Reviews

This book reminded me a lot of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. It’s told in a series of vignettes following 4 women who immigrated to America from China in the wake of WWII and their daughters. It talks about generational trauma, the racism and the pressue 1st generation Chinese-American girls faced to “fit in” and be “American enough.” At the heart of this novel is intricate familial relationships and Mother-Daughter bonds. Shared culture can be a binding force, but due to their differing circumstances and experiences, culture and language ended up being more of a division between the mothers and their daughters. They had to fight to understand each other, and not just because they have different first languages. They had to sift through the things left unsaid. It reminded me a bit of Crying in H Mart in that way. Definitelt worth the read and a modern classic that should be talked about a lot more.

johnw613's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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

5.0

alexyoung8's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

1bookobsessionconfessions's review against another edition

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5.0

Old favorite, the two different time periods going back and forth is interesting, you slowly unravel why the characters are the way they are. Heartbreaking and heartwarming. Great peek into old work Chinese culture and the newer. Great mother/daughter insights

stationannie's review

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3.0

2.5 stars, rounded up.

I wish we had concentrated on only one family. It was difficult to follow at times, and the stories felt scattered because of the time jumps with so many different characters. Then the ending felt incomplete and lackluster after wading through all of it, which was disappointing. I was hoping to get more finality.

The narrator for the audiobook had ridiculous voices for several characters that made me absolutely despise the narration. I tried to look past it, but it was definitely an experience ruiner. I don’t know why the creative choice was made to make these characters sound like utter morons, unless they were meant to be portrayed that way.

While I could relate to some of the characters, I still felt somewhat far removed. I’m not sure if it’s because this book was published so long ago that things are different for first-gen Asian-American nowadays. I just didn’t feel that it’s as relatable as more modern books.

I wish there had been more time spent on the daughters because it really felt like a majority of the book was focused on the back stories of the mothers, which by itself would have been fine, but when it’s supposed to be a book about mother-daughter relationships, I’m expecting to see more equal representation of the two sides.

Overall, the writing itself was good, it was just lacking in content for me. I kept waiting to be moved, but it never came. I wanted to feel what the daughters or mothers felt, but I felt nothing. I thought I would relate more to the characters, and again, I’m not sure if it’s because this is an older book, and that’s the reason why. While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped, I wouldn’t discount Amy Tan’s other books and would certainly read them.

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