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lmshearer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This has been on my TBR list for a while, ever since we read "Two Kinds" in middle school English class. I loved the structure of this book and the vignettes of each mother/daughter. I look forward to rereading the essays out of book order to fully understand some of the relationships and their stories I may have missed on this read-through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Abortion, Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Child death, and Racism
laurenleigh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This has been on my TBR forever! Amy Tan is really quite amazing. She packs in so much in this short book! All these characters were so multi-faceted. I was especially interested when their storylines intersected. For example, listening to Waverly’s story, I had a lot of sympathy for her. But then she shows up in someone else’s story (Lena?), and she comes off as so rude! A good reminder to greet others with patience and an open heart. We’re all dealing with our own stories, but we have to also remember we’re only the main central character in our own plot line. I have renewed awe for immigrants and all they go through in an attempt to make things better and easier for their children. There’s a line that’s sticking with me, where one of the mothers wanted her daughter to have American opportunities but with a Chinese mentality. I can’t quote the whole part here, so just go read this and come talk to me. 😉
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
tinylittlerat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Suicide, War, and Death
Moderate: Fatphobia
nicolesreadingbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
studied it for school and omfg i loved it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death of parent, Self harm, Toxic relationship, War, Abortion, and Child death
major_tom's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It’s just amazing. The writing, the structure, the stories themselves - it is one of those books that perfectly illustrates the nature of mother/daughter relationship. But it also reflects so much on harsh challenges of immigration and cultural adaptation (focusing on Chinese immigration to America).
I am very happy to have stumbled upon this book, and I’ll make sure to check out other works of Amy Tan.
I am very happy to have stumbled upon this book, and I’ll make sure to check out other works of Amy Tan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
tonimmarie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This made me cry a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Xenophobia, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Homophobia, Eating disorder, and Abortion
melanie182's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault, Abortion, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Genocide, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Rape
anovelbeauty's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Book TW: child death, loss, trauma, strained parental relationships, war, immigration, racism
The Joy Luck Club is a beautiful story which follows four Chinese women who immigrated to the US in 1949 and their American born daughters. This story is one of the most interestingly formatted stories I’ve come across in a long time. It’s split into four sections and each chapter follows a specific mother or daughter’s POV. There is a loose connection and chronology between the different stories and the characters hop in and out of each other’s lives. However, the most distinct connection is between each mother and her daughter. It is really unique to get a book that shows you the background and perspective of both parent and child. So as the book progresses, you slowly understand why the characters act how they do. I particularly loved getting the mothers’ stories from China and then seeing how they changed (often dramatically) after they immigrated.
Though the book does have a bookended plot line from Jin-Mei (and her mother is the only one who does not get her own chapter), the book reads more like a collection of connected short stories than your average historical fiction novel.
It took a bit for me to settle in to the unique flow of this story, but once I did the character work and writing style of the novel was absolutely phenomenal. The voices of each of the eight different women were distinct and engaging. Jin-Mei is probably the closest to a main character as she has a chapter in each section because her mother is already gone and she is trying to retroactively connect with her. The others show the miscommunication and relationships between the other mother-daughter pairs.
This is a hugely character driven book, so if you are a plot-driven reader this probably won’t suit you. However, I /love/ character books so it was wonderful for me and I do really enjoy familial relationships being explored in stories as well. The book is touching and dramatic and the last chapter made me cry. I definitely encourage you to read it if you think the format of the story would suit you!
The Joy Luck Club is a beautiful story which follows four Chinese women who immigrated to the US in 1949 and their American born daughters. This story is one of the most interestingly formatted stories I’ve come across in a long time. It’s split into four sections and each chapter follows a specific mother or daughter’s POV. There is a loose connection and chronology between the different stories and the characters hop in and out of each other’s lives. However, the most distinct connection is between each mother and her daughter. It is really unique to get a book that shows you the background and perspective of both parent and child. So as the book progresses, you slowly understand why the characters act how they do. I particularly loved getting the mothers’ stories from China and then seeing how they changed (often dramatically) after they immigrated.
Though the book does have a bookended plot line from Jin-Mei (and her mother is the only one who does not get her own chapter), the book reads more like a collection of connected short stories than your average historical fiction novel.
It took a bit for me to settle in to the unique flow of this story, but once I did the character work and writing style of the novel was absolutely phenomenal. The voices of each of the eight different women were distinct and engaging. Jin-Mei is probably the closest to a main character as she has a chapter in each section because her mother is already gone and she is trying to retroactively connect with her. The others show the miscommunication and relationships between the other mother-daughter pairs.
This is a hugely character driven book, so if you are a plot-driven reader this probably won’t suit you. However, I /love/ character books so it was wonderful for me and I do really enjoy familial relationships being explored in stories as well. The book is touching and dramatic and the last chapter made me cry. I definitely encourage you to read it if you think the format of the story would suit you!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Sexism, Abandonment, and Genocide
Minor: Death of parent and Xenophobia
sallytiffany's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The storyline was interesting and it had wonderful characters. However, the story was very disjoined due to all the switching which made it hard to follow. I like how poetic the book was at times and I certainly learned more about Chinese culture, just the layout of the book made it difficult to get the message. Also, not thrilled about the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder
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