A Song to Drown Rivers

A Novel

By: Ann Liang

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Long-listed, Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2024

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick • An October 2024 Indie Next Pick • An October 2024 LibraryReads Pick

"Like Xishi, Naudus has an enchanting power: the ability to immerse listeners in an emotionally nuanced tale. Her talent is on full display here--and listeners will be as enthralled with it as Fuchai's royal court is with Xishi's great beauty."—AudioFile

“Exquisite and devastating. It won’t fail to move you.”—Shelley Parker-Chan, #1 bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic novel steeped in myth about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds as the fate of two kingdoms hangs in a delicate balance.

Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.

Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

"Stunning and heart-rending."—Chloe Gong, #1 bestselling author of Immortal Longings

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Ann Liang (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Nobody does yearning and sacrifice better than the Chinese classics, and Liang has given us a new classic that achingly captures the will of kings, the intelligence of women, and the heartbreak of war. Exquisite and devastating. It won’t fail to move you."–Shelley Parker-Chan, #1 Sunday Times Bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World

“Ann Liang has fashioned an elegant historical epic, honouring the ingenuity of women in the face of impossible odds. With impeccable pacing, evocative prose, and a romance that had my heart in a vice, A Song to Drown Rivers will call you onward, page by page, until you reach its devastating end.”–Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of The Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange Tree

"A stunning, heart-rending feat of a story. A Song to Drown Rivers retells ancient legend with phenomenal voice, bringing a truly worthwhile addition to the historical fiction genre."–Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings

Loved the myth retelling but could have written better

I felt like this was ACoTaR copy in writing style but with a different story

Devastatingly beautiful

There are not enough words to express how beautiful this book is. If the gorgeous book design is any indicator, the devastatingly beautiful prose within is sure to take your breath away.

I’m not sure that I’ll ever fully recover from this book hangover but I’ll gladly remain drunk in this gorgeous tale.

This needs to be made into a movie

This book is awesome. The story was so attention grabbing. I would love to have a movie based on this. The imagery in the pages are so vivid. i could imagine the sounds of the water rushing in the river and I could see the characters while I read. A great read!!!

Interesting depiction of surreptitious plans to undermine an enemy

A little heavy on the romance. Less is more and the Chinese are known for subtlety in these matters.

Epic Story Richly Told

The language and the story are stunningly beautiful. This would be a great listen for a road trip. The narration is wonderful and honors the text.

lesson for modern times, beautifully told

really enjoyed the story, it grabbed me from the start. beautiful writing and storytelling. greater life lessons woven throughout and the mother's perspective on kings and kingdoms/national leaders/governments at the end is good schooling for modern times as well. agree with others who suggest this would be a great adaptation onscreen too!

Good pace and keeps you wanting to read more.

Great narration and engaging plot. Enjoyed that it was a bit shorter than other books - no needless narration. Fun listen.

I recommend listening to this wounderful story

I enjoyed this heartfelt story so much. The narration of each character was excellent so much I had to sit and listen to the story clear to the end all in one night !

BRILLIANT!

I simply adored everything about this fascinating novel. The wonderful characters, the exciting plot and especially the romance.
Written so beautifully, I was enthralled every minute.
And the narrator, Natalie Naurus, is so perfect.
I would give this 10 stars!

Impactful story

Very impactful themes. Great story about revenge not being all that it cracked up to be, circle of violence, and blindly following leaders. The voice acting was amazing as well highly recommended.