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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
A great book, the style reminded me a lot of Isabel Allende, and it did an amazing job exploring the parallels between the relationships with Ruth and Luling and Luling and Precious Auntie. A great relationship study.
I got this book from a friend who was clearing house, and had no real expectations other than that the cover looked cool. I started it on an early morning flight, and had finished it by the end of the day - I couldn't put it down. This is one of those book where almost as soon as you start reading it you are right there in the character's world, and it was almost jarring to come back to my own reality. I absolutely loved all of the characters, and I was particularly impressed by the fact that each of the main characters had their own growth arc, each progressing at a different pace as the various plotlines wove together. Excellent pacing, this book deserves a spot on the shelf.
The specifics of this story focused on generational issues and mother daughter-relationships can be read at length in other reviews. Like a number of others, I hadn't read one of Amy Tan's books in quite some time. And while the writing made it harder for me to get through than I expected (it was her first novel, and those with more literary sensibilities than I will be able to detect what slows the reader down...) the foundation of the first of the three sections, and the resolution in the third made me grateful to have made my way through the book. I disagree with those who consider it canned, rote, or unoriginal. This particular, cultural and generational set of lived experiences was set forth with great detail, at times compelling narrative, and a fulfilling resolution. Good luck with that!
A book of 2 halves. The first half was a struggle to get through, but LuLing’s story was captivating and could have stood alone.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Pretty standard Amy Tan...enjoyable, fast read, but a bit too obvoius.
Does a good job of capturing the way adolescence permeates a girl’s lifelong relationship with her mother.
My grandmother start to show the effects alzheimer's when I was 10. The very personal portal of a daughter coming to terms with her mothers sickness and infirmity is very realistic and moving.
Like all of Amy Tan's novels, this one is about mother-daughter relationships. And like all of Amy Tan's novels that I've read so far, the characters seem to rely on what seems to be very stereotypical Chinese mother behavior. While the history was definitely captivating, I wish a writer who's written so many novels about her culture would take the time to write a few stories and characters that did not always believe in ghosts and the magical healing powers of ginseng.
But that aside, I did love the portion where the novel told the mother's story because, of course, it's the background and history and the "why" to the way that she is and what she believed. I do, however, wish there had been a stronger connection between the modern and historic times as far as the causal relation. Oh wells.
But that aside, I did love the portion where the novel told the mother's story because, of course, it's the background and history and the "why" to the way that she is and what she believed. I do, however, wish there had been a stronger connection between the modern and historic times as far as the causal relation. Oh wells.
Torn between 3-4, if half stars were an option 3.5.