The Joy Luck Club, 01 Jul 2008
There was nothing here that I hadn't read or seen before and I can't say that I feel enlightened about Chinese culture. This is just wallowing for readers who want to feel that their relationship with their mother is the root of all their problems. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but somehow I don't think that's the reason this shallow book didn't win me over. The story of June and her mother did have some impact.

Wonderful, 14 Feb 2003
The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of Chinese women and daughters living in modern day San Francisco. Not unlike "How to Make an American Quilt" (not sure which came first) the book examines the difficult maternal relationships using flashbacks to various parts of the mother's lives. It is only once you know someone's history that you can understand why a person behaves the way they do.

I love this book. Reading it was one of those rare joys that made me forget who and where I was as I read it. I even managed to read throughout the entire night before noticing that the sun had come up. I had forgotten to go to bed! Beautifully drawn characters, elaborate but not complicated plots, and hauntingly evocative of descriptions of life for women in early 20th century China. The Chinese aspect of the story dominates but women from all cultures will recognise the universal relationships between mothers and daughters. It has even given me a new appreciate for Chinese food! Don't wait for a rainy day - read it now. Sisterhood is global.

The need to belong and the desire to escape, 05 Feb 2003
Focussing on a female dominated mother-daughter generation gap and a Chinese-American culture difference Tan mixes social and personality differences to create a broad and encompassing novel about change. TJLC shows, in its older generation, the huge amounts of reliance displaced individuals have on bonding with other alienated people and the human struggle surmounted to achieve happiness. The daughters in TJLC portray the difficulties sometimes endured being Chinese-American and seeming to be an outsider of each culture. So through these two different aspects of the novel Tan incorporates a “traditional” Chinese story at times in the vein of a less political Wild Swans and the cultural disparity of the modern world adds weight to the “emigrant” literature already established from writers such as Frank McCourt (Irish immigration to the USA) and Caryl Phillips (West Indian immigration to Britain).
Sometimes the tone of TJLC can be overly sentimental and meandering but in all Tan creates a moving tale of displacement, the need to belong and solidarity.

Moving, enlightening and a joy to read., 21 Jun 2001
Addressing the differences between cultures and several generations, Amy Tan's novel is an enlightening, involving and thoroughly enjoyable work. The characters are beautifully portrayed, while the fragmented nature of the chapters poignantly demonstrates the sheer variety of differing lifestyles, beliefs and opinions. This book left me with a lump in my throat, desperate for more. I thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone, and I shall certainly be reading more of Amy Tan's work in the future.

A beautiful set of tales...but little thread running through, 30 Dec 2000
Amy Tan continues to enchant her readers with wondrous but tragic tales of life, loves and disappointments. Having read two of her other works her style is familiar and her ability to tell a story placing layer upon layer of conflicting and often confusing emotions together yet do it with such deft ease and understanding is so enjoyable. There is so much of family relationships of high expectations and perhaps too easy resulting disappointments or at least the character's perception of them. Perhaps though she should try to write something a bit less cynical, less steeped in sorrow and hardship and something with more hope for the future rather than the all too familiar bitter-sweet ending. It does lay life bare in many ways though the hardships gone through in the past (mother's generation) may only have been typical of a certain time and place and the hardships of the present are really mostly of the daughter's own making i.e. they seem not to look for great love merelt something convenient and then end up discarding their modern marriages as easily as they came by them. It does, though, show the value of a strong set of beliefs and traditions by which to live as, although they may seem outdated to the modern generation as in the stories of the daughters who felt more settled with modern (cynical and mistrusting) America than with ancient Chinese customs, the value of believing in something becomes more and more apparent as the younger generation is seen to be part of the throwaway society assigning little value or effort to making things count which is strongly contrasted to the older generation of Chinese born mothers who know what they believe and try to teach their daughters the importance of faith and hope before it is too late. One thing though, it would be easier to follow these separate and basically unrelated tales if each family's tale were told separately so as not to confuse the reader by switching back and forth and back and forth as she does chapter after chapter. Beautiful little tales of pride, hope and tragedy but the characters still seem to lack any confidence in themselves - the older generation still trying to convince themselves to cling onto what little hope they feel they have left (often lived out through their own children) yet the younger generation themselves seeming to not only resent this intrusion into their lives (wishing merely to be left alone in order to just be themselves) yet at the same time giving a sense that they are completely 'lost', neither understanding that love and marriage should mean the same thing nor seeming to really know exactly who or what they really are. Perhaps that's the crux of all of her books, a sense of identity crisis in first generation immigrants.......

The Joy Luck Club, 01 Jul 2008
There was nothing here that I hadn't read or seen before and I can't say that I feel enlightened about Chinese culture. This is just wallowing for readers who want to feel that their relationship with their mother is the root of all their problems. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but somehow I don't think that's the reason this shallow book didn't win me over. The story of June and her mother did have some impact.

Wonderful, 14 Feb 2003
The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of Chinese women and daughters living in modern day San Francisco. Not unlike "How to Make an American Quilt" (not sure which came first) the book examines the difficult maternal relationships using flashbacks to various parts of the mother's lives. It is only once you know someone's history that you can understand why a person behaves the way they do.

I love this book. Reading it was one of those rare joys that made me forget who and where I was as I read it. I even managed to read throughout the entire night before noticing that the sun had come up. I had forgotten to go to bed! Beautifully drawn characters, elaborate but not complicated plots, and hauntingly evocative of descriptions of life for women in early 20th century China. The Chinese aspect of the story dominates but women from all cultures will recognise the universal relationships between mothers and daughters. It has even given me a new appreciate for Chinese food! Don't wait for a rainy day - read it now. Sisterhood is global.

The need to belong and the desire to escape, 05 Feb 2003
Focussing on a female dominated mother-daughter generation gap and a Chinese-American culture difference Tan mixes social and personality differences to create a broad and encompassing novel about change. TJLC shows, in its older generation, the huge amounts of reliance displaced individuals have on bonding with other alienated people and the human struggle surmounted to achieve happiness. The daughters in TJLC portray the difficulties sometimes endured being Chinese-American and seeming to be an outsider of each culture. So through these two different aspects of the novel Tan incorporates a “traditional” Chinese story at times in the vein of a less political Wild Swans and the cultural disparity of the modern world adds weight to the “emigrant” literature already established from writers such as Frank McCourt (Irish immigration to the USA) and Caryl Phillips (West Indian immigration to Britain).
Sometimes the tone of TJLC can be overly sentimental and meandering but in all Tan creates a moving tale of displacement, the need to belong and solidarity.

Moving, enlightening and a joy to read., 21 Jun 2001
Addressing the differences between cultures and several generations, Amy Tan's novel is an enlightening, involving and thoroughly enjoyable work. The characters are beautifully portrayed, while the fragmented nature of the chapters poignantly demonstrates the sheer variety of differing lifestyles, beliefs and opinions. This book left me with a lump in my throat, desperate for more. I thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone, and I shall certainly be reading more of Amy Tan's work in the future.

A beautiful set of tales...but little thread running through, 30 Dec 2000
Amy Tan continues to enchant her readers with wondrous but tragic tales of life, loves and disappointments. Having read two of her other works her style is familiar and her ability to tell a story placing layer upon layer of conflicting and often confusing emotions together yet do it with such deft ease and understanding is so enjoyable. There is so much of family relationships of high expectations and perhaps too easy resulting disappointments or at least the character's perception of them. Perhaps though she should try to write something a bit less cynical, less steeped in sorrow and hardship and something with more hope for the future rather than the all too familiar bitter-sweet ending. It does lay life bare in many ways though the hardships gone through in the past (mother's generation) may only have been typical of a certain time and place and the hardships of the present are really mostly of the daughter's own making i.e. they seem not to look for great love merelt something convenient and then end up discarding their modern marriages as easily as they came by them. It does, though, show the value of a strong set of beliefs and traditions by which to live as, although they may seem outdated to the modern generation as in the stories of the daughters who felt more settled with modern (cynical and mistrusting) America than with ancient Chinese customs, the value of believing in something becomes more and more apparent as the younger generation is seen to be part of the throwaway society assigning little value or effort to making things count which is strongly contrasted to the older generation of Chinese born mothers who know what they believe and try to teach their daughters the importance of faith and hope before it is too late. One thing though, it would be easier to follow these separate and basically unrelated tales if each family's tale were told separately so as not to confuse the reader by switching back and forth and back and forth as she does chapter after chapter. Beautiful little tales of pride, hope and tragedy but the characters still seem to lack any confidence in themselves - the older generation still trying to convince themselves to cling onto what little hope they feel they have left (often lived out through their own children) yet the younger generation themselves seeming to not only resent this intrusion into their lives (wishing merely to be left alone in order to just be themselves) yet at the same time giving a sense that they are completely 'lost', neither understanding that love and marriage should mean the same thing nor seeming to really know exactly who or what they really are. Perhaps that's the crux of all of her books, a sense of identity crisis in first generation immigrants.......

Both very funny and very interesting. , 05 Jun 2008
I loved that book. I think it is the best Amy Tan novel I have read since the Joy luck club. What is exciting is that it is different from the others.It is the story of a group of American tourists who embark on a trip to South China and Burma. The woman who should have been their tour group leader, died before the trip in very mysterious circumstances and the trip will not go as smoothly as anticipated.She will be with them, as a ghost, to recount their experiences, both comic and tragic (the group disappears one day in Burma- have they been abducted, killed?- and to tell us lots about the places they are visiting.
Part comedy, part thriller, part detective book... it is unputdownable as you want to know what happened to each of them.... Very entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.

I prefer previous books, 13 Apr 2008
I have read and enjoyed all Amy Tan's previous books and this is not like the others. It seems the author has a need to show off her knowledge of Burma - sorry; Myanmar - which quite frankly is boring, lengthy and irrelevant to the story. If I wanted to read extensively about the landscape, types of hotels, resorts, etc, I would buy a different book. The actual story could have been told in 1/3 of the pages used. I have enjoyed Amy Tans previous books which combine the eastern beliefs and mysticism within the story lines, this book was a disappointment.

The best read I have had for a long time, 05 Apr 2008
I have just finished this book and I loved every part of it. It was like going on a journey - one I do not want to end. I experienced every emotion and also laughed out loud in places. I was reminded of Jane Austin and her (I believe) loving wit and laughter at human behaviour.

Yes, there were a lot of characters, but they were all very different and interesting in their own way. I felt that I knew each one.

I have read other Amy Tan books, which I enjoyed but this one is a masterpiece. Very clever, very thought-provoking but also fun. I am now a firm fan.

Don't stop reading this at the end - there is a question and answer section at the back - don't miss it.

An edge of the seat, unusual story, 07 Oct 2007
This is a compelling and unusual story. The narrator is a dead woman - an unusual device in itself. The story centers around a group of American tourists on a trip to Burma. Burma has been in the news this week and so that made it all the more fascinating. There is a likeable cast of characters - who get into all sorts of scrapes - many of which are quite hilarious. This is a story about how one persons actions can impact upon another, and about a group's shared responsibilty. There are some topical messages here, and a little tounge in cheek satire, wrapped up in an entertaining story. Very different from the only other Amy Tan novel I have read - The Bonesetter's daughter - but very enjoyable.



I loved this book, 13 Feb 2007
I loved reading this book. I loved the humour, and the clever way Amy Tan makes suggestion about countries,cultures and religion in a book of fiction. I loved the spirit of the narrator. I think Amy Tan is gifted in her observations of people and places and truly a very talented writer. Read this book if you want to smile, but dont if you take every word ever written to seriously, it will only upset you.

The Joy Luck Club, 01 Jul 2008
There was nothing here that I hadn't read or seen before and I can't say that I feel enlightened about Chinese culture. This is just wallowing for readers who want to feel that their relationship with their mother is the root of all their problems. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but somehow I don't think that's the reason this shallow book didn't win me over. The story of June and her mother did have some impact.

Wonderful, 14 Feb 2003
The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of Chinese women and daughters living in modern day San Francisco. Not unlike "How to Make an American Quilt" (not sure which came first) the book examines the difficult maternal relationships using flashbacks to various parts of the mother's lives. It is only once you know someone's history that you can understand why a person behaves the way they do.

I love this book. Reading it was one of those rare joys that made me forget who and where I was as I read it. I even managed to read throughout the entire night before noticing that the sun had come up. I had forgotten to go to bed! Beautifully drawn characters, elaborate but not complicated plots, and hauntingly evocative of descriptions of life for women in early 20th century China. The Chinese aspect of the story dominates but women from all cultures will recognise the universal relationships between mothers and daughters. It has even given me a new appreciate for Chinese food! Don't wait for a rainy day - read it now. Sisterhood is global.

The need to belong and the desire to escape, 05 Feb 2003
Focussing on a female dominated mother-daughter generation gap and a Chinese-American culture difference Tan mixes social and personality differences to create a broad and encompassing novel about change. TJLC shows, in its older generation, the huge amounts of reliance displaced individuals have on bonding with other alienated people and the human struggle surmounted to achieve happiness. The daughters in TJLC portray the difficulties sometimes endured being Chinese-American and seeming to be an outsider of each culture. So through these two different aspects of the novel Tan incorporates a “traditional” Chinese story at times in the vein of a less political Wild Swans and the cultural disparity of the modern world adds weight to the “emigrant” literature already established from writers such as Frank McCourt (Irish immigration to the USA) and Caryl Phillips (West Indian immigration to Britain).
Sometimes the tone of TJLC can be overly sentimental and meandering but in all Tan creates a moving tale of displacement, the need to belong and solidarity.

Moving, enlightening and a joy to read., 21 Jun 2001
Addressing the differences between cultures and several generations, Amy Tan's novel is an enlightening, involving and thoroughly enjoyable work. The characters are beautifully portrayed, while the fragmented nature of the chapters poignantly demonstrates the sheer variety of differing lifestyles, beliefs and opinions. This book left me with a lump in my throat, desperate for more. I thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone, and I shall certainly be reading more of Amy Tan's work in the future.

A beautiful set of tales...but little thread running through, 30 Dec 2000
Amy Tan continues to enchant her readers with wondrous but tragic tales of life, loves and disappointments. Having read two of her other works her style is familiar and her ability to tell a story placing layer upon layer of conflicting and often confusing emotions together yet do it with such deft ease and understanding is so enjoyable. There is so much of family relationships of high expectations and perhaps too easy resulting disappointments or at least the character's perception of them. Perhaps though she should try to write something a bit less cynical, less steeped in sorrow and hardship and something with more hope for the future rather than the all too familiar bitter-sweet ending. It does lay life bare in many ways though the hardships gone through in the past (mother's generation) may only have been typical of a certain time and place and the hardships of the present are really mostly of the daughter's own making i.e. they seem not to look for great love merelt something convenient and then end up discarding their modern marriages as easily as they came by them. It does, though, show the value of a strong set of beliefs and traditions by which to live as, although they may seem outdated to the modern generation as in the stories of the daughters who felt more settled with modern (cynical and mistrusting) America than with ancient Chinese customs, the value of believing in something becomes more and more apparent as the younger generation is seen to be part of the throwaway society assigning little value or effort to making things count which is strongly contrasted to the older generation of Chinese born mothers who know what they believe and try to teach their daughters the importance of faith and hope before it is too late. One thing though, it would be easier to follow these separate and basically unrelated tales if each family's tale were told separately so as not to confuse the reader by switching back and forth and back and forth as she does chapter after chapter. Beautiful little tales of pride, hope and tragedy but the characters still seem to lack any confidence in themselves - the older generation still trying to convince themselves to cling onto what little hope they feel they have left (often lived out through their own children) yet the younger generation themselves seeming to not only resent this intrusion into their lives (wishing merely to be left alone in order to just be themselves) yet at the same time giving a sense that they are completely 'lost', neither understanding that love and marriage should mean the same thing nor seeming to really know exactly who or what they really are. Perhaps that's the crux of all of her books, a sense of identity crisis in first generation immigrants.......

Both very funny and very interesting. , 05 Jun 2008
I loved that book. I think it is the best Amy Tan novel I have read since the Joy luck club. What is exciting is that it is different from the others.It is the story of a group of American tourists who embark on a trip to South China and Burma. The woman who should have been their tour group leader, died before the trip in very mysterious circumstances and the trip will not go as smoothly as anticipated.She will be with them, as a ghost, to recount their experiences, both comic and tragic (the group disappears one day in Burma- have they been abducted, killed?- and to tell us lots about the places they are visiting.
Part comedy, part thriller, part detective book... it is unputdownable as you want to know what happened to each of them.... Very entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.

I prefer previous books, 13 Apr 2008
I have read and enjoyed all Amy Tan's previous books and this is not like the others. It seems the author has a need to show off her knowledge of Burma - sorry; Myanmar - which quite frankly is boring, lengthy and irrelevant to the story. If I wanted to read extensively about the landscape, types of hotels, resorts, etc, I would buy a different book. The actual story could have been told in 1/3 of the pages used. I have enjoyed Amy Tans previous books which combine the eastern beliefs and mysticism within the story lines, this book was a disappointment.

The best read I have had for a long time, 05 Apr 2008
I have just finished this book and I loved every part of it. It was like going on a journey - one I do not want to end. I experienced every emotion and also laughed out loud in places. I was reminded of Jane Austin and her (I believe) loving wit and laughter at human behaviour.

Yes, there were a lot of characters, but they were all very different and interesting in their own way. I felt that I knew each one.

I have read other Amy Tan books, which I enjoyed but this one is a masterpiece. Very clever, very thought-provoking but also fun. I am now a firm fan.

Don't stop reading this at the end - there is a question and answer section at the back - don't miss it.

An edge of the seat, unusual story, 07 Oct 2007
This is a compelling and unusual story. The narrator is a dead woman - an unusual device in itself. The story centers around a group of American tourists on a trip to Burma. Burma has been in the news this week and so that made it all the more fascinating. There is a likeable cast of characters - who get into all sorts of scrapes - many of which are quite hilarious. This is a story about how one persons actions can impact upon another, and about a group's shared responsibilty. There are some topical messages here, and a little tounge in cheek satire, wrapped up in an entertaining story. Very different from the only other Amy Tan novel I have read - The Bonesetter's daughter - but very enjoyable.



I loved this book, 13 Feb 2007
I loved reading this book. I loved the humour, and the clever way Amy Tan makes suggestion about countries,cultures and religion in a book of fiction. I loved the spirit of the narrator. I think Amy Tan is gifted in her observations of people and places and truly a very talented writer. Read this book if you want to smile, but dont if you take every word ever written to seriously, it will only upset you.

I have read quite a few women authors, honest, 07 Feb 2008
Without wishing to sound politically incorrect, sexist, or something even worse I have to say that I think this is probably more one for the ladies than the gentlemen - which classification I am technically allocated. I have past the half way mark and am simply not enjoying it; neither the story nor the characters engage me at all and I have found only one comment in the 12 glowing reviews here that I can identify with viz. `I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult'.
I don't believe I will finish it unless I get snowed in for the remainder of February and my next Amazon order is delayed for three weeks - I've chosen a couple of gripping crime thrillers this time !
I am totally confident that my comments will not measurably affect sales of this book, otherwise I may not have made them public.


The Hundred Secret Senses, 17 Oct 2007
Another brilliant novel from Amy Tan. I loved the characters of Olivia and Kwan and was eager to learn more about them as I read. I have to mention though that although I like the concept of Yin- the afterlife/reincarnation I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult,even though I appreciated they were an important part of the whole in regard to the difference in American and Chinese cultures. I recommend this highly.

A really good read, 12 Sep 2006
This is Amy Tan's best book in my opinion. You feel the emotion throughout. I liked that in the end, Kwan is found to be so wise. I need a 'Kwan' in my life I think!

Past Lives and Dead Chickens - I'd like more, 14 Apr 2005
The Hundred Secret Senses was my first Amy Tan book, and it's left me wanting more.
Her characters Olivia and Kwan quickly develop into the kind most soap writers would envy; the ones that leave you eager to know what they'll get up to next. While this is happening a magical tale effortlessly unfolds. It's a tale which smoothly links modern American ideals and lifestyles with more old-fashioned ideas, all the time hinting at tenious links with exotic and turbulent Chinese legends.
The story abruptly turns itself around, speeding up the pace when the main characters move to China. From then on the links with the past become increasingly powerful with the lives of present day characters forced to parallel some of those in the past.
Electric shock therapy, reincarnation, marriage breakdown and slaughtering chickens are just some of the topics covered on the way to Amy Tan's breathless yet satisfying conclusion.

The Hundred Secret Senses - by Amy Tan, 06 Nov 2002
To anyone interested in reading this book, or in fact any other work by Amy Tan - I implore you to make this particular title a must have on your bookshelf at home!
It really is a fantastic story, very heartfelt - and Tan has a unique style of writing which draws you effortlessley into the characters lives at all times. If you choose to go ahead and read the book, you will get to know the characters so well throughout the story that, - once you have finished you will probably be left wondering about them still.

Up until eighteen months ago, I had never heard of Amy Tan, and just happened to pick up a book at work that had been forgotten by someone who had left the company. I started to read it on all breaks, and was engrossed so quickly that I even began to focus more on the story than on my work!

There is so much detail in the book that you can tell straight away how much effort Tan has put into creating it. Never before have I read a book where the authors passion shines through in their work to such a fabulous degree.
Although this is a review, I have made a decision not give away any of the storylines themselves, as it really is too good to be spoiled by an amateur book review. All I will say though is that it is set both in modern day America, and also China - and this gives so many great cultural insights to the reader. I honestly learned quite a lot from this book, as well as just plain well enjoying it!

To sum the book up in three words: - Unique, refreshing and intriguing.

The Joy Luck Club, 01 Jul 2008
There was nothing here that I hadn't read or seen before and I can't say that I feel enlightened about Chinese culture. This is just wallowing for readers who want to feel that their relationship with their mother is the root of all their problems. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but somehow I don't think that's the reason this shallow book didn't win me over. The story of June and her mother did have some impact.

Wonderful, 14 Feb 2003
The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of Chinese women and daughters living in modern day San Francisco. Not unlike "How to Make an American Quilt" (not sure which came first) the book examines the difficult maternal relationships using flashbacks to various parts of the mother's lives. It is only once you know someone's history that you can understand why a person behaves the way they do.

I love this book. Reading it was one of those rare joys that made me forget who and where I was as I read it. I even managed to read throughout the entire night before noticing that the sun had come up. I had forgotten to go to bed! Beautifully drawn characters, elaborate but not complicated plots, and hauntingly evocative of descriptions of life for women in early 20th century China. The Chinese aspect of the story dominates but women from all cultures will recognise the universal relationships between mothers and daughters. It has even given me a new appreciate for Chinese food! Don't wait for a rainy day - read it now. Sisterhood is global.

The need to belong and the desire to escape, 05 Feb 2003
Focussing on a female dominated mother-daughter generation gap and a Chinese-American culture difference Tan mixes social and personality differences to create a broad and encompassing novel about change. TJLC shows, in its older generation, the huge amounts of reliance displaced individuals have on bonding with other alienated people and the human struggle surmounted to achieve happiness. The daughters in TJLC portray the difficulties sometimes endured being Chinese-American and seeming to be an outsider of each culture. So through these two different aspects of the novel Tan incorporates a “traditional” Chinese story at times in the vein of a less political Wild Swans and the cultural disparity of the modern world adds weight to the “emigrant” literature already established from writers such as Frank McCourt (Irish immigration to the USA) and Caryl Phillips (West Indian immigration to Britain).
Sometimes the tone of TJLC can be overly sentimental and meandering but in all Tan creates a moving tale of displacement, the need to belong and solidarity.

Moving, enlightening and a joy to read., 21 Jun 2001
Addressing the differences between cultures and several generations, Amy Tan's novel is an enlightening, involving and thoroughly enjoyable work. The characters are beautifully portrayed, while the fragmented nature of the chapters poignantly demonstrates the sheer variety of differing lifestyles, beliefs and opinions. This book left me with a lump in my throat, desperate for more. I thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone, and I shall certainly be reading more of Amy Tan's work in the future.

A beautiful set of tales...but little thread running through, 30 Dec 2000
Amy Tan continues to enchant her readers with wondrous but tragic tales of life, loves and disappointments. Having read two of her other works her style is familiar and her ability to tell a story placing layer upon layer of conflicting and often confusing emotions together yet do it with such deft ease and understanding is so enjoyable. There is so much of family relationships of high expectations and perhaps too easy resulting disappointments or at least the character's perception of them. Perhaps though she should try to write something a bit less cynical, less steeped in sorrow and hardship and something with more hope for the future rather than the all too familiar bitter-sweet ending. It does lay life bare in many ways though the hardships gone through in the past (mother's generation) may only have been typical of a certain time and place and the hardships of the present are really mostly of the daughter's own making i.e. they seem not to look for great love merelt something convenient and then end up discarding their modern marriages as easily as they came by them. It does, though, show the value of a strong set of beliefs and traditions by which to live as, although they may seem outdated to the modern generation as in the stories of the daughters who felt more settled with modern (cynical and mistrusting) America than with ancient Chinese customs, the value of believing in something becomes more and more apparent as the younger generation is seen to be part of the throwaway society assigning little value or effort to making things count which is strongly contrasted to the older generation of Chinese born mothers who know what they believe and try to teach their daughters the importance of faith and hope before it is too late. One thing though, it would be easier to follow these separate and basically unrelated tales if each family's tale were told separately so as not to confuse the reader by switching back and forth and back and forth as she does chapter after chapter. Beautiful little tales of pride, hope and tragedy but the characters still seem to lack any confidence in themselves - the older generation still trying to convince themselves to cling onto what little hope they feel they have left (often lived out through their own children) yet the younger generation themselves seeming to not only resent this intrusion into their lives (wishing merely to be left alone in order to just be themselves) yet at the same time giving a sense that they are completely 'lost', neither understanding that love and marriage should mean the same thing nor seeming to really know exactly who or what they really are. Perhaps that's the crux of all of her books, a sense of identity crisis in first generation immigrants.......

Both very funny and very interesting. , 05 Jun 2008
I loved that book. I think it is the best Amy Tan novel I have read since the Joy luck club. What is exciting is that it is different from the others.It is the story of a group of American tourists who embark on a trip to South China and Burma. The woman who should have been their tour group leader, died before the trip in very mysterious circumstances and the trip will not go as smoothly as anticipated.She will be with them, as a ghost, to recount their experiences, both comic and tragic (the group disappears one day in Burma- have they been abducted, killed?- and to tell us lots about the places they are visiting.
Part comedy, part thriller, part detective book... it is unputdownable as you want to know what happened to each of them.... Very entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.

I prefer previous books, 13 Apr 2008
I have read and enjoyed all Amy Tan's previous books and this is not like the others. It seems the author has a need to show off her knowledge of Burma - sorry; Myanmar - which quite frankly is boring, lengthy and irrelevant to the story. If I wanted to read extensively about the landscape, types of hotels, resorts, etc, I would buy a different book. The actual story could have been told in 1/3 of the pages used. I have enjoyed Amy Tans previous books which combine the eastern beliefs and mysticism within the story lines, this book was a disappointment.

The best read I have had for a long time, 05 Apr 2008
I have just finished this book and I loved every part of it. It was like going on a journey - one I do not want to end. I experienced every emotion and also laughed out loud in places. I was reminded of Jane Austin and her (I believe) loving wit and laughter at human behaviour.

Yes, there were a lot of characters, but they were all very different and interesting in their own way. I felt that I knew each one.

I have read other Amy Tan books, which I enjoyed but this one is a masterpiece. Very clever, very thought-provoking but also fun. I am now a firm fan.

Don't stop reading this at the end - there is a question and answer section at the back - don't miss it.

An edge of the seat, unusual story, 07 Oct 2007
This is a compelling and unusual story. The narrator is a dead woman - an unusual device in itself. The story centers around a group of American tourists on a trip to Burma. Burma has been in the news this week and so that made it all the more fascinating. There is a likeable cast of characters - who get into all sorts of scrapes - many of which are quite hilarious. This is a story about how one persons actions can impact upon another, and about a group's shared responsibilty. There are some topical messages here, and a little tounge in cheek satire, wrapped up in an entertaining story. Very different from the only other Amy Tan novel I have read - The Bonesetter's daughter - but very enjoyable.



I loved this book, 13 Feb 2007
I loved reading this book. I loved the humour, and the clever way Amy Tan makes suggestion about countries,cultures and religion in a book of fiction. I loved the spirit of the narrator. I think Amy Tan is gifted in her observations of people and places and truly a very talented writer. Read this book if you want to smile, but dont if you take every word ever written to seriously, it will only upset you.

I have read quite a few women authors, honest, 07 Feb 2008
Without wishing to sound politically incorrect, sexist, or something even worse I have to say that I think this is probably more one for the ladies than the gentlemen - which classification I am technically allocated. I have past the half way mark and am simply not enjoying it; neither the story nor the characters engage me at all and I have found only one comment in the 12 glowing reviews here that I can identify with viz. `I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult'.
I don't believe I will finish it unless I get snowed in for the remainder of February and my next Amazon order is delayed for three weeks - I've chosen a couple of gripping crime thrillers this time !
I am totally confident that my comments will not measurably affect sales of this book, otherwise I may not have made them public.


The Hundred Secret Senses, 17 Oct 2007
Another brilliant novel from Amy Tan. I loved the characters of Olivia and Kwan and was eager to learn more about them as I read. I have to mention though that although I like the concept of Yin- the afterlife/reincarnation I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult,even though I appreciated they were an important part of the whole in regard to the difference in American and Chinese cultures. I recommend this highly.

A really good read, 12 Sep 2006
This is Amy Tan's best book in my opinion. You feel the emotion throughout. I liked that in the end, Kwan is found to be so wise. I need a 'Kwan' in my life I think!

Past Lives and Dead Chickens - I'd like more, 14 Apr 2005
The Hundred Secret Senses was my first Amy Tan book, and it's left me wanting more.
Her characters Olivia and Kwan quickly develop into the kind most soap writers would envy; the ones that leave you eager to know what they'll get up to next. While this is happening a magical tale effortlessly unfolds. It's a tale which smoothly links modern American ideals and lifestyles with more old-fashioned ideas, all the time hinting at tenious links with exotic and turbulent Chinese legends.
The story abruptly turns itself around, speeding up the pace when the main characters move to China. From then on the links with the past become increasingly powerful with the lives of present day characters forced to parallel some of those in the past.
Electric shock therapy, reincarnation, marriage breakdown and slaughtering chickens are just some of the topics covered on the way to Amy Tan's breathless yet satisfying conclusion.

The Hundred Secret Senses - by Amy Tan, 06 Nov 2002
To anyone interested in reading this book, or in fact any other work by Amy Tan - I implore you to make this particular title a must have on your bookshelf at home!
It really is a fantastic story, very heartfelt - and Tan has a unique style of writing which draws you effortlessley into the characters lives at all times. If you choose to go ahead and read the book, you will get to know the characters so well throughout the story that, - once you have finished you will probably be left wondering about them still.

Up until eighteen months ago, I had never heard of Amy Tan, and just happened to pick up a book at work that had been forgotten by someone who had left the company. I started to read it on all breaks, and was engrossed so quickly that I even began to focus more on the story than on my work!

There is so much detail in the book that you can tell straight away how much effort Tan has put into creating it. Never before have I read a book where the authors passion shines through in their work to such a fabulous degree.
Although this is a review, I have made a decision not give away any of the storylines themselves, as it really is too good to be spoiled by an amateur book review. All I will say though is that it is set both in modern day America, and also China - and this gives so many great cultural insights to the reader. I honestly learned quite a lot from this book, as well as just plain well enjoying it!

To sum the book up in three words: - Unique, refreshing and intriguing.

Wanted to like it but couldn't get into it, 26 Oct 2007
I have read a couple of Amy Tan's fiction books and enjoyed them immensely. I was, in fact, given this book by a cousin who noticed I was reading "Saving Fish from Drowning".
I liked the idea of a non-fiction book by an author who has obviously had an interesting life but found the language too rambling and too elaborate. The same style I think is perfect for fiction but I prefer non-fiction to be much more straightforward and not spen so much time talking around the story.
I'll read more of her novels but would avoid any other autobiographical works.

Youy need to read her novels first, 04 Oct 2007
I read this book for a book group and I definitely feel that it looses a lot if you haven't read previous books written by this author.
It is interesting in parts, especially the story of her early life in the first few chapters; her Chinese heritage and her overbearing mother.
After that I struggled through with no great interest.
There are many references to her fiction, particularly The Joy Luck Club, which has now become a film in which she was very involved.
There is also a very tedious section on theories of writing and lectures she has given on the subject. At this stage I skipped 50 pages to the end of the book where she relates a mysterious illness that had haunted her for several years and which turned out to be Lyme's Disease.
I suspect that the onset of these debilitating problems explains why the author wrote this style of book - a memoir combined with previous essays and speeches. Unfortunately it did not grab me at all and I am not left feeling inspired to try her fiction.

Collection of episodes from Amy Tans life...., 09 Jan 2006
Unlike the other reviews, I would not say this is either Amy Tans 'best' or 'worst' book - it's different in that it is autobiographical (not fiction) and consists of much shorter pieces. When I picked this up, I didn't realise it wasn't fiction, and I am not a particular fan of short pieces of writing. HOWEVER - this is an amazing book that gives a wonderful insight into Amy Tans (extraordinary) life. Some of it is dramatic (getting caught in floods) and traumatic (her experience of a close friends murder). It also examines the experience of what it is to be writer, and her piece on reading her own 'Cliff notes' is very funny. Definitely worth a read....

Repetive and rambling, 03 Jan 2005
First let me say, I'm a big fan of Amy Tan's fiction books. They are truly amazing and totally absorb you into her world I've read them all and so I was excited to find she had written a book about herself and her family. However I found the book deeply disappointing as it is a just collection of musings with no order or structure but a lot of repetition. While there are some interesting stories buried in amongst the ramblings I felt the book was just a money-spinner -taking previously written articles, interviews etc and just bunging them altogether without spending the time to make it coherent. Save your money until Amy chooses to take the time and effort to write a real autobiography. Im sure that would be well worth reading

The best yet, 31 Aug 2004
This again like the others is a collection of stories or rather experiences. Amy Tan as ever keeps the reader captivated with the book. The stories are amusing, sentimental and some sad. The book provides a great insight into Amy Tan's life, as well as answering some questions that readers may have had from the other books. This is a must read, which is hard to put down.

Amy Tan's fourth novel The Bonesetter's Daughter, like her highly successful The Joy Luck Club, explores the conflicts between a Chinese-American woman and her Chinese mother. Set in San Francisco, Ruth and her mother LuLing exercise a frosty commitment to each other. When her mother begins to show signs of Alzheimer's, and her talk of bad luck and curses becomes more jumbled, Ruth realises that her encroaching dependency will change her life. She questions how she will she care for a parent who she mostly resented throughout her childhood. The illness finally prompts Ruth to get her mother's autobiography translated and the central section of the book becomes LuLing's story of her mother, the bonesetter's daughter.

Tan excels at locating the small, quotidian details of Californian domesticity and works the fissures and rifts between the generations very well. She can also blend hip, pop psychology with inherited Chinese lore to amusing effect. But the narrative starts to hum with energy and drive as the story is told from LuLing's perspective. The story shifts to a small Chinese village known as Immortal Heart, in the thirties, where LuLing's mother learnt her father's skill with a splint and special dragon bones dug out of a cave called Monkey's Jaw. The quality of the writing takes on the charm and compulsion of a fable as Ruth's grandmother's tragic life unfolds. In turn, Ruth uses what she learns of the maternal line of resilience to retrieve her own writing voice and vision: "These are the women who shaped her life, who are in her bones...They taught her to worry...They wanted her to get rid of the curses." As she recognises what her mother wants to remember, she begins to define what she wants for her own life.--Cherry Smyth

The Joy Luck Club, 01 Jul 2008
There was nothing here that I hadn't read or seen before and I can't say that I feel enlightened about Chinese culture. This is just wallowing for readers who want to feel that their relationship with their mother is the root of all their problems. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but somehow I don't think that's the reason this shallow book didn't win me over. The story of June and her mother did have some impact.

Wonderful, 14 Feb 2003
The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of Chinese women and daughters living in modern day San Francisco. Not unlike "How to Make an American Quilt" (not sure which came first) the book examines the difficult maternal relationships using flashbacks to various parts of the mother's lives. It is only once you know someone's history that you can understand why a person behaves the way they do.

I love this book. Reading it was one of those rare joys that made me forget who and where I was as I read it. I even managed to read throughout the entire night before noticing that the sun had come up. I had forgotten to go to bed! Beautifully drawn characters, elaborate but not complicated plots, and hauntingly evocative of descriptions of life for women in early 20th century China. The Chinese aspect of the story dominates but women from all cultures will recognise the universal relationships between mothers and daughters. It has even given me a new appreciate for Chinese food! Don't wait for a rainy day - read it now. Sisterhood is global.

The need to belong and the desire to escape, 05 Feb 2003
Focussing on a female dominated mother-daughter generation gap and a Chinese-American culture difference Tan mixes social and personality differences to create a broad and encompassing novel about change. TJLC shows, in its older generation, the huge amounts of reliance displaced individuals have on bonding with other alienated people and the human struggle surmounted to achieve happiness. The daughters in TJLC portray the difficulties sometimes endured being Chinese-American and seeming to be an outsider of each culture. So through these two different aspects of the novel Tan incorporates a “traditional” Chinese story at times in the vein of a less political Wild Swans and the cultural disparity of the modern world adds weight to the “emigrant” literature already established from writers such as Frank McCourt (Irish immigration to the USA) and Caryl Phillips (West Indian immigration to Britain).
Sometimes the tone of TJLC can be overly sentimental and meandering but in all Tan creates a moving tale of displacement, the need to belong and solidarity.

Moving, enlightening and a joy to read., 21 Jun 2001
Addressing the differences between cultures and several generations, Amy Tan's novel is an enlightening, involving and thoroughly enjoyable work. The characters are beautifully portrayed, while the fragmented nature of the chapters poignantly demonstrates the sheer variety of differing lifestyles, beliefs and opinions. This book left me with a lump in my throat, desperate for more. I thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone, and I shall certainly be reading more of Amy Tan's work in the future.

A beautiful set of tales...but little thread running through, 30 Dec 2000
Amy Tan continues to enchant her readers with wondrous but tragic tales of life, loves and disappointments. Having read two of her other works her style is familiar and her ability to tell a story placing layer upon layer of conflicting and often confusing emotions together yet do it with such deft ease and understanding is so enjoyable. There is so much of family relationships of high expectations and perhaps too easy resulting disappointments or at least the character's perception of them. Perhaps though she should try to write something a bit less cynical, less steeped in sorrow and hardship and something with more hope for the future rather than the all too familiar bitter-sweet ending. It does lay life bare in many ways though the hardships gone through in the past (mother's generation) may only have been typical of a certain time and place and the hardships of the present are really mostly of the daughter's own making i.e. they seem not to look for great love merelt something convenient and then end up discarding their modern marriages as easily as they came by them. It does, though, show the value of a strong set of beliefs and traditions by which to live as, although they may seem outdated to the modern generation as in the stories of the daughters who felt more settled with modern (cynical and mistrusting) America than with ancient Chinese customs, the value of believing in something becomes more and more apparent as the younger generation is seen to be part of the throwaway society assigning little value or effort to making things count which is strongly contrasted to the older generation of Chinese born mothers who know what they believe and try to teach their daughters the importance of faith and hope before it is too late. One thing though, it would be easier to follow these separate and basically unrelated tales if each family's tale were told separately so as not to confuse the reader by switching back and forth and back and forth as she does chapter after chapter. Beautiful little tales of pride, hope and tragedy but the characters still seem to lack any confidence in themselves - the older generation still trying to convince themselves to cling onto what little hope they feel they have left (often lived out through their own children) yet the younger generation themselves seeming to not only resent this intrusion into their lives (wishing merely to be left alone in order to just be themselves) yet at the same time giving a sense that they are completely 'lost', neither understanding that love and marriage should mean the same thing nor seeming to really know exactly who or what they really are. Perhaps that's the crux of all of her books, a sense of identity crisis in first generation immigrants.......

Both very funny and very interesting. , 05 Jun 2008
I loved that book. I think it is the best Amy Tan novel I have read since the Joy luck club. What is exciting is that it is different from the others.It is the story of a group of American tourists who embark on a trip to South China and Burma. The woman who should have been their tour group leader, died before the trip in very mysterious circumstances and the trip will not go as smoothly as anticipated.She will be with them, as a ghost, to recount their experiences, both comic and tragic (the group disappears one day in Burma- have they been abducted, killed?- and to tell us lots about the places they are visiting.
Part comedy, part thriller, part detective book... it is unputdownable as you want to know what happened to each of them.... Very entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.

I prefer previous books, 13 Apr 2008
I have read and enjoyed all Amy Tan's previous books and this is not like the others. It seems the author has a need to show off her knowledge of Burma - sorry; Myanmar - which quite frankly is boring, lengthy and irrelevant to the story. If I wanted to read extensively about the landscape, types of hotels, resorts, etc, I would buy a different book. The actual story could have been told in 1/3 of the pages used. I have enjoyed Amy Tans previous books which combine the eastern beliefs and mysticism within the story lines, this book was a disappointment.

The best read I have had for a long time, 05 Apr 2008
I have just finished this book and I loved every part of it. It was like going on a journey - one I do not want to end. I experienced every emotion and also laughed out loud in places. I was reminded of Jane Austin and her (I believe) loving wit and laughter at human behaviour.

Yes, there were a lot of characters, but they were all very different and interesting in their own way. I felt that I knew each one.

I have read other Amy Tan books, which I enjoyed but this one is a masterpiece. Very clever, very thought-provoking but also fun. I am now a firm fan.

Don't stop reading this at the end - there is a question and answer section at the back - don't miss it.

An edge of the seat, unusual story, 07 Oct 2007
This is a compelling and unusual story. The narrator is a dead woman - an unusual device in itself. The story centers around a group of American tourists on a trip to Burma. Burma has been in the news this week and so that made it all the more fascinating. There is a likeable cast of characters - who get into all sorts of scrapes - many of which are quite hilarious. This is a story about how one persons actions can impact upon another, and about a group's shared responsibilty. There are some topical messages here, and a little tounge in cheek satire, wrapped up in an entertaining story. Very different from the only other Amy Tan novel I have read - The Bonesetter's daughter - but very enjoyable.



I loved this book, 13 Feb 2007
I loved reading this book. I loved the humour, and the clever way Amy Tan makes suggestion about countries,cultures and religion in a book of fiction. I loved the spirit of the narrator. I think Amy Tan is gifted in her observations of people and places and truly a very talented writer. Read this book if you want to smile, but dont if you take every word ever written to seriously, it will only upset you.

I have read quite a few women authors, honest, 07 Feb 2008
Without wishing to sound politically incorrect, sexist, or something even worse I have to say that I think this is probably more one for the ladies than the gentlemen - which classification I am technically allocated. I have past the half way mark and am simply not enjoying it; neither the story nor the characters engage me at all and I have found only one comment in the 12 glowing reviews here that I can identify with viz. `I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult'.
I don't believe I will finish it unless I get snowed in for the remainder of February and my next Amazon order is delayed for three weeks - I've chosen a couple of gripping crime thrillers this time !
I am totally confident that my comments will not measurably affect sales of this book, otherwise I may not have made them public.


The Hundred Secret Senses, 17 Oct 2007
Another brilliant novel from Amy Tan. I loved the characters of Olivia and Kwan and was eager to learn more about them as I read. I have to mention though that although I like the concept of Yin- the afterlife/reincarnation I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult,even though I appreciated they were an important part of the whole in regard to the difference in American and Chinese cultures. I recommend this highly.

A really good read, 12 Sep 2006
This is Amy Tan's best book in my opinion. You feel the emotion throughout. I liked that in the end, Kwan is found to be so wise. I need a 'Kwan' in my life I think!

Past Lives and Dead Chickens - I'd like more, 14 Apr 2005
The Hundred Secret Senses was my first Amy Tan book, and it's left me wanting more.
Her characters Olivia and Kwan quickly develop into the kind most soap writers would envy; the ones that leave you eager to know what they'll get up to next. While this is happening a magical tale effortlessly unfolds. It's a tale which smoothly links modern American ideals and lifestyles with more old-fashioned ideas, all the time hinting at tenious links with exotic and turbulent Chinese legends.
The story abruptly turns itself around, speeding up the pace when the main characters move to China. From then on the links with the past become increasingly powerful with the lives of present day characters forced to parallel some of those in the past.
Electric shock therapy, reincarnation, marriage breakdown and slaughtering chickens are just some of the topics covered on the way to Amy Tan's breathless yet satisfying conclusion.

The Hundred Secret Senses - by Amy Tan, 06 Nov 2002
To anyone interested in reading this book, or in fact any other work by Amy Tan - I implore you to make this particular title a must have on your bookshelf at home!
It really is a fantastic story, very heartfelt - and Tan has a unique style of writing which draws you effortlessley into the characters lives at all times. If you choose to go ahead and read the book, you will get to know the characters so well throughout the story that, - once you have finished you will probably be left wondering about them still.

Up until eighteen months ago, I had never heard of Amy Tan, and just happened to pick up a book at work that had been forgotten by someone who had left the company. I started to read it on all breaks, and was engrossed so quickly that I even began to focus more on the story than on my work!

There is so much detail in the book that you can tell straight away how much effort Tan has put into creating it. Never before have I read a book where the authors passion shines through in their work to such a fabulous degree.
Although this is a review, I have made a decision not give away any of the storylines themselves, as it really is too good to be spoiled by an amateur book review. All I will say though is that it is set both in modern day America, and also China - and this gives so many great cultural insights to the reader. I honestly learned quite a lot from this book, as well as just plain well enjoying it!

To sum the book up in three words: - Unique, refreshing and intriguing.

Wanted to like it but couldn't get into it, 26 Oct 2007
I have read a couple of Amy Tan's fiction books and enjoyed them immensely. I was, in fact, given this book by a cousin who noticed I was reading "Saving Fish from Drowning".
I liked the idea of a non-fiction book by an author who has obviously had an interesting life but found the language too rambling and too elaborate. The same style I think is perfect for fiction but I prefer non-fiction to be much more straightforward and not spen so much time talking around the story.
I'll read more of her novels but would avoid any other autobiographical works.

Youy need to read her novels first, 04 Oct 2007
I read this book for a book group and I definitely feel that it looses a lot if you haven't read previous books written by this author.
It is interesting in parts, especially the story of her early life in the first few chapters; her Chinese heritage and her overbearing mother.
After that I struggled through with no great interest.
There are many references to her fiction, particularly The Joy Luck Club, which has now become a film in which she was very involved.
There is also a very tedious section on theories of writing and lectures she has given on the subject. At this stage I skipped 50 pages to the end of the book where she relates a mysterious illness that had haunted her for several years and which turned out to be Lyme's Disease.
I suspect that the onset of these debilitating problems explains why the author wrote this style of book - a memoir combined with previous essays and speeches. Unfortunately it did not grab me at all and I am not left feeling inspired to try her fiction.

Collection of episodes from Amy Tans life...., 09 Jan 2006
Unlike the other reviews, I would not say this is either Amy Tans 'best' or 'worst' book - it's different in that it is autobiographical (not fiction) and consists of much shorter pieces. When I picked this up, I didn't realise it wasn't fiction, and I am not a particular fan of short pieces of writing. HOWEVER - this is an amazing book that gives a wonderful insight into Amy Tans (extraordinary) life. Some of it is dramatic (getting caught in floods) and traumatic (her experience of a close friends murder). It also examines the experience of what it is to be writer, and her piece on reading her own 'Cliff notes' is very funny. Definitely worth a read....

Repetive and rambling, 03 Jan 2005
First let me say, I'm a big fan of Amy Tan's fiction books. They are truly amazing and totally absorb you into her world I've read them all and so I was excited to find she had written a book about herself and her family. However I found the book deeply disappointing as it is a just collection of musings with no order or structure but a lot of repetition. While there are some interesting stories buried in amongst the ramblings I felt the book was just a money-spinner -taking previously written articles, interviews etc and just bunging them altogether without spending the time to make it coherent. Save your money until Amy chooses to take the time and effort to write a real autobiography. Im sure that would be well worth reading

The best yet, 31 Aug 2004
This again like the others is a collection of stories or rather experiences. Amy Tan as ever keeps the reader captivated with the book. The stories are amusing, sentimental and some sad. The book provides a great insight into Amy Tan's life, as well as answering some questions that readers may have had from the other books. This is a must read, which is hard to put down.

Enjoyable, thought provoking and very well written, 12 Mar 2008
It has been a while since I've read a novel as well written as The Bonesetter's Daughter. I haven't read Amy Tan before and really got alot out of it. I found the story interesting, believeable and I could relate particularly well to the characters and mother/daughter relationships. I was quite taken aback by the accurate way Amy Tan wrote about Ruth's feelings and realisation of her Mother's Alzheimers - this was extremely moving and I'm guessing the author has some personal knowledge of the subject as it's covered so well. However, this is only one small part of the book - it's about so much more. I did find it hard going in parts but it's certainly worth the effort, especially the middle part of the book - Luling's journal. This was fascinating, you find yourself immersed in beautiful 1930's China wondering what's going to happen to Luling next. There are so many themes to this book it's difficult to sum it up - the best advice i can give is just to read it - you won't regret it.

Beautiful, 03 Sep 2006
I really liked this book, I thought it was well written and the characters were very belivable and well developed. It was my first book I have read by this author and it wont be my last. You do feel as though you are in another world but you can also really relate to it, I especially liked Ruth as a character and did feel for her. On the whole, definitly a recommended read, a beautiful well written book.

Great - A Lovely story beautifully told, 09 May 2006
What a great novel. I'm usually a bit of a snob when it comes to books and was not overly impressed when reading the blurb for this - it sounded like the exploration of a Mother Daughter relationship ad how they cope with her mother's Alzheimer's.

It's not. It does start that way with the bland Art and Ruth fumbling toward everlasting mediocrity until Ruth's mother goes a bit funny, hands her daughter her life story in Chinese, and Ruth finally (as if you'd really leave this stuff lying around) gets it translated and the fun begins.

We are whipped back to pre-war china, a small mountain village with simple residents and an almost dark-ages feel. Here we find the sad and harsh tale of Ruth's mothers childhood, including more twists and turns than spaghetti junction, emotional spikes that will make you laugh then feel desperate in equal measure.

Slowly we fill in the gaps around Ruth, and her understanding of her mother, and when we return to the present Art and Ruth can be seen more sympathetically. We have inadvertently realised how similar Ruth and her mother are, how similar Art is to every other man in history, and that what we often see as domination and criticism can often be symptoms of a repressed passion or pain from the past on the part of those criticising.

Overall a clever, witty and emotionally rich novel. The characters, whilst possessing little energy of their own are imbued with this as we read further, and it's one of those rare novels where you can finish the last page, and not still crave answers and an ending but sigh contentedly, and move on with no sense of tension.


Hard going to start, but worth the effort!, 07 Feb 2006
This was my first Amy Tan book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but in the end it was worth the effort.

The first section of the book sets the foundations of the main character Ruth's life, which gives the background to the rest of the story. I found this bit slow, hard-going and nearly gave up. However - persevere! I'm glad I did because as soon as you reach the part where she is reading her Mother's story, it completely changes and is unputdownable.

Fans of Memoirs of a Geisha (like me) will like this book - the gentle pace and tone, the beautiful imagery - you'll find yourself immersed again in another culture, time and place.

Healing Family Connections in a Rich Historical Context, 26 Jul 2004
Ms. Tan has written a monumental novel of the 20th century Chinese immigrants' challenges. The book offers many insights into how children can better integrate into their families by understanding their elders' experiences rather than trying to be totally independent of those experiences. The Bonesetter's Daughter also provides rich food for thought about what the relationships should be between women and men, and parents and their children. The book employs a recycling narrative that will remind the reader of opening up nested Russian dolls.

Ruth Young finds that her mother is failing, especially with her memory. Already busy with a life as a ghostwriter and taking care of her boyfriend and his children, Ruth feels overwhelmed.

A few years earlier, her mother had become interested in passing along some of her heritage and had given Ruth a document written in Chinese. Because Ruth does not read Chinese well, she had put the documents aside. As her mother's mental condition deteriorates, she finds her mother's mind disturbed by having forgotten her mother's real name. Looking through some old papers, she finds another document written in Chinese about things her mother does not want to forget. Hoping to help, Ruth arranges for the documents to be translated.

The bulk of the book then recounts her mother's history in China and in the United States. These experiences were rich and varied, and reading about them will fascinate you.

Addressing the issues raised by solving the question of Ruth's grandmother's name causes Ruth to grow and evolve in her own relationships.

The book is filled with rich themes that are explored from many different dimensions. For example, ghosts are real and important to Ruth's mother, LuLing Young. As a young child, LuLing decides that the ghost of her mother resides in Ruth. To appease her mother, Ruth plays along and answers her mother's questions. You will be fascinated and amused by the results of these discussions. Since Ruth is also a ghostwriter, you will get a new perspective on how ideas are expressed and perceived. Who the author is counts, as well as the content. The author adds credibility so that the information is acted on, and the content either provides good or not so good advice. The story validates both the mother's and the daughter's views of ghosts.

If you are unfamiliar with the history of mainland China in the first half of the 20th century, Ms. Tan's book will give you many of the important outlines as they were experienced at the local level. You will encounter the shift away from binding women's feet, the beginnings of education for women, the falling off of the old crafts and beliefs, the effects of drug addiction on families, the influence of Christian missionaries, scientific investigations of human evolution, and the development of new ways for women and men to marry and relate to one another.

You will be fascinated by the many echoes of the experiences that LuLing had with her mother, and those that Ruth had with LuLing. I was reminded by this of how much of our parenting styles we learn from our parents, for good or for ill. So we have a behavioral heritage as well as a genetic one.

The book's story-telling style is gracious and smooth-flowing, not unlike putting your hand in a warm, pristine stream in the mountains. You will feel yourself gently pulled along in a way that you will enjoy. I was reminded of the way my mother would tell me stories when I was a child.

The Bonesetter's Daughter is beautiful, delightful, and enlightening. What more could one ask for from a novel?

After you finish the book, be sure to learn all you can about your ancestors from those who are alive and knew them well. You will probably find many wonderful connections to yourself and your own issues that will help you.

This is an outstanding book for a book club to read. You will find many interesting questions for discussion here. In particular, you won't be able to decide what some of the story means until you discuss those aspects with someone.

Follow your beliefs . . . wherever they take you!

The Joy Luck Club, 01 Jul 2008
There was nothing here that I hadn't read or seen before and I can't say that I feel enlightened about Chinese culture. This is just wallowing for readers who want to feel that their relationship with their mother is the root of all their problems. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but somehow I don't think that's the reason this shallow book didn't win me over. The story of June and her mother did have some impact.

Wonderful, 14 Feb 2003
The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of Chinese women and daughters living in modern day San Francisco. Not unlike "How to Make an American Quilt" (not sure which came first) the book examines the difficult maternal relationships using flashbacks to various parts of the mother's lives. It is only once you know someone's history that you can understand why a person behaves the way they do.

I love this book. Reading it was one of those rare joys that made me forget who and where I was as I read it. I even managed to read throughout the entire night before noticing that the sun had come up. I had forgotten to go to bed! Beautifully drawn characters, elaborate but not complicated plots, and hauntingly evocative of descriptions of life for women in early 20th century China. The Chinese aspect of the story dominates but women from all cultures will recognise the universal relationships between mothers and daughters. It has even given me a new appreciate for Chinese food! Don't wait for a rainy day - read it now. Sisterhood is global.

The need to belong and the desire to escape, 05 Feb 2003
Focussing on a female dominated mother-daughter generation gap and a Chinese-American culture difference Tan mixes social and personality differences to create a broad and encompassing novel about change. TJLC shows, in its older generation, the huge amounts of reliance displaced individuals have on bonding with other alienated people and the human struggle surmounted to achieve happiness. The daughters in TJLC portray the difficulties sometimes endured being Chinese-American and seeming to be an outsider of each culture. So through these two different aspects of the novel Tan incorporates a “traditional” Chinese story at times in the vein of a less political Wild Swans and the cultural disparity of the modern world adds weight to the “emigrant” literature already established from writers such as Frank McCourt (Irish immigration to the USA) and Caryl Phillips (West Indian immigration to Britain).
Sometimes the tone of TJLC can be overly sentimental and meandering but in all Tan creates a moving tale of displacement, the need to belong and solidarity.

Moving, enlightening and a joy to read., 21 Jun 2001
Addressing the differences between cultures and several generations, Amy Tan's novel is an enlightening, involving and thoroughly enjoyable work. The characters are beautifully portrayed, while the fragmented nature of the chapters poignantly demonstrates the sheer variety of differing lifestyles, beliefs and opinions. This book left me with a lump in my throat, desperate for more. I thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone, and I shall certainly be reading more of Amy Tan's work in the future.

A beautiful set of tales...but little thread running through, 30 Dec 2000
Amy Tan continues to enchant her readers with wondrous but tragic tales of life, loves and disappointments. Having read two of her other works her style is familiar and her ability to tell a story placing layer upon layer of conflicting and often confusing emotions together yet do it with such deft ease and understanding is so enjoyable. There is so much of family relationships of high expectations and perhaps too easy resulting disappointments or at least the character's perception of them. Perhaps though she should try to write something a bit less cynical, less steeped in sorrow and hardship and something with more hope for the future rather than the all too familiar bitter-sweet ending. It does lay life bare in many ways though the hardships gone through in the past (mother's generation) may only have been typical of a certain time and place and the hardships of the present are really mostly of the daughter's own making i.e. they seem not to look for great love merelt something convenient and then end up discarding their modern marriages as easily as they came by them. It does, though, show the value of a strong set of beliefs and traditions by which to live as, although they may seem outdated to the modern generation as in the stories of the daughters who felt more settled with modern (cynical and mistrusting) America than with ancient Chinese customs, the value of believing in something becomes more and more apparent as the younger generation is seen to be part of the throwaway society assigning little value or effort to making things count which is strongly contrasted to the older generation of Chinese born mothers who know what they believe and try to teach their daughters the importance of faith and hope before it is too late. One thing though, it would be easier to follow these separate and basically unrelated tales if each family's tale were told separately so as not to confuse the reader by switching back and forth and back and forth as she does chapter after chapter. Beautiful little tales of pride, hope and tragedy but the characters still seem to lack any confidence in themselves - the older generation still trying to convince themselves to cling onto what little hope they feel they have left (often lived out through their own children) yet the younger generation themselves seeming to not only resent this intrusion into their lives (wishing merely to be left alone in order to just be themselves) yet at the same time giving a sense that they are completely 'lost', neither understanding that love and marriage should mean the same thing nor seeming to really know exactly who or what they really are. Perhaps that's the crux of all of her books, a sense of identity crisis in first generation immigrants.......

Both very funny and very interesting. , 05 Jun 2008
I loved that book. I think it is the best Amy Tan novel I have read since the Joy luck club. What is exciting is that it is different from the others.It is the story of a group of American tourists who embark on a trip to South China and Burma. The woman who should have been their tour group leader, died before the trip in very mysterious circumstances and the trip will not go as smoothly as anticipated.She will be with them, as a ghost, to recount their experiences, both comic and tragic (the group disappears one day in Burma- have they been abducted, killed?- and to tell us lots about the places they are visiting.
Part comedy, part thriller, part detective book... it is unputdownable as you want to know what happened to each of them.... Very entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.

I prefer previous books, 13 Apr 2008
I have read and enjoyed all Amy Tan's previous books and this is not like the others. It seems the author has a need to show off her knowledge of Burma - sorry; Myanmar - which quite frankly is boring, lengthy and irrelevant to the story. If I wanted to read extensively about the landscape, types of hotels, resorts, etc, I would buy a different book. The actual story could have been told in 1/3 of the pages used. I have enjoyed Amy Tans previous books which combine the eastern beliefs and mysticism within the story lines, this book was a disappointment.

The best read I have had for a long time, 05 Apr 2008
I have just finished this book and I loved every part of it. It was like going on a journey - one I do not want to end. I experienced every emotion and also laughed out loud in places. I was reminded of Jane Austin and her (I believe) loving wit and laughter at human behaviour.

Yes, there were a lot of characters, but they were all very different and interesting in their own way. I felt that I knew each one.

I have read other Amy Tan books, which I enjoyed but this one is a masterpiece. Very clever, very thought-provoking but also fun. I am now a firm fan.

Don't stop reading this at the end - there is a question and answer section at the back - don't miss it.

An edge of the seat, unusual story, 07 Oct 2007
This is a compelling and unusual story. The narrator is a dead woman - an unusual device in itself. The story centers around a group of American tourists on a trip to Burma. Burma has been in the news this week and so that made it all the more fascinating. There is a likeable cast of characters - who get into all sorts of scrapes - many of which are quite hilarious. This is a story about how one persons actions can impact upon another, and about a group's shared responsibilty. There are some topical messages here, and a little tounge in cheek satire, wrapped up in an entertaining story. Very different from the only other Amy Tan novel I have read - The Bonesetter's daughter - but very enjoyable.



I loved this book, 13 Feb 2007
I loved reading this book. I loved the humour, and the clever way Amy Tan makes suggestion about countries,cultures and religion in a book of fiction. I loved the spirit of the narrator. I think Amy Tan is gifted in her observations of people and places and truly a very talented writer. Read this book if you want to smile, but dont if you take every word ever written to seriously, it will only upset you.

I have read quite a few women authors, honest, 07 Feb 2008
Without wishing to sound politically incorrect, sexist, or something even worse I have to say that I think this is probably more one for the ladies than the gentlemen - which classification I am technically allocated. I have past the half way mark and am simply not enjoying it; neither the story nor the characters engage me at all and I have found only one comment in the 12 glowing reviews here that I can identify with viz. `I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult'.
I don't believe I will finish it unless I get snowed in for the remainder of February and my next Amazon order is delayed for three weeks - I've chosen a couple of gripping crime thrillers this time !
I am totally confident that my comments will not measurably affect sales of this book, otherwise I may not have made them public.


The Hundred Secret Senses, 17 Oct 2007
Another brilliant novel from Amy Tan. I loved the characters of Olivia and Kwan and was eager to learn more about them as I read. I have to mention though that although I like the concept of Yin- the afterlife/reincarnation I found the interludes through the story with General Cope and Miss Banner difficult,even though I appreciated they were an important part of the whole in regard to the difference in American and Chinese cultures. I recommend this highly.

A really good read, 12 Sep 2006
This is Amy Tan's best book in my opinion. You feel the emotion throughout. I liked that in the end, Kwan is found to be so wise. I need a 'Kwan' in my life I think!

Past Lives and Dead Chickens - I'd like more, 14 Apr 2005
The Hundred Secret Senses was my first Amy Tan book, and it's left me wanting more.
Her characters Olivia and Kwan quickly develop into the kind most soap writers would envy; the ones that leave you eager to know what they'll get up to next. While this is happening a magical tale effortlessly unfolds. It's a tale which smoothly links modern American ideals and lifestyles with more old-fashioned ideas, all the time hinting at tenious links with exotic and turbulent Chinese legends.
The story abruptly turns itself around, speeding up the pace when the main characters move to China. From then on the links with the past become increasingly powerful with the lives of present day characters forced to parallel some of those in the past.
Electric shock therapy, reincarnation, marriage breakdown and slaughtering chickens are just some of the topics covered on the way to Amy Tan's breathless yet satisfying conclusion.

The Hundred Secret Senses - by Amy Tan, 06 Nov 2002
To anyone interested in reading this book, or in fact any other work by Amy Tan - I implore you to make this particular title a must have on your bookshelf at home!
It really is a fantastic story, very heartfelt - and Tan has a unique style of writing which draws you effortlessley into the characters lives at all times. If you choose to go ahead and read the book, you will get to know the characters so well throughout the story that, - once you have finished you will probably be left wondering about them still.

Up until eighteen months ago, I had never heard of Amy Tan, and just happened to pick up a book at work that had been forgotten by someone who had left the company. I started to read it on all breaks, and was engrossed so quickly that I even began to focus more on the story than on my work!

There is so much detail in the book that you can tell straight away how much effort Tan has put into creating it. Never before have I read a book where the authors passion shines through in their work to such a fabulous degree.
Although this is a review, I have made a decision not give away any of the storylines themselves, as it really is too good to be spoiled by an amateur book review. All I will say though is that it is set both in modern day America, and also China - and this gives so many great cultural insights to the reader. I honestly learned quite a lot from this book, as well as just plain well enjoying it!

To sum the book up in three words: - Unique, refreshing and intriguing.

Wanted to like it but couldn't get into it, 26 Oct 2007
I have read a couple of Amy Tan's fiction books and enjoyed them immensely. I was, in fact, given this book by a cousin who noticed I was reading "Saving Fish from Drowning".
I liked the idea of a non-fiction book by an author who has obviously had an interesting life but found the language too rambling and too elaborate. The same style I think is perfect for fiction but I prefer non-fiction to be much more straightforward and not spen so much time talking around the story.
I'll read more of her novels but would avoid any other autobiographical works.

Youy need to read her novels first, 04 Oct 2007
I read this book for a book group and I definitely feel that it looses a lot if you haven't read previous books written by this author.
It is interesting in parts, especially the story of her early life in the first few chapters; her Chinese heritage and her overbearing mother.
After that I struggled through with no great interest.
There are many references to her fiction, particularly The Joy Luck Club, which has now become a film in which she was very involved.
There is also a very tedious section on theories of writing and lectures she has given on the subject. At this stage I skipped 50 pages to the end of the book where she relates a mysterious illness that had haunted her for several years and which turned out to be Lyme's Disease.
I suspect that the onset of these debilitating problems explains why the author wrote this style of book - a memoir combined with previous essays and speeches. Unfortunately it did not grab me at all and I am not left feeling inspired to try her fiction.

Collection of episodes from Amy Tans life...., 09 Jan 2006
Unlike the other reviews, I would not say this is either Amy Tans 'best' or 'worst' book - it's different in that it is autobiographical (not fiction) and consists of much shorter pieces. When I picked this up, I didn't realise it wasn't fiction, and I am not a particular fan of short pieces of writing. HOWEVER - this is an amazing book that gives a wonderful insight into Amy Tans (extraordinary) life. Some of it is dramatic (getting caught in floods) and traumatic (her experience of a close friends murder). It also examines the experience of what it is to be writer, and her piece on reading her own 'Cliff notes' is very funny. Definitely worth a read....

Repetive and rambling, 03 Jan 2005
First let me say, I'm a big fan of Amy Tan's fiction books. They are truly amazing and totally absorb you into her world I've read them all and so I was excited to find she had written a book about herself and her family. However I found the book deeply disappointing as it is a just collection of musings with no order or structure but a lot of repetition. While there are some interesting stories buried in amongst the ramblings I felt the book was just a money-spinner -taking previously written articles, interviews etc and just bunging them altogether without spending the time to make it coherent. Save your money until Amy chooses to take the time and effort to write a real autobiography. Im sure that would be well worth reading

The best yet, 31 Aug 2004
This again like the others is a collection of stories or rather experiences. Amy Tan as ever keeps the reader captivated with the book. The stories are amusing, sentimental and some sad. The book provides a great insight into Amy Tan's life, as well as answering some questions that readers may have had from the other books. This is a must read, which is hard to put down.

Enjoyable, thought provoking and very well written, 12 Mar 2008
It has been a while since I've read a novel as well written as The Bonesetter's Daughter. I haven't read Amy Tan before and really got alot out of it. I found the story interesting, believeable and I could relate particularly well to the characters and mother/daughter relationships. I was quite taken aback by the accurate way Amy Tan wrote about Ruth's feelings and realisation of her Mother's Alzheimers - this was extremely moving and I'm guessing the author has some personal knowledge of the subject as it's covered so well. However, this is only one small part of the book - it's about so much more. I did find it hard going in parts but it's certainly worth the effort, especially the middle part of the book - Luling's journal. This was fascinating, you find yourself immersed in beautiful 1930's China wondering what's going to happen to Luling next. There are so many themes to this book it's difficult to sum it up - the best advice i can give is just to read it - you won't regret it.

Beautiful, 03 Sep 2006
I really liked this book, I thought it was well written and the characters were very belivable and well developed. It was my first book I have read by this author and it wont be my last. You do feel as though you are in another world but you can also really relate to it, I especially liked Ruth as a character and did feel for her. On the whole, definitly a recommended read, a beautiful well written book.

Great - A Lovely story beautifully told, 09 May 2006
What a great novel. I'm usually a bit of a snob when it comes to books and was not overly impressed when reading the blurb for this - it sounded like the exploration of a Mother Daughter relationship ad how they cope with her mother's Alzheimer's.

It's not. It does start that way with the bland Art and Ruth fumbling toward everlasting mediocrity until Ruth's mother goes a bit funny, hands her daughter her life story in Chinese, and Ruth finally (as if you'd really leave this stuff lying around) gets it translated and the fun begins.

We are whipped back to pre-war china, a small mountain village with simple residents and an almost dark-ages feel. Here we find the sad and harsh tale of Ruth's mothers childhood, including more twists and turns than spaghetti junction, emotional spikes that will make you laugh then feel desperate in equal measure.

Slowly we fill in the gaps around Ruth, and her understanding of her mother, and when we return to the present Art and Ruth can be seen more sympathetically. We have inadvertently realised how similar Ruth and her mother are, how similar Art is to every other man in history, and that what we often see as domination and criticism can often be symptoms of a repressed passion or pain from the past on the part of those criticising.

Overall a clever, witty and emotionally rich novel. The characters, whilst possessing little energy of their own are imbued with this as we read further, and it's one of those rare novels where you can finish the last page, and not still crave answers and an ending but sigh contentedly, and move on with no sense of tension.


Hard going to start, but worth the effort!, 07 Feb 2006
This was my first Amy Tan book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but in the end it was worth the effort.

The first section of the book sets the foundations of the main character Ruth's life, which gives the background to the rest of the story. I found this bit slow, hard-going and nearly gave up. However - persevere! I'm glad I did because as soon as you reach the part where she is reading her Mother's story, it completely changes and is unputdownable.

Fans of Memoirs of a Geisha (like me) will like this book - the gentle pace and tone, the beautiful imagery - you'll find yourself immersed again in another culture, time and place.

Healing Family Connections in a Rich Historical Context, 26 Jul 2004
Ms. Tan has written a monumental novel of the 20th century Chinese immigrants' challenges. The book offers many insights into how children can better integrate into their families by understanding their elders' experiences rather than trying to be totally independent of those experiences. The Bonesetter's Daughter also provides rich food for thought about what the relationships should be between women and men, and parents and their children. The book employs a recycling narrative that will remind the reader of opening up nested Russian dolls.

Ruth Young finds that her mother is failing, especially with her memory. Already busy with a life as a ghostwriter and taking care of her boyfriend and his children, Ruth feels overwhelmed.

A few years earlier, her mother had become interested in passing along some of her heritage and had given Ruth a document written in Chinese. Because Ruth does not read Chinese well, she had put the documents aside. As her mother's mental condition deteriorates, she finds her mother's mind disturbed by having forgotten her mother's real name. Looking through some old papers, she finds another document written in Chinese about things her mother does not want to forget. Hoping to help, Ruth arranges for the documents to be translated.

The bulk of the book then recounts her mother's history in China and in the United States. These experiences were rich and varied, and reading about them will fascinate you.

Addressing the issues raised by solving the question of Ruth's grandmother's name causes Ruth to grow and evolve in her own relationships.

The book is filled with rich themes that are explored from many different dimensions. For example, ghosts are real and important to Ruth's mother, LuLing Young. As a young child, LuLing decides that the ghost of her mother resides in Ruth. To appease her mother, Ruth plays along and answers her mother's questions. You will be fascinated and amused by the results of these discussions. Since Ruth is also a ghostwriter, you will get a new perspective on how ideas are expressed and perceived. Who the author is counts, as well as the content. The author adds credibility so that the information is acted on, and the content either provides good or not so good advice. The story validates both the mother's and the daughter's views of ghosts.

If you are unfamiliar with the history of mainland China in the first half of the 20th century, Ms. Tan's book will give you many of the important outlines as they were experienced at the local level. You will encounter the shift away from binding women's feet, the beginnings of education for women, the falling off of the old crafts and beliefs, the effects of drug addiction on families, the influence of Christian missionaries, scientific investigations of human evolution, and the development of new ways for women and men to marry and relate to one another.

You will be fascinated by the many echoes of the experiences that LuLing had with her mother, and those that Ruth had with LuLing. I was reminded by this of how much of our parenting styles we learn from our parents, for good or for ill. So we have a behavioral heritage as well as a genetic one.

The book's story-telling style is gracious and smooth-flowing, not unlike putting your hand in a warm, pristine stream in the mountains. You will feel yourself gently pulled along in a way that you will enjoy. I was reminded of the way my mother would tell me stories when I was a child.

The Bonesetter's Daughter is beautiful, delightful, and enlightening. What more could one ask for from a novel?

After you finish the book, be sure to learn all you can about your ancestors from those who are alive and knew them well. You will probably find many wonderful connections to yourself and your own issues that will help you.

This is an outstanding book for a book club to read. You will find many interesting questions for discussion here. In particular, you won't be able to decide what some of the story means until you discuss those aspects with someone.

Follow your beliefs . . . wherever they take you!

A classic in the making, 06 Mar 2008
This is one of the best, if not the best, book I have ever read and I have read a lot over the years. It is also, I think, Amy Tan's best work. I have even bought copies for friends because I believe it is one everyone should read.

Amy Tan hasn't failed in bringing the emotional involvement in this book, 04 Jul 2007
`The Kitchen God's Wife' by Amy Tan is a fictional novel about a mother's flash back experience, Wei Wei (Wennie), who escapes from her dreaded and abusive husband, Wen Fu. The story escalates from China to America. There is a lot of drama that's very emotional and many readers will tend to feel heart broken and sad.

Winnie is just such a strong individual and I really wonder how she managed to sur