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Where the Wild Ladies Are Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 417 ratings

A busybody aunt who disapproves of hair removal; a pair of door-to-door saleswomen hawking portable lanterns; a cheerful lover who visits every night to take a luxurious bath; a silent house-caller who babysits and cleans while a single mother is out working. Where the Wild Ladies Are is populated by these and many other spirited women - who also happen to be ghosts. This is a realm in which jealousy, stubbornness, and other excessive “feminine” passions are not to be feared or suppressed, but rather cultivated; and, chances are, a man named Mr. Tei will notice your talents and recruit you, dead or alive (preferably dead), to join his mysterious company.

In this collection of linked stories, Aoko Matsuda takes the rich, millennia-old tradition of Japanese folktales - shape-shifting wives and foxes, magical trees and wells - and wholly reinvents them, presenting a world in which humans are consoled, guided, challenged, and transformed by the only sometimes visible forces that surround them.

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Product details

Listening Length 6 hours and 36 minutes
Author Aoko Matsuda
Narrator Sarah Skaer
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date February 18, 2021
Publisher Dreamscape Media, LLC
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08PW755MQ
Best Sellers Rank #195,300 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#50 in Absurdist Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#361 in Absurdist Fiction (Books)
#1,304 in Fiction Short Stories

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
417 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and interesting. They appreciate the modern take on traditional Japanese folktales. However, some readers find the narrative confusing and simplistic.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

7 customers mention "Enjoyment"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable. They describe it as interesting and engaging, with an intriguing narrative.

"A series of stories that start interlacing in an enjoyable narrative...." Read more

"...However despite that, I found this book interesting and, at times, downright delightful." Read more

"Very engaging--will give book to friends" Read more

"Interesting short stories" Read more

4 customers mention "Based on mythology"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the modern take on traditional Japanese folktales in this book. The short stories are witty and not scary.

"Interesting modern take on traditional Japanese folktales...." Read more

"...These ghost stories and folk tales are witty instead of scary." Read more

"...Based on Japanese mythology , I recommend after each story going to the notes at the end to learn about the original one...." Read more

"Chapters are short stories based on Japanese mythology." Read more

3 customers mention "Difficulty to follow"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book confusing and simplistic.

"...I found though that the book came off as a bit strange and often puzzling. It felt really weird that the ghosts appeared, and no one seemed bothered...." Read more

"I was looking forward to reading this book, but I found it unbearably simplistic." Read more

"I found this book very confusing and diffucult to follow." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

  • Mrs. Hayley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, powerful, female ghosts
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2023
    I loved this book. I loved the individual stories, and each stood alone, but I enjoyed how they all linked together, and a character or place would pop up in a later story. I couldn't but this book down. It was definitely something new snd refreshing.
  • Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great service!
    Reviewed in Germany on December 6, 2020
    Very fine service - highly recommended!
  • Astrid
    4.0 out of 5 stars Edgy stories with a unique sense of humour
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2024
    Like most short stories collections, this one has many top-notch stories but also some less interesting 'fillers'. What really stands out to me is the unique voice that comes through these stories that's somehow really edgy and sensitive at the same time - which is a very magnetic combination.
  • Jin
    3.0 out of 5 stars Review
    Reviewed in Germany on July 11, 2021
    I have a soft spot for Japanese authors and I was really looking forward to read this short story collection. Even though the feminist re-telling of Japanese traditional ghost stories was refreshing, it was either sometimes too obvious or too flat to have any impact. I really liked the general atmosphere and how contemporary Japan was well portrayed using the Japanese ghost figures. The gender disparity, the focus on outward appearance of women and the indifference towards oneself and others are the main subjects of this book. Some stories were really good and entertaining (i.e. "Smartening up") and some of them were too plain, explaining too much. This book is ok for lovers of Japanese literature.