Paper Wife: A Novel

The story captivated me.

Paper wife is a well written story of a Chinese young woman who becomes the wife of Kari Li due to a contract her father made. Actually it was her sister that was in the contract however she was sick so it was Mei Ling's responsibility to take her place. The book is a historical novel which tells the story of young Mei Ling experience to marry a stranger and come to California to live. It is deep in custom and shows the sacrifices the family goes through. It tells of her year in Angel Island in San Francisco and the hardships she faced. It also tells of a young woman's struggles in a strange environment and different culture. The story tells about paper wives and how the new immigrates from China had to adapt to a totally different world. It is a story of love, disappointment, sacrifice, resourcefulness, and adaptation. I was a little disappointed in the happily ever after ending as it just didn't seem real. But on the whole this was a good read and I would recommend it for anyone who likes historic novels.

Very interesting

I liked the novel and the story, and it is definitely a page turner. However I find the writing repetitive and almost immature. I understand the idea is almost to mimic the voice of a Chinese immigrant, but the entire story is told in third person and the dialogue in Cantonese (supposedly), giving little excuse for writing that is so-so. Phrases like “my Dragon roared/ my Dragon xxx/ my Dragon etc” appeared very often, and so did phrases along the lines of “my heart soared”. I also found the ending almost ridiculous. The way the issue of Suk Suk was resolved with much simplicity made all the build up and fear from earlier seem overdone and the ending rushed. All in all a great read and I loved the concept, but the writing did not leave me feeling particularly attached or impressed with the book.

It was fasinating to read of the immigration process. I doubt it is really like this now, but may have been so may decades ago. Many hardships abound to enter the country illegally but also so important.

Fist of all, I love the main character’s spirituality. So calmed and patient. Always suffering incredible setbacks but always looking forward with the force of her beliefs. Her spirits. I loved her from beginning to end! Like her, I also came to the USA at 19 years of age with a husband I barely knew (we had dated for a year in my country but ultimately we didn’t know each other... Infatuated maybe? That we were). Unlike her, I didn’t have to pretend to be someone else and even though life was hard at first I had the benefit of being a legal immigrant. But leaving my country, my people, writing letters, waiting for letters and phone calls (so expensive at the time), unable to express myself in English, and feeling completely out of place was part of my daily life. So that made this book especially appealing to me. And yet that's where our similarities end. What these men, women and children went thru entering this country is an abomination (one still taking place today in other places!). Also, being thrown into a preset marriage with no choice in the matter ... Then arriving into the new world with total uncertainty ... I can’t imagine how terrible it must have been to wait for days and weeks (years even) in Angel Island detention center. Basically prisoners with their fate in the hands of strangers. Read this book. It’s beautiful in so many ways. Pure emotions always contained in a cultural and traditional lifestyle.

"Paper Wife" is not only entertaining but educational from page one forward. This was the first work by Leila Ibrahim that I have had the joy of reading/listening to. This author delicately explains the life of a paper wife and the heartbreak of racial injustice at the time when Chinese immigrants began entering the United States. I am grateful to have learned about the culture, traditions, and hardships they endured. For a better "feel" of the era and culture, I urge readers to get the accompanying audiobook as the accents of the voice actors truly make the story come alive. "Work hard, be humble, and you will live a harmonious life" is the theme of this book.

I was ready to award five stars until the author condoned murder. I couldn't believe it! A beautiful story of family and love and the horrors that our immigrants have been through. I hate that Americans can easily forget that, unless you're a Native American, your ancestors were immigrants! Hello!! Being a white citizen doesn't mean this country is exclusively yours. I'm thankful I'm an American and hate that any fellow American would prevent others entrance because of race. The story follows a young family to San Francisco from China and their trials. The heroine was extremely impatient and didn't think things through. The H tried to soothe his wife’s brooding and negative feelings, telling her that they had time to find a solution to their problem. Being stupid, the h kills a man and then is frightened her family might suffer from repercussions. Duh! In this story crime pays! Yes! Not only does she get away with cold blooded murder but ends up with a restaurant, her own home and educated children. Happily ever after. The story is good but I'm horrified that this writer thought that was ok for a heroic mom.

This was such a moving tale - one of those that helps you live a very different life. Riveting and soul-stirring.

Maravillosa novela. Una mujer china que experimenta un matrimonio de conveniencia y emigra a California. Tiene unos personajes inolvidables.

It gives a good idea of the problems and difficulties that migrant people had to face when coming to the USA.

This book was so enjoyable that i felt sad seeing my Kindle showing i was 95% through it. The story proceeds with a slow unwinding of characters and historical contexts. The information about paper wives, immigration, detainments, and other conditions of people immigrating to the US in the 1920s was a definite eye-opener for me. This was a beautifully-narrated story that told the resilience and adaptability of a Chinese family; the growth of trust and love between two people who married not even knowing each other; their strength in surviving uncertainty, and their success. I bought this author's other works and look forward to enjoying them as well. It was also a pleasure to NOT be distracted by writing filled with typos, spelling errors, poor English usage. Looking forward to starting the author's next books. FYI - yes - it was ell-researched for facts as shown at the end.

Loved this from the first page. A unique look at these times. Awesome story….captivating!