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House of Kwa

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House of Kwa

By: Mimi Kwa
Narrated by: Mimi Kwa
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About this listen

The dreamer boy travelling on dragon hide...a tiger running alone in the night....

Mimi Kwa ignored the letter for days. When she finally opened it, the news was so shocking her hair turned grey. What kind of father sues his own daughter?

This most recent collision was over the estate of Mimi's beloved Aunt Theresa, but its seed had been sown long ago. In an attempt to understand how it had come to this, Mimi unspools her rich family history in House of Kwa.

Her father was one of a wealthy silk merchant's 32 children and just a little boy when the Kwa family became caught up in the brutal and devastating Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II. Years later, he was sent to study in Australia by his now independent and successful older sister Theresa. There he met and married Mimi's mother, a 19-year-old with an undiagnosed, chronic mental illness. Tiger Mimi arrived soon after, and her struggle with her father, dragon Francis, began....

Riveting, colourful and often darkly humorous, House of Kwa is an epic family drama spanning four generations, and an unforgettable story about how one woman finds the courage to stand up to a lifetime of bullying and prejudice. By confronting her father, Mimi squares off against the infamous 'Kwa Madness' and finally puts the ghosts of the past to rest. Throughout, her inspiration is Francis's late older sister, the jet-setting, free-spirited Aunt Theresa, whose extraordinary life is a beacon of hope in the darkness.

©2021 Mimi Kwa (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Biographies & Memoirs Emotionally Gripping Witty

What listeners say about House of Kwa

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  • Overall
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So entertaining!

I found myself retelling family members the antics of Francis Kwa and his surgical gloves, mimicking his laugh. I haven’t been this enraptured by a story in a long time. Beautifully written, perfectly narrated. A must buy!

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1 person found this helpful

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A wonderful read

A very personal account of a girl who somehow navigated through life and arrived on the other side... amazing. Thank you for letting us inside your world. You deserve all the best things in life and to be congratulated for being such a beautiful person. Thank you for showing us how to be better no matter the circumstance. PS. I miss your aunty also.

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  • Overall
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Deeply moving and beautifully written memoir

House of Kwa is a gripping memoir, covering the incredible history of Mimi's family to the present day. With witty insight and stunning writing, Mimi articulates the family trauma, big personalities and history that shaped her. I loved reading the physical book and listening to it on audio as well. Mimi touches on so many big themes with courage and grace, I feel so fortunate to have heard her story.

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1 person found this helpful

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An engrossing tale

From start to finish this journey is both unique, familiar and engrossing. Thoroughly enjoyable and delightful.

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It brought out so many emotions

Loved it. I wish I could write, I would write a better review. He father is so frustrating but I get it. Laughed and cried throughout the book. So good.

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2 people found this helpful

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True story that reads like a novel

Full of wonderful, larger than life characters that I'm going to miss. An enjoyable book

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Heart filled healing intergenerational family story

Mimi Kwa has told her complex and heart wrenching family story with love, understanding, forgiveness and gentleness. Beautifully narrated by Mimi - I was engrossed from the beginning and immersed myself in her roller coaster life story. I highly recommend this book.

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Interesting life story

I admit it took me a little while to get into this story then I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Interesting life story - well told

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Can’t finish it.

I had great expectations for this story but I just can’t finish it. It’s become monotonous.
While I understand why authors want to narrate their work, some just should not. A professional performance may have helped.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Tedious

The early history was interesting, but coupled with simplistic shallow characters it was not worth it.

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