"Ke Li's analysis is more than a superb ethnographic and historical account of changes in the Chinese court system and its effect on women. It is also a sustained effort to place the historical changes within an analytical framework that explores how cultural beliefs shape governmental policy and, thus, the resolution of a divorce case."—William Jankowiak, <i>NAN Nü</i>

"Based on more than 10 years' in-depth field research in two rural townships in Sichuan Province, Li provides a vivid picture of how rural women struggle in strained marriage, and how they mobilize state law to fight for their freedom and rights in intimate relationships, and how the judicial institutions respond to these women's claims.... Li sees through the gendered outcomes in different individual divorce cases to make a big story that links state law, power, and inequality together."—Mengni Chen, <i>Social Forces</i>

"Well-written and insightful, Li's work on divorce litigation sheds significant new light on the law, politics, and inequality in an authoritarian state."—Soo-Yeon Yoon, <i>Contemporary Sociology</i>

"<i>Marriage Unbound</i> is an impressive work of interdisciplinary scholarship, grounded in empirical research, that significantly advances understanding of authoritarian legality and dispute resolution while yielding insights about statecraft and women's rights in China. The author Ke Li empathetically relates, and meticulously analyzes, injustices encountered by migrant women who seek divorce, often to escape domestic violence."—Arianne M. Gaetano, <i>Pacific Affairs</i>