The BookBrowse Review

Published July 30, 2025

ISSN: 1930-0018

printable version
This is a free issue of our twice-monthly membership magazine, The BookBrowse Review.
Join | Renew | Give a Gift Membership | BookBrowse for Libraries
Back    Next

Contents

In This Edition of
The BookBrowse Review

Highlighting indicates debut books

Editor's Introduction
Reviews
Hardcovers Paperbacks
First Impressions
Latest Author Interviews
Recommended for Book Clubs
Book Discussions

Discussions are open to all members to read and post. Click to view the books currently being discussed.

Publishing Soon

Literary Fiction


Historical Fiction


Short Stories


Essays


Poetry & Novels in Verse


Thrillers


Romance


Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History


Biography/Memoir


History, Current Affairs and Religion


Young Adults

Literary Fiction


Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History


Graphic Novels


Biography/Memoir


History, Current Affairs and Religion


Extras
Book Jacket

Women, Seated
by Zhang Yueran
12 Aug 2025
208 pages
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Genre: Literary Fiction
Critics:
Readers:

A riveting story of a powerful Chinese family's fall from grace.

Enter the world of an elite Chinese couple: a life of luxury, wealth, and around-the-clock service, which includes their trusted nanny, Yu Ling. Slipping in and out of the shadows, meticulous in her care of their only son, she has served the family for years and knows their secrets. But little do they suspect that Yu Ling has secrets of her own.

In the pressure-cooker political environment of China, the fates of even the most powerful families can reverse overnight. When the family becomes the subject of a government investigation, their fortunes crumble, and the nanny is left to make a series of life-changing choices. How far will she go to claim her due?

Taut and enthralling, Women, Seated is a high-stakes story of power and privilege, crimes and secrets, and the elusive pursuit of personal freedom.

"A suspenseful and layered novel…Thanks to Zhang's astute storytelling, characters that first appear to be villains become more complex as the years of disappointment and fractured ambitions that have shaped them come to light. This gripping drama offers an intimate view into contemporary China's class dynamics." —Publishers Weekly

"A tight modern thriller about monied elites and corruption in mainland China…These characters may live in your head for some time due to Zhang's fine pacing and quirky scenes." —Kirkus Reviews

Zhang Yueran's last novel, Cocoon, has been translated into several languages. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Book Prize 2019 and won the Best Asian Novel of the Prix Transfuge 2019. It was voted one of The New Yorker's Best Books of 2022. Zhang lives in Beijing and teaches literature and creative writing at Renmin University.

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.