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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Amy Tan knows how to turn a phrase or two. She's a skilled writer, which made the novel fun to read. I also liked the changes in POV; it feels gimmicky in most books, but I felt like Tan used it to accomplish a deeper understanding. The Bonesetter's Daughter seems to capture the mother-daughter relationship as colored by cultural/language barriers. I thought the juxtaposition between LuLing's English and her translated writing was extremely powerful (it reminded me of Tan's essay "Mother Tongue.") I don't know what the book accomplished in terms of a climax--maybe the resolution was Ruth finally getting a glimpse of her mother's brain?--but I thought TBD was thoughtfully executed.
I enjoyed this one a lot. A great family saga with a touch of magical realism, it was good story told well.
It took a while to get going, and I would have liked more of Precious Auntie and LuLing’s stories and less of Ruth’s story, but it’s a minor quibble
It took a while to get going, and I would have liked more of Precious Auntie and LuLing’s stories and less of Ruth’s story, but it’s a minor quibble
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War
There were parts that I enjoyed and some that I just thought were strange. This got a little too caught up in the metaphysical world of ghosts and curses, which often brought me out of the story.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book - about a mother and a daughter; her mother and her daughter was hard for me to listen to. (And yes, I am aware that it is almost like cheating to listen to a book on CD. Almost) I fear the idea of my family getting to the point of dementia and Alzheimer's b/c my great grandmother had dementia and it is an all too real possibility. And the fact that LuLing was slowly slipping into it kinda bothered me. I cannot say that I was too fond of Art. There was something about him that didn't click for me and I wanted Ruth to leave him honestly. But it worked out well enough in the end, I guess.
There was also the moments in LuLing's POV during the letter. It was fascinating, though sad. War-time China. I had never thought about any wars in China outside of those in ancient China until I started to read these books. LuLing's life was incredibly hard. As it seems that most of them were that grew up in that era of China. And when I think of the contrast between her life and Ruth's it is unbelievable. It seems that nothing any of the daughters can go through is as bad as what the mothers dealt with.
LuLing's mother, Precious Auntie, had an easier happier life than her daughter until the death of her guy and her father. Then it all seems to have sunken away. But I suppose that there was nothing to be done about it, really. That was China, I guess.
There was also the moments in LuLing's POV during the letter. It was fascinating, though sad. War-time China. I had never thought about any wars in China outside of those in ancient China until I started to read these books. LuLing's life was incredibly hard. As it seems that most of them were that grew up in that era of China. And when I think of the contrast between her life and Ruth's it is unbelievable. It seems that nothing any of the daughters can go through is as bad as what the mothers dealt with.
LuLing's mother, Precious Auntie, had an easier happier life than her daughter until the death of her guy and her father. Then it all seems to have sunken away. But I suppose that there was nothing to be done about it, really. That was China, I guess.
It was very well written but a bit too depressing for me, and I felt the plot lacked direction
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
I listened to most of this book and finished up with the print version. The author narrated the audiobook and I really enjoyed hearing the emotion in the writing. Even I switched to the print version, it took me a few pages to get back into the same flow. My point is, either format will draw you into a story that is very richly detailed and hard to put down. Highly recommend.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoy Amy Tan's writing. Although this is yet another mother-daughter story, she still manages to craft compelling characters with interesting stories. I really enjoyed how part 1 and part 2 seemed almost like totally separate stories, and the way the threads were drawn together in part 3.