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A review by rebelbelle13
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
3.0
This is the second Amy Tan book I've read in as many years. While this one was better than my previous choice (The Kitchen God's Wife) it wasn't THAT much better. I enjoyed the ghost tie-in (the World of Yin) and the idea of reincarnation, which I subscribe to. This made The Hundred Secret Senses much more interesting a read- although it seems that Tan has used the same story outline as the first one: main character is a Chinese woman, struggling with personal issues and family, and two stories are told at once. The woman grows and the stories combine into one. I don't mind the similar formula- these two books were different enough that it wasn't blatantly apparent.
I did not like Olivia at all. She was petty, argumentative, jealous and outright mean towards Kwan and Simon. Many times she did not tell either person what she was feeling or thinking, and simply assumed they should know her thoughts and feelings. She would start fights for such small reasons that I was becoming overly frustrated. She harped. She held onto things and didn't let go. I don't blame Simon for separating from her. Kwan was nothing but nice to Olivia, and Olivia treated her with contempt and shame.
The novel died a bit the second quarter or so in, but picked up as soon as the trio made it to China. I finished the book simply because I wanted to see what happened to Miss Banner and Nunumu- i no longer cared about Olivia.
All in all, an okay read, but I really don't see how this author is so popular with so many unlikable characters and similar story formula. Kwan was my favorite.
I did not like Olivia at all. She was petty, argumentative, jealous and outright mean towards Kwan and Simon. Many times she did not tell either person what she was feeling or thinking, and simply assumed they should know her thoughts and feelings. She would start fights for such small reasons that I was becoming overly frustrated. She harped. She held onto things and didn't let go. I don't blame Simon for separating from her. Kwan was nothing but nice to Olivia, and Olivia treated her with contempt and shame.
The novel died a bit the second quarter or so in, but picked up as soon as the trio made it to China. I finished the book simply because I wanted to see what happened to Miss Banner and Nunumu- i no longer cared about Olivia.
All in all, an okay read, but I really don't see how this author is so popular with so many unlikable characters and similar story formula. Kwan was my favorite.