Reviews

Rules for Virgins by Amy Tan

merkyr's review against another edition

2.0

Like Memoirs of a Geisha... but shorter...in China... and only the training bits.

eamwilliams504's review against another edition

4.0

a wicked little tale between and short story and a novella

mayetra's review against another edition

2.0

This is not what I expect from Amy Tan. It was a super short read and took me about an hour. It is a tantalizing look into what it meant to be a courtesan in Shanghai in the early 1900. It is told from the perspective of a seasoned mentor instruction a new girl about how to maneuver in this world and play the "game". Honestly, I would have rather seen this material presented in a traditional story format with characters, etc.

ayeryn's review against another edition

5.0

It is a really interesting book. This is the second Amy Tan's work I've read. The first one was The Joy Luck Club, which is really different from this one. I loved The Joy Luck Club and I like this one a lot too. There are some ironies throughout the book. The tricks the narrator teaches Little Violet are skillful and smart, I bet they will work well for Little Violet in the future. In these tricks, there are some great insights about humanity and especially men's nature. But all these come from the desire of survival. And as the narrator mentions many times that she gains all experience from her mistakes in the past. That must be heavy and sad memories. Nothing is easy, even being a courtesan. In their world, there is no love or joy, there is only survival and success. Sounds ridiculous but real. While the suitors think they take control of the courtesans, they might never figure out that they are the ones being played--of course, only for the sake of this book.

silverfern's review against another edition

4.0

I listened to the audiobook via audible and found it to be a short & interesting listen :)

I thought the narrator was a great fit for the role.
I know some reviewers thought it was too short, but I enjoyed it and didn't mind the length. I can definitely understand there's potential for this story to be more than it was. However, because the story was told from one POV (one-sided instructions and anecdotes, etc). I think this works well as the short story it is.

juliana_aldous's review against another edition

4.0

Good novella by the Master Amy Tan.

megdujour's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed especially since I've just started The Valley of Amazement. Since it takes place about where I took a break it all came together.

teriboop's review against another edition

4.0

This was my first Amy Tan read. Rules for Virgins is reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha. Written from the point of view of a retired courtesan instructing her protege, Rules for Virgins details the plans and rules for a new courtesan in 1930s China. This story is a good insight into a world many never see.

forgereads17's review

challenging funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

ghilimei's review

3.0

Mi-a plăcut mult, dar mi s-a părut că s-a terminat brusc, exact în mijloc, că ar fi fost loc de mai mult și mi-ar fi plăcut să fie mai mult.

***

Am citit mai mult pe subiectul ăsta și am aflat că de fapt Rules for Virgins este capitolul IV din [b:The Valley of Amazement|17383934|The Valley of Amazement|Amy Tan|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1362956150s/17383934.jpg|15778974], cea mai recentă carte de Amy Tan, publicată în octombrie 2013. Acum e clar că trebuie s-o citesc! :)