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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
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
I have mixed feelings about this -- mostly that I struggled a lot with connecting to the characters because of how needlessly hateful they could be to each other. Sure, mothers and daughters can fight, but it felt like a lot of conflict between the characters, both past and present, wasn't really drawn back to anything concrete, so I struggled a lot to relate to them by rationalizing their feelings. I enjoyed the second part the most - frankly, I don't enjoy modern existential family fiction where the humdrum of life is something to be recounted in excruciating detail. All in all, I enjoyed Joy Luck Club more.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read on audiobook - This was my first foray into into Any Tan's work. I enjoyed it but it was hard to get into it at first. The book was split into three parts that did not always make sense to me. I loved the historical fiction elements of the book. I also enjoyed the exploration of family dynamics, particularly between Ruth and her mother.
Imagine a horse race, in which one of the horses tragically breaks a leg halfway through, causing chaos. The event itself took minutes at most, and even the tragedy took but a sentence to explain.
Now imagine an extremely high-speed camera filming alongside the middle of the pack. We see every muscle and sinew as the legs stretch and thunder against the track, the spittle flying from the jockey’s gritted teeth, the mud splashing against hooves. At that speed, even the tragic break is a powerful, moving thing to behold.
Such is the Bonesetter’s Daughter. A simple story, told in slow motion. It’s beautiful and written with incredible detail, but (and maybe this is just my 2019 broken Twitter brain speaking) requires more than an adequate attention span.
Now imagine an extremely high-speed camera filming alongside the middle of the pack. We see every muscle and sinew as the legs stretch and thunder against the track, the spittle flying from the jockey’s gritted teeth, the mud splashing against hooves. At that speed, even the tragic break is a powerful, moving thing to behold.
Such is the Bonesetter’s Daughter. A simple story, told in slow motion. It’s beautiful and written with incredible detail, but (and maybe this is just my 2019 broken Twitter brain speaking) requires more than an adequate attention span.
At first I thought this wasn't good; I found it depressing, and a bit plot-less. But the thing is, I found myself compelled to keep reading. Now that I've finished it, I think liked it. It was haunting and sad, and sort of poetic. I am not sure about some of the themes, but that might be okay. It was definitely not a beach read, but I think I would recommend it for a cold night in a blanket when you want to brood.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a classic Amy Tan story. It follows the long and winding history of a Chinese family through several generations. In particular, it focuses on the difficult, and at times incomprehensible relationship between Ruth and her mother LuLing Young.
As the author unrolls the story of LuLing's life, you begin to understand her and see the shadow of her experiences in her relationship with her daughter. She suddenly seems less crazy and more loving. Less superstitious and more caring.
As the author unrolls the story of LuLing's life, you begin to understand her and see the shadow of her experiences in her relationship with her daughter. She suddenly seems less crazy and more loving. Less superstitious and more caring.
I loved the part that took place in China, but the American part just didn't do it for me. It just didn't do it for me. But the whole thing is worth reading, if only for China.