A review by kategci
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

4.0

My first Amy Tan ever! I somehow missed reading The Joy Luck Club. I picked this up for Spilling Tea Book Club (20th Century Women authors), and while the group reaction was mixed, I liked it! Published in 1995, The Hundred Secret Senses brought me back to the types of books I was reading at that time. Women's fiction, with some important deep themes, but not always too heavy. Olivia has grown up in the Bay Area and when she is 8 her older half-sister comes from China to live with the family. Olivia is self-absorbed, always wanting more of others than they are able or willing to give to her. All except Kwan who adores Libby-ah, but whose feelings are never wholly reciprocated. Through Kwan, stories are told from the 1850s which may parallel contemporary life for Olivia. Amy Tan more than capably brings the stories together to a satisfying conclusion.