Reviews

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

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fooliette's review against another edition

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reflective slow-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

3.0

matthew_blaen's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

emrodav's review against another edition

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4.0

The Joy Luck Club wasn't really what I expected. I guess I thought there would be more connections between the eight women, particularly within the two generation groups. I wish that had been more present, because I can only read so much of mother-daughter tension without wanting something different.

That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy The Joy Luck Club. I really did. The lives of all eight women were interesting (though I thought the mothers' were more so). And the book was very easy to read, mostly because it was broken into four sections with four stories each. Each piece blended well without being too dependent on the others--but I did find myself making a chart with notes to keep the lives of each woman straight in my mind; sometimes you need a little re-introduction to the characters.

The novel read more like a collection of short stories than anything else, each with a theme about mother-daughter relationships from the different women. This worked for the most part, but there were definitely times when I was ready for a new theme or idea. I would've like more exploration of relationships with fathers and siblings, but I know that wasn't exactly the point of the book. I guess I just felt that near the end, Tan was beating the subject like a dead horse. For that reason, I give The Joy Luck Club four stars instead of five. It's very interesting and well-written, if a bit repetitive.

(I'd also love to read the perspective of a Chinese or American-born Chinese reader. I wonder what the opinions of some other people who have had similar experiences would think of Amy Tan's portrayal.)