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The Fox Wife

an enchanting historical mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Tiger and a previous Reese’s Book Club pick

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The Fox Wife

By: Yangsze Choo
Narrated by: Yangsze Choo
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An enchanting and unforgettable historical mystery from the acclaimed author of The Night Tiger

Some people think foxes go around collecting qi, or life force, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .

Manchuria, 1908: A young woman is found frozen in the snow.

Her death is clouded by rumours of foxes, believed to lure people into peril by transforming into beautiful women and men. Bao, a detective with a reputation for sniffing out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman's identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they've remained tantalizingly out of reach. Until, perhaps, now.

Meanwhile, the family of a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure all ailments - except the curse that afflicts them. All their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. Now the only grandson of the family is twenty-three.

When a mysterious woman enters their household, their luck seems to change. But is their new servant a simple young woman from the north, or a fox spirit bent on her own revenge?

New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about dead bodies found in the snow, a mother seeking revenge, and old folk tales that may very well be true.

PRAISE FOR YANGSZE CHOO

'You won't be able to put this one down' Reese Witherspoon

'Captivating from the very beginning' 5* Reader Review

'An exuberant medley of magic, romance and weirdness' The Times

'Simply beautiful' 5* Reader Review

'[A] highly imaginative and a spellbinding read' Woman's Weekly

(P)2024 Macmillan Audio©2024 Yangsze Choo Asian Creators Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Magic Magical Realism Mystery Fox Feel-Good Scary
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Critic reviews

The reader is taken on a journey from the underbelly of a Chinese town to the mountains of Japan. Among the more memorable characters along the way is a male fox spirit called Shiro. He is seductive, deadly and, like the book itself, quite irresistible to mere humans
Like the foxes who populate its pages, The Fox Wife is vivid, enigmatic, and enchanting. Choo's fresh new fable conjures a world where danger and intrigue are forever entwined with sublime and sensory delights
Rich and beguiling
A stunning story filled with wonder, mystery and folklore. I was utterly captivated by Yangsze Choo's exquisite prose and fascinating characters from the first page till the last. A remarkable tale, one that will stay with me
Witty and suspenseful
Poetic and evocative
Enchanting
Magical, wonderous, transporting and illuminating, The Fox Wife reminds me that reading can be pure joy . . . I was captivated from the very first word of this novel until its very last. Yangsze Choo is a writer of immense talent
Masterfully plotted and superbly surprising, The Fox Wife will entice you into a world of magic and heartbreak, a beautiful tapestry woven from love and revenge and forgiveness. But beware: once you start, you may not be able to put it down! (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of INDEPENDENCE and THE LAST QUEEN)
The Fox Wife is a rich tangle of myth, mystery, and history, delivered with Choo's inimitable grace and precision. It's not a book so much as a beguilement; it enchanted me entirely (Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of STARLING HOUSE)
Choo's writing is lush and the slow revelations of complicated relationships and reunions hum with tension. This is a treat
Snow's difficulties as both a fox and a young woman in a man's world are clearly drawn, as is the pathos of Bao's situation as a gentle soul who's always been in search of something or someone. An intriguing vulpine mystery worth the suspension of disbelief
A beguiling tale of a bygone era
Stunning . . . Choo's exquisite prose is perfectly matched to an enthralling story that is filled with magic, beauty, cruelty, and the slow unwinding of a double-layered mystery, but also comes star-dusted with an unexpected exuberance and flashes of dark humour
With deftness of pen and a keen eye for evocative detail, Choo crafts an intoxicating tale
Like all the best supernatural stories, The Fox Wife reveals something profound about humanity: the ease with which we get drawn into chasing what we think we want, rather than what will actually nourish us. And the cruelty with which the powerful treat those under their power
Utterly captivating . . . . So lively and sharp-edged
A delicate and suspenseful detective tale, it's perfect to savor on a wintry weekend
All stars
Most relevant
Wonderful tale with a gallery of irrisistable charachters. Intelligent writing that leads you effortlessly through the twists and turns of the plot. I love audiobooks narrated in the author's own voice, make me feel assured the interpretation is aligned with the author's intention.

let the foxes bewitch you!

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While the characters are not as immediately endearing as those in the Night Tiger, they grow on you and this tale grows into a captivating story of foxes, crime and love. Choo has a beautiful voice and diction, and reads with much nuance, but it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between characters when she reads dialogue.

Tip: I heard Janie Chang’s Library of Legends shortly before this book and find they go well together as fox women play a central part in both.

Enchanting story

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I did really enjoy this story foe all I think Snow was an awfully daft protagonist sometime...very worth listening to!

unusual!

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The author spoke the story and was wonderful. I liked the alternating chapters. The ending was satisfactory. Looking forward to listening to her earlier books and what she will write next.

Great story.

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Great narration. A different type of story and in order to enjoy you need to believe that some foxes can turn into humans - if you can do that then you will enjoy this book. Has a bit of history of the opening up of China and Japan and various border changes between Mongolia, Russia, China and Korea which adds to the interest. But at the heart is a story of love, loss, greed, superstition and wickedness in both humans and foxes. Loved it and would recommend.

Had me in its grip from page 1

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