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Mao's Last Dancer
- Narrated by: Paul English
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
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Mao's Last Dancer
Buy Now for £32.09
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Summary
Critic reviews
"[Paul English] exercises such an intense and masterful concentration on the text that the listener's interest never flags....He imbues the narrative with ingenuousness and enthusiasm, which endearingly befit the image Li is attempting to present of himself. The result is an audiobook that is superior to its source." ( AudioFile)
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What listeners love about Mao's Last Dancer
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sheila
- 30-04-22
Mao’s last dancer
What a beautiful well written and moving story- the storyteller captured the humility and strength of the dancer perfectly
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Seklof
- 20-07-21
Outstanding book
This book will stay with me forever. Beautifully written and beautifully narrated. I shall be recommending it to all my friends
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Franklymydarling
- 15-01-21
The best book I’ve listen to in ages!!!!
I am an audible addict. But I can honestly say that out of the hundreds of books I’ve listen to, this one has to be one of my all time favourites! It made me laugh and cry. It’s heart warming, and you really start to love Li Cunxin and his family. The only down side was the narrators weak Chinese pronunciation. But other then that this is a fantastic listen!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- First Impressions
- 22-10-19
Despite flaws I recommend this story to anyone
Mao’s Last Dancer was published in 2003 and is an astonishing story that combines many absorbing elements - I thoroughly enjoyed it. A movie was made from the book in 2009.
Li Cunxin was the 6th son in a poor family in rural China. He overcomes the challenges of life under Mao's communism, culture shock in America and the incredible demands of the ballet world - to become an award winning dancer. Inspiring and thought provoking stuff.
I am removing half a star from my overall grade because of the simple, plodding writing style - and cool detachment - that might take some of the joy out of the story for some. But it is well-narrated and I suspect this helps. I am also removing another half star because I sense that much has been withheld from this memoir. This isn't a "warts and all" account, it feels diplomatic and censored. I don't blame Li Cunxin as his own family, whole extended family, teachers and at least 3 countries will be reading it [China, America and Australia].
Despite it's flaws, I recommend this story for anyone with even the least interest in ballet, China, politics, romance, travel - or human life in general.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christine H.
- 20-10-19
Incredible
What a fabulous memoir, the trials and tribulations of Chinese life and the positivity of Lin Cunxin was inspiring.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-07-17
A great read!
I don't find many books readable so I'm glad I found this one. It is an entertaining and educational read from beginning to end and I especially enjoyed the first half about the childhood and youth in China. I warmly recommend everyone to read Mao's last dancer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- PSprout
- 29-01-06
Life in perspective
As someone who is neither a dancer nor well educated about life in China during the Cultural Revolution, the information in this book was out of my usual interest zone, and I am so glad that the Audible blurb caught my attention and lured me in! This is a fascinating book, and despite its length it captured my attention throughout. I kept having to remind myself that Li Cunxin is slightly younger than I am, although the experiences of his childhood and youth sound as though they must have occured a century before. Compared to the freedom and comfort of average American life in the past four decades, Li's life was grim. However, his attitude, determination, and family support are all the more inspring because of how much he had to overcome. I highly recommend this book. While the narrator's voice is wonderful, I would have preferred an Asian narrator, because the British accent at times became overwhelming. I am a visual listener, and I had trouble visualizing a young Chinese male when listening to this narrator. Other than that, I have no reservations about this book. I just wish I could have the opportunity to see Li dance!
59 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Filmguy
- 14-02-06
Way Beyond Dance
I first passed up this gem because I had no interest in dance much less the world of ballet. What a mistake that was. Li Cunxin takes you into the fascinating lives of peasants in rural socialist China under Mao and his struggles to find his way in a dangerous and changing world. His story is unique, totally engaging and extraordinary. This autobiography is far from simple rags-to-riches success story. His style is down-to-earth and crafted with artistry. The book is beautifully narrated and I remained totally engaged from beginning to end.
47 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aubrey
- 17-05-10
So Much more than I expected
This books was nothing of what I expected. I laughed, I cried, I cheered and held my breath. I was caught up into the story until I felt apart of the family. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It inspired me to push myself as a person and opened my eyes to China of the early 1900's. I consider this a must listen.
39 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Derek
- 05-12-07
A Life Story Beautifully Told
As a Chinese American born in Taiwan, I can relate to the Chinese custom and tradition in the story. But I was struck by the poverty living in the Communist China in that era.
The story was truly inspirational. It taught us that determination combined with hard work paves the way to greatness. And yet Li's deeply-rooted Chinese family values and love for his family still came through all along. This is the "hero's journey" at its best.
The narration was excellent. At times, I thought there were several people speaking for each role. The British/Australian accent didn't take much time to get used to and the pronunciation of Chinese names were pretty good.
This is among one of the best memoirs I have listened to.
33 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- click-n
- 09-09-10
Excellent Book
My friends couldn't understand why I would liked a book so much about a Chinese ballet dancer. This is the ultimate rags to riches story. The narration was superb. This is one of my favorite books.
29 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Nadine
- 24-03-07
Beautiful!
This is the most beautiful book. The Narrator is so good and the book is fantastic. The words come alive. You can feel the damp chilly dance studio, taste the dumplings and feel the cold wind on your face.
I love the richness of this book and the insight into life in Mao's China. This is a MUST Listen in my book. Do not pass it by.
27 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Deborah
- 04-04-08
Has the "ring" of truth
Having been to China during the time period covered in this book, and more recently - this book seemed very "on point" to me. I enjoyed the pure wonder that the main character - a newcomer to the "west" - experienced in America and would highly recommend this to anyone wishing to take a look behind the "bamboo curtain". Very, very interesting and insightful read.
20 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Monique
- 26-03-10
got me hooked
I too found the narrator very difficult to get used to and only in the second half felt I could settle into his style. But I loved the book, it inspired me and opened my heart and my mind in so many ways. Wonderful!
17 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Jena
- 26-03-11
Enjoyable but not memorable
A nice biography for people who know nothing about China and like a good story that ends well.
- Overall a nice rags-to-riches, well-tied up story. You won't find many surprises here, but it will satisfy and is appropriate for kids - though kids younger than 10 or 11 might get lost.
- The political commentary and historical events seen through the eyes of the narrator, combined with the observations on American vs. Chinese cultures, are telling.
- First ~3 hours of the story is a summary of the narrator's childhood, which is uneventful for the most part except for some social commentary on the state of Chinese peasant life. For readers, happy childhoods are not typically interesting enough to warrant this much time. Fast forwarding through most of this will do you no harm in understanding the rest of the story.
- Story is riddled by instances of deus ex machina: The main character's major struggles are conveniently solved by hands of Providence (or in his case, the President of the United States - yawn) which reach down at the last minute to save him.
- Cliche ("scared out of my wits") phrases abound here. I seek new and fresh metaphors, so I'll admit a bias. This may not bother some readers/listeners.
- Main character, who is also the author, comes across as spoiled and pompous at times, which reduces his credibility and thus the reader's sympathy.
Good story, but not in my Top 10.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Nardia
- 22-10-09
Enlightening!
Thoroughly enjoyable! The first part relating Cunxin's childhood especially touched me in the way it revealed the love, humour and even small moments of happiness possible in such a desperate situation. I have to agree with other comments that an asian narrator probably would have sounded more authentic, but Paul English did a wonderful job none the less. If you have seen the movie and think you know the story, think again! The book is definately worth the listen, as the movie probably only contained 10-15% of the original story (as most movies often do, understandably because of time restraints) and most of my favourite parts weren't there! Get the book - You wont regret it!
15 people found this helpful