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book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is even better than [b:The Joy Luck Club|861874|The Joy Luck Club|Amy Tan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433781101s/861874.jpg|1955658]. The theme is the same, but here the plot flows better and is more effective.
ovaltineplease's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jonesam30's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
colleengeedrumm's review against another edition
5.0
Ying-gai = I should have.
To me, king-gai meant my mother lived a life of regrets that never faded with time.
Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward.
I don't know why something that made me so happy then feels so sad now. Maybe that is the way it is with the best memories.
Ai-ya!
To me, king-gai meant my mother lived a life of regrets that never faded with time.
Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward.
I don't know why something that made me so happy then feels so sad now. Maybe that is the way it is with the best memories.
Ai-ya!
yujahey's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Child abuse, Grief, Bullying, Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, War, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization
msflameo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.75
lydiainspace's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Like any Amy Tan book, The Kitchen God's Wife is about mother-daughter relationships, the unreliability of memory, and the invention and continuation of culture. This story specifically deals with women's independence, and how the Chinese women in the story choose many different paths to emancipate themselves from the men who hold the reigns to their futures. I found it to be thematically similar to The Bonesetter's Daughter, but worthy of a read in it's own right. Though I enjoyed many aspects of the book, the choice to make the middle 4/5ths an uninterrupted narration of the mother's life felt poorly paced to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence
flamwenco's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
lisbethduke's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75