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latashman's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked that each chapter was its own story. I understand they connect as all part of the Joy Luck Club and their families, but the stories were hard to keep straight and figure out the connections. I found several of the chapters to be quite touching.
yegua_blanca's review against another edition
3.0
Revisiting this book that I read for high school sophomore English class. I remember being deeply moved the first time I read it, and I still found myself invested in the relationships between each mother and daughter. There is something so fundamental at the core of Tan’s straightforward writing here that is human and moving. However, the many narrators/narratives of this book (4 daughters, 3 mothers) can sometimes blend together into a general tale of the immigrant experience, which I find particularly disappointing because so often the stories of immigrants are already dismissed or homogenized. I feel some more attention to the characters, particularly differentiating the mothers from each other, would have been needed. And now that I read this being a bit older, I saw some more dated cultural aspects that I hadn’t recognized before. The fact that the Chinese-American daughters only end up with white men. Humor that sometimes relies on the reader identifying with an American perspective and laughing at the “superstitions/quirks” of the Chinese mothers. Some tired East/West binaries that go unchallenged. Still, I really appreciated that Tan did take the time to probe the mothers’ experiences, especially the chapters about their lives as older women, since I find that these perspectives are so rarely discussed in media. This book is a beautiful exploration of the love and loss passed down from mothers to their daughters.
pmrichard1's review against another edition
4.0
Probably 3.5ish! Really enjoyed but did myself a disservice by reading in bitty parts so it took me a while to get to grips with who everyone was in each chapter. But always love multi generational books like this and the writing is obviously extremely good!!
oddmoose87's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
- 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
manderzreadz's review against another edition
3.0
This took me forever to read. It was a great and unique concept, going from mothers and daughters POV, but I caught myself having to flip back every chapter to remember which of the 8 people I was reading about and what had happened in their story line so far. I would recommend writing a cheat sheet on a bookmark so it reads smoothly!
blairlarks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? N/A
4.5
emmakaryn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sabjazz'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
4.25
tashaseegmiller's review against another edition
5.0
I've meant to read this book for a long time. Having it for sale on Audible was the nudge I needed and I so loved the narration. And the story. And these characters with nuanced pasts, complicated presents, uncertain futures. This book was a total delight.