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    Three Souls: A Novel
    Three Souls: A Novel
    Three Souls: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Three Souls: A Novel

    Written by Janie Chang

    Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    An absorbing novel of romance and revolution, loyalty and family, sacrifice and undying love

    We have three souls, or so I'd been told. But only in death could I confirm this....

    So begins the haunting and captivating tale, set in 1935 China, of the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin, who watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her are three souls—stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun—who will guide her toward understanding. She must, they tell her, make amends.

    As Leiyin delves back in time with the three souls to review her life, she sees the spoiled and privileged teenager she once was, a girl who is concerned with her own desires while China is fractured by civil war and social upheaval. At a party, she meets Hanchin, a captivating left-wing poet and translator, and instantly falls in love with him.

    When Leiyin defies her father to pursue Hanchin, she learns the harsh truth—that she is powerless over her fate. Her punishment for disobedience leads to exile, an unwanted marriage, a pregnancy, and, ultimately, her death. And when she discovers what she must do to be released from limbo into the afterlife, Leiyin realizes that the time for making amends is shorter than she thought.

    Suffused with history and literature, Three Souls is an epic tale of revenge and betrayal, forbidden love, and the price we are willing to pay for freedom.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 17, 2014
    ISBN9780062308849
    Author

    Janie Chang

    Janie Chang is the Globe and Mail bestselling author of historical fiction. Born in Taiwan, Janie Chang has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, New Zealand, and Canada. Her novels often draw from family history and ancestral stories. She has a degree in computer science and is a graduate of the Writer’s Studio Program at Simon Fraser University. She is the author of Three Souls, Dragon Springs Road, The Library of Legends, The Porcelain Moon; and co-author of The Phoenix Crown, with Kate Quinn.

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    Reviews for Three Souls

    4.5/5

    108 ratings22 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Unique and memorable. A page-turner of an ending too.
    • 5/5
      I couldn't put this book down even for a second until I finished it, and even afterwards I went over it again. That's how good it is.

      Three Souls is set in 1935 China, but flashes back to the 1920s when the main character, Song Leiyin, is an educated yet naive young woman from a wealthy and traditional family. Leiyin discovers that not only is she dead, but she can't remember what led to her death and subsequent retention in between life and afterlife. She's not alone. She also has her three souls stuck with her, for better or worse: the yang soul which is strict and judgmental, what you'd probably call an "old fart"; the yin soul which exudes youth, optimism, and playfulness; and the obscured hun soul which is like an ethereal voice of reason. Leiyin's ghost knows that she has a daughter but requires assistance from her souls to recover and sift through the rest of the story in order to find out what went wrong. This is all necessary because Leiyin must make amends for her Earthly sins in order for her and her souls to move on.

      Some of the themes incorporated into this book are those of: family, first loves, conformity and rebellion, afterlife, oppression of women, civil war, disillusionment, class warfare, suppression of desires, motherhood, social mobility, betrayal, redemption. It's all done masterfully.

      The story within Three Souls flows beautifully. I think the way it is told is perfect because the reader is discovering things just as soon as the protagonist is. Her souls provide commentary and advice, kind of like a chorus in a Greek drama except individualized and distinct with their own quirks. There was never a time when I felt the author was injecting filler material into the story and I was never bored, which is rare for me.

      Leiyin's wistful character is well developed and you get a real sense of how her personality came to be. Her attempt to break away from social constraints, both for the right reasons and the wrong ones, is moving. Other characters we get a sense of by looking through Leiyin's eyes as a reckless young girl, a resigned wife/protective mother, and then a reflective ghost. Given the opportunity to look into her past, Leiyin's ghost-self develops even more through reconciling with her past actions.

      The story and characters felt real, probably because Chinese history as well as Chang's familial history influenced them. Chang based Leiyin as well as other characters, like Yen Hanchin and Lee Baizhen, on her actual ancestors' stories, which are equally as fascinating. If, when you finish reading this book, you suffer from withdrawal like I did, Janie Chang's website (self-named) has other short stories about her family's history as well.

      Excellent debut, HIGHLY recommended. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.
    • 5/5
      I just finished the book Three Souls. I really enjoyed it and liked how the story unfolded for both the reader and the Three Souls in a chronological way. It was nice to see the different perspectives from when the events took place and the viewpoint of the events with Leiyin and her Three Souls after she has died. The Three Souls were funny with how they reacted to things that happened and how they provided insight to Leiyin that she didn't have when she was alive.
    • 5/5
      A young woman of privilege raised on the cusp of civil war in 1920s China longs to break free from the aristocratic shackles of her family’s feudal wealth. Book-smart and impertinent, Song Leiyin has no desire for the “comfortable life of a wife and mother” awaiting her.Heeding Madame Sun Yat-Sen’s call, she applies for a scholarship to university, but her unflinchingly old-fashioned father dismisses it as a flight of fancy. “This was the first time she realized education was only meant to increase her value in the marriage market.”Following her first failed attempt to deceive her father, a husband is hastily arranged for Leiyin. Motherhood tempers her angst, but the reemergence of an old flame, who also happens to be a wanted socialist sympathizer, sets off a slippery slope of betrayal, ultimately resulting in her death. This is not a spoiler; this is just the beginning! Leiyin’s three souls – her yin, yang, and hun – must right her past wrongs in order to ascend to the afterlife.At once a supernatural fantasy, romantic drama and historical thriller, first-time Taiwanese authoress Janie Chang is to be applauded for creating such a haunting story of love, politics and the beyond.###
    • 5/5
      I was captivated from the very first sentence of Three Souls. I read it in almost one sitting - it was quite hard to put down. It opens with the protagonist Leiyin, watching her funeral. She knows she is dead but wonders why she hasn't gone on to her afterlife. She sees her three souls dancing around almost leading her somewhere, but where? She soon finds out that she has done some serious wrong and she needs make amends before she can get to that afterlife but she doesn't understand. Understanding she learns will come with reflection upon her life. So we are taken on the journey with her a Leiyin narrates her past - explaining her actions, often rationalizing them. Clarity comes in hindsight.Leiyin was a teenager, a teenager with intelligence in a time that did not value women with brains. Nor did it value women that pushed back against tradition. Despite her thinking she had some level of control in her life she soon learned that she did not. But she also refused to accept that perhaps her father might have her best interests at heart.She was a child of privilege in a time of upheaval. Like most teenagers she had no idea of the politics or coming changes. As she looks back on her life and discusses it with her souls - I know that sounds odd but it works - a bigger picture emerges and Leiyin has the advantage of that hindsight I mentioned above.I loved the way the character developed even it there were time I really did not like Leiyin. She was a very spoiled little girl. Ms. Chang was able to weave the history and politics into the story without it seeming like a lesson. This is a book I'll keep for a second read as I'm sure I'll find things that I missed the first time through.
    • 5/5
      Three Souls by Janie Chang is one of those rare books that stays with the reader long after the book is set down. The book opens in 1935 China and takes the reader through Chinese history, tumultuous family life, life, death and keeps the reader not only engaged but also pondering some of life’s biggest questions regarding life and death. Three Souls by Janie Chang is a must read and one I highly recommend for book discussion groups.
    • 4/5
      This book was so engaging that I had to do the book/audiobook combination - I just had to know what happened next. At the beginning of the book, we know that our main character, Leiyin, has died, and we spend the rest of the novel watching her and her three souls review her life and death in revolution-era China and try to make amends for her actions so that she can pass on. Beautifully written.
    • 4/5
      Three Souls tells the story a young woman named Leiyin. The story takes place in 1935 China, against the backdrop of some turmoil. Communism is becoming a popular political movement , set against the current Nationalist Party. Though this is primarily the story of Leiyin, the political backdrop does play a role.Leyin is born into well off family , with a fairly progressive father . He allows her to attend school, but keeps close tabs on her , as do her older brothers, the men at that time having absolute power over women. Leiyin also has two older sisters. As an older teenager , Leiyin meets a captivating communist poet named Hanchin. Leiyin is bright student and wins a scholarship to University. However, her father feels that she does not need further education and needs to be safely married off. He is also orders Leiyin to to stay away from communist sympathizers. When Leiyin rebels against her father, her comfortable life changes drastically. We met Lieyen as ghost journeying to the afterlife with three souls guiding her, yin, yang and hun. This does does not detract from the story at all, but rather allows us to review Leiyin's rather difficult life from her teen years until her marriage and the birth of her first child and beyond. A fascinating look at a young woman in China and the many challenges there.Both heartbreaking and hopeful , a wonderful read. Highly recommended.4 stars.
    • 5/5
      I quite enjoyed this novel. It wasn't your typical ghost story, but it wasn't your typical historical fiction either. It was a very good mix of both.

      The characters were all intriguing and the little bits of background given about the side characters made you that much more involved in the story.

      The locations were richly described without bogging down the story and I genuinely felt for Leiyin even when her actions were a bit stubborn.

      Definitely pick this novel up!
    • 5/5
      A fascinating tale that describes the brief life of a young woman named Leiyin and what led to her early demise. It is a story that is drenched with colorful descriptions of the afterlife, which are based on the rich history of the Chinese culture. Amazing details are given to background scenes as each character in the book seems almost lifelike. The souls of Leiyin are introduced and an amazing introduction to the spiritual side of old China seems to emerge. As the story progresses Leiyin is forced to face her past involvement with a scandalous criminal, who happens to be involved with the communist movement. Against all odds and embarrassment, Leiyin must overcome her pride and discover why her spirit is unable to cross over to the other side. Something has tethered her soul to the land of the living and her three souls are slowly being driven insane. Desperate to save those she loves and her sanity, she realizes that the only way to move up is by righting all of her wrongs, but how can she possibly do that?This book was a wonderful read and I truly enjoyed it. I have not come across a book like this before and found it to be truly unique. I found the concept of the three souls tethered to one person fascinating and wondered if it were true. At times the characters seem to come to life on their own. I found myself wanting to pummel Leiyin’s brother and throw something at Leiyin for being so naïve. I enjoyed the plot behind the story and thought it flowed well. I was not disappointed and am looking forward to the next book written by the author. I highly recommend this book to anyone and especially to someone who is looking for something new to read.
    • 4/5
      Not only is this book set in China, it's set in the 1920's and 1930's, a time period during which I know next to nothing about China. As a result, I particularly enjoyed discovering the incredible events shaking Chinese society during this time period. The author did a spectacular job bringing the culture, the society, and the political atmosphere to life. The relationship of personal events to political ones gave the bigger issues a face and made them all the more affecting. The mythology the author created sounded vaguely familiar, but was almost completely new to me. From the reader's guide, it sounds as though this is indeed a new take on an old mythology and I loved the author's version.

      The way the author chose to tell the story was also unique. The first half of the book is spent learning about Leiyin's life. Her ghostly commentary truly added to the story, making her younger and sometimes more foolish self sympathetic through her ghostly self's explanations. The souls' different perspectives on her actions encouraged the reader to think about all sides of every issue. One of the few things I didn't like about the book were a few decisions she made which even her ghost's explanation couldn't make me sympathize with. I especially disliked that these choices led to a sudden and rather pointless end to her life. The ending to the book was similarly abrupt. I did, however, love the parallels of her life to Anna Karenina and the author's references to that book. I always enjoy literary references to books I love! At the end, I appreciated that Leiyin was able to influence events, despite being a ghost. I dislike characters who lack agency, but that wasn't a concern here. Despite the abrupt endings, I found this a beautiful and thought-provoking read. Perfect for book clubs.

      This review first published on Doing Dewey.
    • 4/5
      When the story starts Leiyin is already dead and she must make atonement for her sins to enter the afterlife. Through clever narration we relive her life through her memories. We are taken back to her childhood where we learn what it was like to be a Chinese daughter of a Nationalist. Leiyin falls in love with Hanin who is a Communist friend of her brother. We are shown the political and social changes that are occurring. The political upheaval of the period is clear and easy to understand and not overwhelming. We find that Leiyin’s brother betrays her trust. This novel is rich with elements of Chinese culture. We learn their thoughts on spiritual beliefs and the afterlife.We are shown the conflict of traditional vs modern practices. Leiyin as a daughter is very powerless and a victim of circumstances. She had hopes of teaching, but her father forces her to decline her university scholarship. This would make a great movie. It is sort of like a Chinese soap opera. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      I was captivated from the very first sentence of Three Souls. I read it in almost one sitting - it was quite hard to put down. It opens with the protagonist Leiyin, watching her funeral. She knows she is dead but wonders why she hasn't gone on to her afterlife. She sees her three souls dancing around almost leading her somewhere, but where? She soon finds out that she has done some serious wrong and she needs make amends before she can get to that afterlife but she doesn't understand. Understanding she learns will come with reflection upon her life. So we are taken on the journey with her a Leiyin narrates her past - explaining her actions, often rationalizing them. Clarity comes in hindsight.Leiyin was a teenager, a teenager with intelligence in a time that did not value women with brains. Nor did it value women that pushed back against tradition. Despite her thinking she had some level of control in her life she soon learned that she did not. But she also refused to accept that perhaps her father might have her best interests at heart.She was a child of privilege in a time of upheaval. Like most teenagers she had no idea of the politics or coming changes. As she looks back on her life and discusses it with her souls - I know that sounds odd but it works - a bigger picture emerges and Leiyin has the advantage of that hindsight I mentioned above.I loved the way the character developed even it there were time I really did not like Leiyin. She was a very spoiled little girl. Ms. Chang was able to weave the history and politics into the story without it seeming like a lesson. This is a book I'll keep for a second read as I'm sure I'll find things that I missed the first time through.
    • 4/5
      After dying, what if you had to somehow right any wrongs you had committed before your soul(s) could have eternal peace? This is the question Leiyin faces in Three Souls. The opening of the novel finds our protagonist realizing she has died at a young age. She meets her three souls and learns that she must somehow atone for her wrongs in life before she can rest.Three Souls is an engaging book set in the 1930s in China. Chang manages to weave together a beautiful story of a young woman caught in a time of great turmoil and change in her country along with the history of the time and beautiful Chinese beliefs such as a person having multiple souls.Leiyin is a woman born in the wrong time. Unable to "accept" the traditional Chinese values of her family, she finds herself adrift in life as well as death. With the guidance of her three souls, and the ability to go back and "see" her life from a later perspective as well as "eavesdrop" on life after her death, she learns more in a short period of time after her death than she ever did in life.Leiyin is a very sympathetic and believable character. Many such women must have struggled in China during that period with the same issues facing Leiyin. Perhaps Changs own Chinese heritage allowed her to write such complex and beautiful characters. I am anxious to read further works by this very talented author. Three Souls is a wonderful novel and would certainly lend itself to great book club discussions.
    • 4/5
      I found this an unusual, enjoyable novel in which the protagonist is a deceased woman looking back on her past while conversing with her three souls. Her mission is to invade the dreams of her family in an attempt to prevent certain things from happening. It's a bit difficult to categorize the work as it contains bits of history, biography, politics, paranormal, mystery and other genres, but not enough of any one to use them as representative tags. The author is a Chinese descendant living in Canada and the characters are based on her own family members. This is her first novel. I suspect it won't be her last.This was a LT review copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Three Souls is the first novel from author Janie Chang and based on her family ancestors and stories told by her mother.The time frame is the late 1920s through the mid 30s in a China facing social and political change. Song Leiyin is a spoiled and idealistic teenager when she learns the hard way that her father controls her fate. Her punishment for disobedience leads to an unwanted marriage far away from her family. Leiyin dies when her daughter is 7 years old and she finds that she and her three souls can't enter the afterlife until she makes amends on earth to earn her entry. I enjoyed how the book was structured,telling Leiyin's story through her three souls and being able to see her memories and life choices.I have always loved novels of China since reading Pearl Buck as a teenager and this book joins my favorites. Many thanks to Library Thing for the opportunity to review this book. I look forward to future books by the author.
    • 5/5
      This was a beautifully written and very original first novel. I have read many books that take place in China and involve abused Chinese women who have nothing in their life except subservience to their husbands. Three Souls is a different sort of novel. It takes place in 1920s and 1930s China.Immediately we are introduced to Song Leiyin. She is only in her early twenties, but for reasons we don't yet understand, she is a ghost of sorts at her own funeral.She discovers that each person has three souls and unless she atones for her sin, she may not earn entry into the afterlife and instead be forced to wander the earth as a lost, insane ghost.I loved how the book was set up. Song does not immediately remember her life, only bits and pieces. Her three souls beg her to remember and tell them the story of her life. As she does, we also learn the details.This was an amazing, haunting story that is a definite recommendation!
    • 4/5
      I received this book through early reviewers, and I'm so glad I did! I loved reading about the history of China in the 1930's. Leiyin has died but cannot proceed to the afterlife. She has no memory of how she died and can't proceed to the afterlife. Her three souls help her review her life so she can understand what she needs to do to move forward. The story goes in chronological order, so it is easy to follow, and her souls give her insights that she couldn't find on her own.I enjoyed reading about the culture in China. Husbands were chosen for the daughters, often for financial reasons, and the woman became a possession of her husbands family. The wife was expected to produce a son, which was the only way she could have any standing in the family. Rebellion was almost unheard of, and women often suffered miserable lives. Leiyin was an inspiring character in so many ways. We meet her first as a teenager full of dreams and ambition. She is spunky, bold and kind. We watch her learn to make the best of her arranged marriage, teach her new husband to read, honor and love her new family and succumb to an ill fated affair. All this is seen in the review of her life, in chronological order accompanied by her three souls who help her understand the mistakes she has made that hold her to this earth, and what she might do to atone so she can move unhindered into the afterlife. Frankly, I couldn't put this book down, and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it! Just excellent!!!
    • 5/5
      I won this arc through library thing. I loved this historical book of china about a young women who dies tragically young. She meets her 3 souls after her death. She is being held back from going to the afterlife and reincarnation so she must find out why. She cannot remember why she died and she has to go through all her memories to find out what happened.
    • 4/5
      What an amazing book Three Souls by Janie Chang is! It's heartbreaking and joyful, and will wrap itself around you and capture your heart. It's the Lovely Bones meets Amy Tan. This book is filled with family and friendship, romance & betrayal. The setting is China 1930's, Pre-WWII, with the Nationalists fighting the Communists, and the fear of Japan invading; and a time when women were treasured for their dowries, and their ability to have sons.The story centers around the spirit of Leiyin, stuck in-between life and the afterlife due to some unknown actions she must atone for. She needs to figure out what she did and how to correct the situation to move on, but how?! Along to help, but they have no choice either because they are stuck right along with her, are her three souls; her yin soul, her yang soul, and her hun soul. All three souls have their own distinct personalities, which we hear quite often as they chime in during the retelling of Leiyin's story. Her yin soul is her romantic side, her yang soul is her stern, practical & "scholarly" side, and her hun soul is her wise side, and they flood her with the memories of her life to help her figure out what she must atone for. We are whisked back in time to her carefree days as a student, as a number 2 daughter, as a very young, impressionable, and privileged girl surrounded by her large family and the first encounter with the man who will ultimately be the cause for much of the pain through out her short lived life...The story doesn't stop there though, because in order to atone for her actions, she's going to have to make some "afterlife" altering decisions too!My Thoughts… I loved the main character, Leiyin. She was precocious, spontaneous, and full of life in a time where women were suppose to tow the lines of tradition. She was spunky in her past life, but I also liked Leiyin as she "matures" in the afterlife, which you see while she reflects on her past actions. I absolutely loved that the past and present were equal partners in the story, and Janie Chang did a beautiful job of seamlessly going back and forth between the two. I loved the idea of the three souls, and I enjoyed that they had their say in past events and interacted with Leiyin in some very interesting ways. (which I won't go into any detail about because I don't want to spoil it for you!). Actually I loved everything about this book…Three Souls is historical fiction, rich with the sights, sounds, and traditions of 1930's China. It's a coming of age novel. It's a romance. It's thought provoking. It's a novel that took hold of me and did not let me go until the last page and then I just lingered in the moment for days…I would recommend this book to all my reader friends!
    • 4/5
      This was a moving story about so many things...it is more than a gritty and entertaining novel. It has depth, historical significance and one heck of a storyline! I want more by this author and maybe, just maybe there is more to the story?
    • 5/5
      Set in China in the 1930's,Leiyin's tale begins with her funeral. As a ghost alongside her 3 souls, she must make amends for wrongs committed in her lifetime. More historical fiction than fantasy, Three Souls is a tale of China in transition. Nationalists and Communists are fighting. China is at war with Japan; and traditional family and gender roles are slowly changing. Janie Chang does a wonderful job of balancing atmosphere and momentum in a story that is both beautifully written and fast paced. With love, family, betrayal, ghosts, and meaning- what more could a reader want! Highly recommended.