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junyan's review against another edition
4.0
Amy Tan clearly didn't know how to write pinyin.
This book can sometimes be very hard to read because it forced me to reflect on my relationship with my mother which I'm generally satisfied with now but has its rough past.
I can somehow resonate with the cultural conflicts presentation in this book even though I have never live abroad longer than a year. But I used to live in places that have different culture for many years (China is actually very diverse iykyk), so I definitely had struggled in adapting myself to various cultures and created many versions of myself.
This book can sometimes be very hard to read because it forced me to reflect on my relationship with my mother which I'm generally satisfied with now but has its rough past.
I can somehow resonate with the cultural conflicts presentation in this book even though I have never live abroad longer than a year. But I used to live in places that have different culture for many years (China is actually very diverse iykyk), so I definitely had struggled in adapting myself to various cultures and created many versions of myself.
anyajulchen's review against another edition
4.0
Una instantánea de la vida, del desarraigo, y de las diferencias entre madres e hijas, a veces demasiado grandes para ver sus similitudes a la larga.
amandag's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.5
hannahboni'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? Yes
5.0
poirot0606's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
leer_amor's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me a lot of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. It’s told in a series of vignettes following 4 women who immigrated to America from China in the wake of WWII and their daughters. It talks about generational trauma, the racism and the pressue 1st generation Chinese-American girls faced to “fit in” and be “American enough.” At the heart of this novel is intricate familial relationships and Mother-Daughter bonds. Shared culture can be a binding force, but due to their differing circumstances and experiences, culture and language ended up being more of a division between the mothers and their daughters. They had to fight to understand each other, and not just because they have different first languages. They had to sift through the things left unsaid. It reminded me a bit of Crying in H Mart in that way. Definitelt worth the read and a modern classic that should be talked about a lot more.
johnw613's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
alexyoung8's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
1bookobsessionconfessions's review against another edition
5.0
Old favorite, the two different time periods going back and forth is interesting, you slowly unravel why the characters are the way they are. Heartbreaking and heartwarming. Great peek into old work Chinese culture and the newer. Great mother/daughter insights