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A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

by Yiyun Li
Compare to estimated retail price: S$16.08  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

Evocative stories of modern China's complex soul.

As a fellow reader who appreciates rich, layered storytelling, I think you'll enjoy "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" because it offers a poignant look into a rapidly changing China through intimate narratives. Yiyun Li's craftsmanship in exploring the interplay of history, politics, and individual lives comes alive in these tales. Each story promises a window into the human spirit's resilience amidst the cultural evolutions of a nation not often understood from the inside out.

  • Orange Prize Nominee for New Writers (2006)
  • Guardian First Book Award (2006)
  • California Book Award for First Fiction (Silver) (2005)
  • Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award (2005)
  • Kiriyama Prize Nominee for Fiction (2006)
  • PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel (2006)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

by Yiyun Li
Compare to estimated retail price: S$16.08  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9780007196630
Authors: Yiyun Li
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date of Publication: 2007-02-01
Related Collections: Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Fiction
Related Topics: Asian Literature, Mythology
Goodreads rating: 3.93
(rated by 3865 readers)

Description

Brilliant and original, ‘A Thousand Years of Good Prayers’ introduces a remarkable first collection of stories about China from an author set to become a major literary talent. In this extraordinary first collection, Yiyun Li brings us a modern China facing up to a complex history of repression and guilt. In 'Immortality', winner of the Paris Review prize, a young man bears a striking resemblance to the dictator, and so finds a strange kind of calling. In 'Extra', first published in the New Yorker, a Chinese woman, alone in middle age, befriends a young boy who has become an outcast in a remote country school. In their friendship, we see how love can begin to overcome the strictures that dominate their lives. In turn horrifying and breathtakingly lyrical, Yiyun Li, a new and talented young Chinese writer, confronts the silence that dominated the history of her country, and illuminates how mythology, politics, history and culture intersect with personality. She leaves us with an enduring vision of a country undergoing tremendous change.
 

Evocative stories of modern China's complex soul.

As a fellow reader who appreciates rich, layered storytelling, I think you'll enjoy "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" because it offers a poignant look into a rapidly changing China through intimate narratives. Yiyun Li's craftsmanship in exploring the interplay of history, politics, and individual lives comes alive in these tales. Each story promises a window into the human spirit's resilience amidst the cultural evolutions of a nation not often understood from the inside out.

  • Orange Prize Nominee for New Writers (2006)
  • Guardian First Book Award (2006)
  • California Book Award for First Fiction (Silver) (2005)
  • Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award (2005)
  • Kiriyama Prize Nominee for Fiction (2006)
  • PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel (2006)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.