. It gives a glimpse into the toils and struggles so many in history have had to endure. For the most part, I found reading it relaxing and enjoyable.
As a whole, though, I cannot give an enthusiastic recommendation. First, the plot wasn't overly gripping; while I finished it in two sittings, there was rarely a spot where it wouldn't have been easy to put it down. While the narrative contained some twists and turns, it was for the most part linear and often predictable. Ultimately, the story's conclusion left me unsatisfied.
I think a word of warning is also in order for those who are sensitive about mature themes. BLCS contains some crudeness and graphic imagery, as well as some explicit sensuality. Additionally, an important component of the plot deals in a matter-of-fact way with a subject that is divisive and many find offensive.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Laura
- 06-07-03
Ho hum
I was expecting better based on other reviews and the seductive artwork and title. This was okay to pretty good, but I've read/heard more riveting tales recently.
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- Gillian
- 04-21-18
Lovely But Reads More As YA
While Balzac and the Little Seamstress has hard-hitting themes and truly poetical language, it comes off more as for Young Adults than anything else. Maybe it's BD Wong's narration--even though the boys grow into young men during the course of the story, his tones are those of an overgrown boy--which, judging from their actions, they most certainly are.
They can be harsh and judgmental of those around them; they could perform acts of rebellious cruelty; they can look down upon the little seamstress as though they're gods from on high.
Don't get me wrong: it's not a bad book, it's just that the boys, sent to be re-educated can come off as lacking in empathy. What they do, whom they trick and torment to get the stash of classic books, bears this out.
One thing--their intelligence and sense of lyricism can make them spot the beauty in their environment and makes the prose sometimes lovely, sometimes harsh. Really well-written.
Still, at just over 4-hours, it's not a hard listen, and it can add to awareness of Chinese history, of Mao's conduct within the country.
A decent way to spend a few hours, but unless you're into a sense of fables for young adults, I'd wait for a Credit-Bundle or Daily Deal.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Dr.
- 06-01-09
Sweet Little Book
A short story about two adolescent boys sent to the hinter lands for "reeducation" during China's cultural revolution. The story is interesting in terms of the insights it gives about China during this time and the impact reeducation had for these young boys when sent away from their families. You learn, for example, that boys are boys anywhere on earth (ditto for small town people). The story is very easy to listen to and well written. Ultimately, I compared it to cotton candy - sweet and fun, but leaving you hungry with not a lot of substance.
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4 people found this helpful