A review by damiscous
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

emotional funny hopeful 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

The first time I half-assedly read this book, I was sixteen and reading it as an assignment. I'm so very glad I came back to it. With the passage of time, we mature, we learn, we grow, and we begin to see our parents more as people than simply parents. In my current stage of life, this book has touched me in a way it didn't before, especially in regards to my relationship with my own mother as I search for my own way through life. There's some disconnect for me, admittedly, as the book is also heavily centered around Chinese culture, but that difference in culture also has many parallels with my own. Though the book is dated, the complexities of mother-daughter relationships is a timeless topic that Amy Tan explores in a sincere, emotional manner. I laughed, I cried, and I cringed - what else would you want from a novel examining one of the deepest of human connections? I feel that this is a novel I need to come back to later in life to further understand and appreciate the story that Tan has shared with us.
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