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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think my expectations were set higher than they should’ve been because I’ve heard about this book my whole life. It was good, the way it’s told vignette-style is cool, but sometimes keeping up with which character’s POV I was in was a little challenging. It reminded me of a long version of some very good literary short stories I’ve read, that’s the best way I can describe it.
If I had actually read this, I might have rated it higher. I know people love it. I listened to it, and didn't have a copy to refer to, so the different stories/sections didn't transition well. But the story telling was poignant and beautiful. I felt for the women as they worked through all the challenges and misunderstandings and had their expectations met or violated. We can all resonate with those types of painful life experiences.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
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
I am so glad that I chose to read this novel as my first reading of Amy Tan. Cliche, yes, to read The Joy Luck Club as my first Amy Tan book, but I am entirely satisfied with my decision. Not only was this story alight with so many amazing characters, but it also showed me the beauty of a debut novel. Revolving around the lives of four women who individually left China around or sometime after World War II for America and the lives of their four Americanized daughters, this novel goes beyond mother/daughter relationships. It tells not only the individual stories, those of both mothers and daughters, but it also opens the readers eyes to the cultural disparity that can happen between just two generations.
The mothers were women forged by war, surviving situations in China that their daughters would be scandalized by. The daughters on the other hand knew only of their Chinese heritage through a distance, learning things sparingly and instead bending to their American life. Yet what I found the most interesting is how both mothers and daughters viewed each other. How often times a mother would blame herself for her daughter becoming too Americanized when in the beginning she believed such a thing was for the best. The lack of communication between mothers and daughters leads to a lot of situations that still remain open, even after this novel came to a close. Yet there is possibility with many stories, there is hope that things can change and that understanding can be found.
Without a doubt all of the characters presented in this novel were entirely amazing. I absolutely loved how someone like Waverly Jong would complain about how her mother, Lindo Jong would set her up to feel bad with her words, gently putting her down with disappointing comments, and yet Waverly would do the exact same thing to her friends. It's funny how sometimes one tries so hard to not be like their parents and yet they still manage to be exactly like them. And I believe that is the truth at the end of all this, that despite the disparity between the mothers and the daughters there is still a great deal of similarities between the two groups. I absolutely need to read this again simply because it is chock full of details and intricacies that deserve a second read.
The mothers were women forged by war, surviving situations in China that their daughters would be scandalized by. The daughters on the other hand knew only of their Chinese heritage through a distance, learning things sparingly and instead bending to their American life. Yet what I found the most interesting is how both mothers and daughters viewed each other. How often times a mother would blame herself for her daughter becoming too Americanized when in the beginning she believed such a thing was for the best. The lack of communication between mothers and daughters leads to a lot of situations that still remain open, even after this novel came to a close. Yet there is possibility with many stories, there is hope that things can change and that understanding can be found.
Without a doubt all of the characters presented in this novel were entirely amazing. I absolutely loved how someone like Waverly Jong would complain about how her mother, Lindo Jong would set her up to feel bad with her words, gently putting her down with disappointing comments, and yet Waverly would do the exact same thing to her friends. It's funny how sometimes one tries so hard to not be like their parents and yet they still manage to be exactly like them. And I believe that is the truth at the end of all this, that despite the disparity between the mothers and the daughters there is still a great deal of similarities between the two groups. I absolutely need to read this again simply because it is chock full of details and intricacies that deserve a second read.
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
reflective
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
emotional
reflective
fast-paced