New Narrator needed!

What did you like best about China Dolls? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the story, but felt the performance had more potential. The narrator's interpretation and tone were inconsistent with what I feel the author was trying to share. She often sounded annoyed and had sarcastic edge to her voice, which took away from attaching to the characters.

12 people found this helpful

Narrator Spoiled It For Me

What other book might you compare China Dolls to and why?

This is not unlike some of Lisa See's other books - long Chinese girls making their way in the world, this time beginning in 1938 and moving through their lives together. Well written and enjoyable, as always.

How could the performance have been better?

I normally enjoy Jodi Long as a narrator, but this was not the book for her. I don't know her background, but she sounds like she's from the New York City area (which I am as well). Her accent, although not pronounced, is nonetheless still there. This, combined with the fact that she sounds older than her late teens or early twenties, made it really hard for me to imagine that her words were the thoughts and words of three young Chinese-American girls from Ohio and California. I know it sounds picky, but it was very distracting to me.

18 people found this helpful

China Dolls Fails to Enchant

Would you try another book from Lisa See and/or Jodi Long?

I loved Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy but this book is not at that level. The characters have all the depth of paper cutouts. The slang gets old and makes it impossible to distinguish which doll is which in this 3 part narration.
Jodi Long sounds like your New York grandmother reading a bedtime story, a strange and jarring contrast to this story of night club performers in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1940s.

5 people found this helpful

Needed a different reader

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

No. The reader read too slow, and I found my mind wandering at numerous places during the story. I've loved all the books by Lisa See, and I was so eager for this book to come out that I had it on my Outlook. But this story just seemed to lack something.

Would you be willing to try another book from Lisa See? Why or why not?

Maybe, but not from this reader.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jodi Long?

janet Song did a great job on the previous books, but I really think the pace of the reading was the problem.

Was China Dolls worth the listening time?

Not really. I should have waited for some of the other reviews to post.

Any additional comments?

I truly believe that Lisa See was trying to portray an important time in our history, and I did find that interesting. I can't really comment on how I would have felt if I had actually READ the book instead of listening to this reader. I'll have to check Amazon for other's opinions on the book. For me, it was the reader that ruined this book.

10 people found this helpful

A Different Offering for Lisa See

Is this Lisa See? At first I just read because so many audio reviews said the narrator was terrible. But that wasn't it, the slang voice- in order to show how American these ladies were, was just jarring. Also the friendship twists and turns were ultimately not believable and disappointing. Interesting subject and I was hooked enough to read (and ye, listen) to it all, but it was just not up to past offerings for me.

4 people found this helpful

Interesting history but ho-hum story

The best part of this novel is the history that inspired it. The author paints a vivid portrait of how Asians were treated in the 1930s and 40s and how they adapted, and occasionally flourished, in the face of ignorance and bigotry. The 3 women whose lives are intertwined in the world of theater and dance are not clearly drawn, however. Each is a "type" but the author assigns a generic voice to all 3 so it's hard to keep straight who is speaking.

4 people found this helpful

A Difficult Listen

Would you try another book from Lisa See and/or Jodi Long?

I have enjoyed other books by Lisa See and would try another but not narrated by Jodi Long. Perhaps her next novel I will read instead. I read Snowflower and loved it. So perhaps this author's voice speaks better to me through reading it.

Has China Dolls turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I loved the idea of this novel taking place in San Francisco and the whole idea of Asian performers of the time. It was just the dialogue and the narrator that did me in.

How could the performance have been better?

I found the narrators efforts to make each voice different very confusing and put on. The dialogue in this book is not stellar but with a narrator embellishing it even more, I think it made it worse.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from China Dolls?

Not sure what scenes I would cut, although the novel moved so slowly most of the way through, it was an effort to finish it. But, who can stand to waste a credit!!

4 people found this helpful

Ethel Mertz is alive and well...

What did you like best about China Dolls? What did you like least?

The story was okay and I have no doubt it could have been a better listen had they chosen a different narrator. I felt like I was listening to Ethel Mertz every time Ruby spoke.

What could Lisa See have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I personally would have liked more historical account of the camps woven in with their relationships.

How could the performance have been better?

A narrator with some depth. The narrator made them all sound insincere and as if they were acting in a play.

3 people found this helpful

Need a different reader!! Where is Janet Song??

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

I couldn't listen to this book. I found the reader totally annoying and hard to listen to. I started this book three times but each time gave up. I love Lisa See books and have listened to all of Janet Song's recordings so was looking forward to this one. What a disappointment.

If you’ve listened to books by Lisa See before, how does this one compare?

The reader makes the audiobook and this reader was not the best choice

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jodi Long?

Janet Song

Could you see China Dolls being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Never could get into the book so can't say.

9 people found this helpful

Interesting but ultimately unsatisfying.

I really have enjoyed several of Lisa See’s books. But unfortunately this was not one of them. It just lacked something that ultimately tied the story together to peak my interest. I feel like there is a line Between writing a story where the people feel genuine and writing a story where the people are just so normal it’s boring. That doesn’t mean that the characters didn’t have tragedy or interesting flaws but it just lacked something that made it seem more than just a book about three gossipy backstabbing showgirls.

Ultimately I would recommend this book to somebody that grew up in the 50s or during World War II. Because it seems like it is very true to how things were and how people thought back then. And honestly if you like catty female drama this is definitely for you. And there is no shame in that drama is enjoyable sometimes.

A note on the voice acting for this audiobook, it is pretty awful. In general the actress has an interesting voice, good diction and pacing, but she has one voice for everybody. That absolutely drives me nuts when a voice actor only has the ability to do one voice for females and one voice for males. At times it was hard to tell which characters were talking.

2 people found this helpful