Reviews with content warning for Abortion - The Joy Luck Club

Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

vixenreader's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Although it is a product of its time, it is still a pinnacle work in depicting the lives of Asian women, and it is a tender portrait of the deep pain and love that is shared among mothers and daughters.

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emorine13's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

This is an amazing story made up of multiple generations’ stories. It makes you reflect that everyone around you has a background and story, and the only way to remember them is to ask.

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frostbitsky's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I had seen this film adaptaion years and years ago. I remember loving the movie and crying at the end. It's a really beautiful story about mother-daughter relationships.

I had the book in my Audible library since 2018. As I listened some things were coming back to me so I would say (as far as I can remember) it is an excellent adaptation.

With 8 women and 8 different stories to tell it's bound to happen that some women were more developed than others. When it came to the mothers, An-Mei has the most developed story. Her poor mother was a concubine. However, her daughter Rose was the least developed of the daughters. Which is a bit of a shame because I liked where it was going that because of the lessons An-Mei learned from her mother she told Rose to stand up to her soon-to-be ex-husband, Ted.

Ying-Ying St. Clair was the least developed of all the mothers. And I know I remember this correctly because it was so tragic when I saw the film but

she (accidentally??) drowns her baby boy. In the book Ying-Ying gets an abortion. That is the only drastic difference I can remember.

What I did find funny (in a good way) about Gwendoline's narration was how she portrayed the voice of Harold Livotny, Lena St. Clair's husband. He sounded like such a dweeb! Like a computerized dweeb which is such a good characterization of him.

Waverly Jong - the chess champ- was the most developed daughter. Her mother, Lindo's story was pretty well developed too.

Suyuan Woo and Jing Mei Woo's story is pretty much the way I remember it from the film. Only now I understand they reason why Suyuan Woo

left her twin daughters is China (she was so ill she almost died), as well as how the twins ended up being lost before they were adopted by family. I don't recall that being clear in the film, so it was explained.

It's hard to pick a favorite story or mother-daughter pair because they each had their own challenges and relatable issues. It's why I think the story is so well done and one that any woman can understand and find meaning in.

4 out of 5 Mahjong Tiles.

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michaelion's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.25

I had no expectations other than I knew it would fuck me up. Any story about mothers and daughters. Especially women of color! So complex!! Too real!!!

I don't like reviews with quotes from the piece of media but I had to stop reading to make note of this masterpiece and let it simmer for a while: "And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, she still came out the same way! Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl. And I was born to my mother and I was born a girl. All of us are like stairs, one step after another, going up and down, but all going the same way."

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stephyrm's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

4.75

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melancholymegs's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

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_jessielynn_'s review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

i told my women’s lit prof at the beginning of the semester that i only give 5.0 stars to things that change my life. she assigned this book and was basically jumping with joy when i told her how much i loved it. such a poignant and one-of-it’s kind perspective on the relationships between mothers and daughters and the breaking of generational cycles. i’m actually in amazement of amy tan, and will be reading other works of her’s in the future.

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