purnuhja 's review for:

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

5.0

hopeful reflective sad medium-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

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I really loved this book, each story and character was just so deeply personal to me. I am not Chinese, but there are a lot of similarities among immigrant asian households, so I still felt very seen in this book. I loved each character and how they felt so distinct and human. No single person was perfect nor were their relationships and that’s what made it so good. It was difficult to keep track of the names and relationships sometimes, but I loved the way the stories were organized as well. The themes were so clear and masterfully explored: mother daughter relationships, immigration, societal expectations of women, parental expectations, filial piety, grief and trauma, etc. Just so much covered and so well that I want to pour over every line. Will probably re-read many times and wish that my mother read in general so I could share it with her. Trigger warnings galore. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault