Dreaming in Chinese

Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language

By: Deborah Fallows

Narrated by: Catherine Byers

Deborah Fallows has spent a lot of her life learning languages and traveling around the world. But nothing prepared her for the surprises of learning Mandarin - China's most common language - or the intensity of living in Shanghai and Beijing. Over time, she realized that her struggles and triumphs in studying learning the language of her adopted home provided small clues to deciphering behavior and habits of its people, and its culture's conundrums. As her skill with Mandarin increased, bits of the language - a word, a phrase, an oddity of grammar - became windows into understanding romance, humor, protocol, relationships, and the overflowing humanity of modern China.

Fallows learned, for example, that the abrupt, blunt way of speaking which Chinese people sometimes use isn't rudeness, but is, in fact a way to acknowledge and honor the closeness between two friends. She learned that English speakers' trouble with hearing or saying tones - the variations in inflection that can change a word's meaning - is matched by Chinese speakers' inability not to hear tones, or to even take a guess at understanding what might have been meant when foreigners misuse them.

Dreaming in Chinese is the story of what Deborah Fallows discovered about the Chinese language, and how that helped her make sense of what had at first seemed like the chaos and contradiction of everyday life in China.

©2010 Deborah Fallows (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"You don't have to know Mandarin to be captivated by Deborah Fallows's Dreaming in Chinese.... Forget Berlitz - that just teaches words. Deborah Fallows shows us that the cultural implications of those words teach us about each other." (Sara Nelson, O: The Oprah Magazine)

"Fallows has a good ear for aspect, the way of stressing certain words and syllables to change or add layers of meaning to a simple word or phrase. She veers to the gentle, seeing the generosity behind brusque gestures, the intimacy and friendship behind rudeness and the priorities that language reveals. Playfulness, respect, affection and the virtues of solidarity with the common people - a different traveler might miss all these but not Fallows." (Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times)

“Narrator Catherine Byers deftly communicates the intricacies and particularities of the language. The accuracy of her Chinese pronunciation and her demonstrations of tones seem authentic, a factor that is important given what Fallows tells us about the difficulty of Chinese pronunciation and the travails she experienced as a result of her missteps in this regard.” (AudioFile)

Interesting.

athis is a worthwhile listen if you are interested in China, the Chinese language, or visiting China.

only gripe: within 5 minutes of lstening are 2 pronounciation errors: the narrator pronounces 'grovel' like "grove-el". Ach...my ears. I'm surprised, actually disappointed, that these got by the publisher before release.

Despite this, I'll not decrease my rating, as the content is 4-Star worthy.

A good book deserves a good narrator

A great storyline, enlightening. The narrator sucked. She has never spoken Chinese before. Terrible pronunciations.

Interesting examination of Chinese culture

I enjoyed the perspective on Chinese culture from someone who lived there and studied the language. It is probably more interesting for someone who has studied the language, even briefly as I did, than for someone who hasn't studied foreign languages, and particularly Mandarin.

Fascinating book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend the book to anyone who has any interest in China or the Chinese language. It is a deeply insightful book, examining a complex and easily misunderstood culture.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It was extremely helpful to know that others have struggled as much as I have with Mandarin. And after reading so many China-bashing travelogues, it was lovely to read something from someone who seems to have a genuine affection for the people, the culture and the language. The chapter about the earthquake was genuinely moving, allowing Ms. Fallows' neighbors to emerge as truly, independently human.

Any additional comments?

I have only one real complaint. The narrator is perfectly competent -- the enunciates very clearly, and emotes very subtly, which works well for non-fiction. However, given the nature of the book, it is jarring that the narrator makes no effort to pronounce the Chinese phrases correctly. Or perhaps she has made a little effort,but doesn't recognize that even pronunciation in this language requires *great* effort. I'm not being nitpicky or snobbish -- it's not that her Chinese is heavily accented, but that it would be almost incomprehensible to a native speaker. I recognize that it would be difficult to find a reader who has studied any Mandarin. However, she reads the Chinese words as if they were English, which tends to nullify the point of getting this on audiobook rather than in print.

Grating to listen to - better to read the book

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, it was not. This should be read by someone that can sound out pinyin well. The narrator did not make any effort to pronounce the Chinese phrases.

This book is better in print if you cannot find someone to read it that understands how to sound out pinyin.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Catherine Byers?

Someone who at least can read the Mandarin phrases with more accurate enunciation. Catherine Byers reading was extremely grating to listen to when you understand Mandarin.

Was Dreaming in Chinese worth the listening time?

No, because Catherine Byers did not understand how to pronounce the pinyin at all. Her reading of the Mandarin phrases was so poorly done that it makes me want to stop listening, which I did so I never finish the book.

Wrong choice of narrator

What did you like best about Dreaming in Chinese? What did you like least?

I cannot understand why the narration was performed by someone who has no chinese language experience. Although I enjoyed the story, the nuances of the different tones in the Chinese language were completely trampled by the narrators inability to verbalize the tones.

A fantastic first glimpse

Elegantly written and we'll narrated - if you are also a language buff this is a great intro to China.

Learn culture but not pronunciation from this

What is there is terrific and I very much appreciate that she doesn't try to come to a full conclusion about China or Chinese people on any of these topics, because it's tempting but really not fitting. it could use an update since China is always changing but what is true then is still true today. The biggest negative however is that it's not narrated by the author or someone who actually knows how to pronounce Chinese, and while it's not the worst I've heard, I wouldn't copy anything the narrator says.

brought back memories of my time in China

Would you try another book from Deborah Fallows and/or Catherine Byers?

Maybe. I enjoyed the book. I lived in China approximately the same time that Ms Fallows was there, and also studied Chinese. It was entertaining, and brought back memories of my time there.

As others have noted, the fact that the narrator doesn't speak Chinese was surprisingly annoying. Perhaps it's difficult to find bilingual person to narrate a book, but if there were ever a book that called for it, it's this one.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story was good, again entertaining. It did leave me wanting more, perhaps bringing more of her scholarly background into the story, or more personal reflections. And, perhaps I'm an atypical reader, having spent about the same time as she did in China, and obtaining some level of proficiency in Chinese, and of course being curious about living in a foreign place. I often thought that it was a book that I could have written (and maybe I could have!)

Would you be willing to try another one of Catherine Byers’s performances?

Yes, but not if she needs foreign language knowledge. I think she was a good pick in the sense she sounds like I envision Ms Fallows.

Do you think Dreaming in Chinese needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Perhaps if Ms Fallows travels to another country, another book would be appropriate.

Incredible book, sub par chinese pronunciation

Performer did not know the chinese pronunciation. That being said the book is excellent. It’s a proper length.