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careinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Amy Tan is a writer who never disappoints. Every time I pick up a book from her backlog, I know I'm in for an engrossing and enlightening reading experience.
The way Amy Tan writes women's relationships with one another and their memory of their mothers and grandmothers has me coming back. These are complex depictions that lean into the light and dark sides of personality and history. And despite the darkness inherent in all her books I've read, there is a lightness to them. Humour, friendship, reunions, all packed into a cute mass market paperback that I picked up from the used bookshop for a dollar.
The ones I've read have all followed a similar pattern: mother(s) and daughter(s) keeping secrets from one another, not understanding one another's lives. There's a communication breakdown and they reach a tipping point of resentment and disconnect. And then the reveal happens (moms share their past trauma in China including horrific upbringings and experiences during war) and it shakes everyone to their core. Cue the waterworks and the familial bonds strengthened. She's so consistent and it works every time -- it's kind of incredible. Yet each one deals with different angles to this formula and doesn't repeat too much. What an illustrious career! I keep coming back for more because I know I'll be satisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, and War
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Homophobia
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