Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Joy Luck Club

I think this book got better as each section progressed. With no background knowledge of this book, I expected a different format that was more linear than it was and also more interactions between mothers and daughters.

It ended up being more like the POV of each characters view of their moms (and in the Moms case, what they then passed on to their daughters).

I think for being as old of a book as this is, the writing still felt very relevant to today and there were very timeless stories. It definitely did feel like Waverly and Jing Mei were the main characters, but Waverly was definitely the most annoying.

I loved the last two chunks where there were the daughters POV of an event and then the mom’s POV of the same event (with the vase). It shows how you’re only getting one perspective and it can be unreliable. And then of course the last chapter where Jing Mei is reunited with her sisters is my favorite.

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kstericker's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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beebeewin's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had been wanting to read this book for awhile and it surpassed my expectations! I loved the way all the stories were woven together as it made this cohesive and yet diverse perspective for understanding these women. The mothers' mysterious and untold stories drew me in and I could relate to the daughters trying to understand their moms. The interplay of all the women's American and Chinese identities created fraught but emotionally powerful stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast but fantastic read.

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amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

a collection of stories about the Chinese American experience touching on immigration, generation gaps, sexism, racism, and more

really well written interesting stories

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kennedy_gk's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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melanie182's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sallytiffany's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The storyline was interesting and it had wonderful characters. However, the story was very disjoined due to all the switching which made it hard to follow. I like how poetic the book was at times and I certainly learned more about Chinese culture, just the layout of the book made it difficult to get the message. Also, not thrilled about the ending.

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