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The Bonesetter's Daughter

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 56,786 ratings · 1,804 reviews

LuLing Young is now in her eighties, and finally beginning to feel the effects of old age. Trying to hold on to the evaporating past, she begins to write down all that she can remember of her life as a girl in China. Meanwhile, her daughter Ruth, a ghostwriter for authors of self-help books, is losing the ability to speak up for herself in front of the man she lives with....more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published 2001 by Flamingo

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Nov 07, 2008 Yulia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writers-on-writing

This is a chronicle of voicelessness across three generations of a Chinese family: it captures how these women lost their voices, why they continued to be voiceless, and how they attempted to reclaim their voice. Voice in this book is both literal and figurative: it's about standing up for oneself, speaking one's truth, being acknowledged, being understood, and not being censored. And the perpetrators who claim the women's voices can be cultural, personal (through the violation of one's secrets...more This is a chronicle of voicelessness across three generations of a Chinese family: it captures how these women lost their voices, why they continued to be voiceless, and how they attempted to reclaim their voice. Voice in this book is both literal and figurative: it's about standing up for oneself, speaking one's truth, being acknowledged, being understood, and not being censored. And the perpetrators who claim the women's voices can be cultural, personal (through the violation of one's secrets or body), cross-cultural, as what happens to the youngest when she finds herself in a relationship with a man who already has two Caucasian children, and even professional, as what happens for those who choose to give voice to others' ideas but not their own (as ghostwriters). And not incidentally, it is also a book about ghosts who remain with us from our past, haunting us with their curses or benevolently giving us advice about our current choices. Serendipitously enough, this book made me proud to be part-Chinese, but also sad that there was so much about Chinese culture and especially its writing and its calligraphy that I cannot understand. But in the end, it inspires the reader to speak out, to express appreciation to relatives, to insist on being heard in one's relationship, and to rediscover the paths of their ancestors. It may sound corny, but this book was an incredibly moving read for me, unsettling me and making me question my own experiences at its more difficult passages.

On a general note, however, please stop titling book's The Blank's Daughter. From the abortionist to the gravedigger to the bonesetter, I'm tired of women being defined by the occupation of their father. What shall I title my memoir? The Senior Health-care Analyst's Daughter? Hmm. . . . Regardless, after Joy Luck Club, this is definitely Tan's most powerful novel. Bravo.

Some passages that struck a chord:

There's a lovely discussion on someone's favorite word, vapors, a passage too long for me to quote, but very thoughtfully done (pgs. 20-21).

"A lot of her [mother's] admonitions had to do with not showing what you really felt about all sorts of things: hope disappointment , and especially love. The less you showed, the more you meant" (p. 92). Or in my own mother's case, the less you showed, the more you were in control of your feelings, your effect on others, and the situation involved: a misguided philosophy I took years to unlearn, though I know it's hopeless to convince my mom of the error of her affective formula.

"'You can have pride in what you do each day, [. . .] ut not arrogance in what you were born with" (p. 250).

And lastly, "It broke her heart to see her mother trying so hard, being so conscientious, do determine to be valuable. Making her mother happy would have been easy all along. LuLing simply wanted to be essential, as a mother should be" (p. 301). (less)

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Apr 23, 2008 Irish rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: very patient people who are tolerant of meh characters.

This was the first Amy Tan book I read. This book wasn't specifically recommended, but the author was. I was expecting something magical to happen as I turned the pages, but I couldn't get past the first four or five chapters of the book. Besides the overly long sections of actionless description (the story stagnated because of a poor balance between backstory, scene setup and description, and actual let's-move-things-along plot), the main character Ruth is so weak and whiny that I couldn't empa...more

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Xavier Guillaume Ruth isn't that bad, but I did just recently read Julie and Julia, and Julie from that book is way worse, so Ruth is a cakewalk, haha. But anyway, I k...more
Mar 06, 2011 11:56pm

Jennifer although there were times i kept reading just to find out how they got to america; i think the character of Ruth was whiny and weak as a reflection of...more
Feb 01, 2013 12:51pm

Mar 24, 2008 Amelia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mom, Kristen, Celeste

Recommended to Amelia by: Diane and Susan

Amy Tan has a way of starting a story that's impossible to put down. For the first half of the book I kept wondering what about it made it so good. Anecdotal stories, relatable characters, Chinese folklore for interest ... these are all good, but I finally realized in the last quarter of the book why I liked it so much. Because it's a book about learning to love your past no matter how many scars it gives you, and learning to love and forgive your parents and ancestors, no matter what they may h...more

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Aug 09, 2007 Titin Susanti rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

usually I like reading books with historical background, but this book is not that enjoyable to me.
Amy Tan is famous for her writing of the mixture of Chinese and America culture.
I always love culture, so I decided to read this book.
I usually skim the book first.
Unfortunately, the first and second chapter is not that interesting.
I have to admit that my imagination was not run wild.
The latter chapters were better.

Funny things happened after I read this book.
:) I could't sleep hahahaha :)
I kept th...more

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Feb 02, 2008 Holli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2008

Like most of Tan's books, this novel focuses on mother-daughter relationships extending over several generations. It is a tale of discovering the truth about our past and ourselves. Ruth's mother LuLing is suffering with the early stages of Alzheimer's and carefully writes down the "Things I Know Are True" and the "Things I Must Not Forget" - leaving them for her daughter to find. These are the vehicles through which Ruth discovers the secrets and truths hidden in her mother's past. This is a wo...more

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Jun 18, 2008 Suzanne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-read, historical-fiction, chinese-women-s-writing

I just didn't enjoy this as much as Amy Tan's other books. Her plot development, with its mother-daughter issues, has become almost a formula. She does do a credible job describing life in China in the last century and I came away with a deeper understanding of that culture. I just never thought of Amy Tan as the Maeve Binchy of Asian writing. This is not meant to be a criticism of Maeve Binchy, an author whose well-written books I think are fun to read. It just is I get the impression that she...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Alysia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mgr-book-of-the-month

This is my third Amy Tan book. I have not read a novel from her in years and this book helped me to remember why she is one of my favorite authors. Amy Tan has a timeless writing style. That is the only way I can describe it. She doesn't write overly poetic or too simple. Amy Tan writes with a unique style that is perfect in every way. Her Chinese voice and American Chinese voice interchange with ease.
This book addresses mother-daughter relations and the complexes feelings involved. Ruthie is th...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Hildred Billings rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The Bonesetter's Daughter" is the second to last Amy Tan novel I have yet to re-read, and like "Hundred Secret Senses," I realized I couldn't remember a dang thing about this book. "The Joy Luck Club" is all about switching POVs between eight characters, "The Kitchen God's Wife" is basically a super long version of one Joy Luck story (that is of course morbidly depressing half the time), and "Saving Fish From Drowning" is about a ghost following around and narrating about the lulziest tour grou...more "The Bonesetter's Daughter" is the second to last Amy Tan novel I have yet to re-read, and like "Hundred Secret Senses," I realized I couldn't remember a dang thing about this book. "The Joy Luck Club" is all about switching POVs between eight characters, "The Kitchen God's Wife" is basically a super long version of one Joy Luck story (that is of course morbidly depressing half the time), and "Saving Fish From Drowning" is about a ghost following around and narrating about the lulziest tour group to ever hit Myanmar. Turns out that "Hundred Secret Senses" was about an insufferable woman with a badass sister who had an awesome backstory to tell - turns out that "The Bonesetter's Daughter" is about an insufferable woman with a badass mother who had an awesome backstory to tell.

The first thing making Bonesetter Stick out is the fact the daughter's - Ruth - POV is written in third person. Why, when Amy Tan is the queen of rambling first POV? I have no idea. Because the entire middle section narrated by her mother, LuLing, is written in first. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Other than that, it's the usual Amy Tan fare. Ruth is in a miserable relationship on the brink of failure (wow, that's new) and her mother, the immigrant LuLing, drives her bonkers. (That's new too!!) Ruth spends her whole time whining and whining, especially about her mother, and ESPECIALLY about her long-time boyfriend what'shisface. (Oh right, Art. Groan.) Art has two teenaged girls from a previous marriage with the most wtf names ever (Dory and Fia. Yeah. That's real 90s.) who talk like they're six instead of early teens. Basically, Ruth's life is totally moan-worthy and omg all these negative feels. She and Olivia from Hundred Secret Senses should become bffs and complain about how awful it is to be upper middle class in San Francisco.

ANYWAY, the story. You see, Ruth has a mother (really?? In an Amy Tan novel??) named LuLing, who is starting to act a little strange. Turns out she has early-onset dementia, and is of course only going to get worse. So what does LuLing do? Write down her entire life story up until moving to America, just in case she forgets any of the details and can never tell her daughter.

Ruth has the documents translated while her mother is away. Of course, what she discovers about her mother are things she would have never guessed before. Or even imagined. As usual, LuLing's story about growing up the illegitimate daughter of deformed-by-fire "Bonesetter's Daughter" is both heart wrenching (I mean it's 1920s China come on) and intriguing. I struggled to get through Ruth's set-up chapters and then pretty much devoured all of LuLing's backstory in one night. Since I'd forgotten most of it, it was like it was brand new to me...which is always nice.

With all this whining on my part (hi Ruth, you're rubbing off on me) you may be wondering why I gave this book four stars. It's more like 3 and a half, but I decided to round up, because of the score I gave Hundred Secret Senses. These books are almost exactly the same in structure and style, just the details are different. And the biggest difference is that Bonesetter had a waaaay more fulfilling ending than Hundred Secret Senses did. I was actually smiling a little when I closed this book. Unlike the other one which I'm pretty sure I threw across the room.

Is it Tan's best work? No. Not at all. I have the "reader's guide" paperback and in it is a lot of mentions on Tan's part about how hard this book was for her to write. Well, yeah. You're pretty much just copying yourself now. (She said affectionately.) That said, Tan is an amazing writer, so her "slush" tends to be far better grade than most other author's magnum opii. I read this book very quickly, not because I'm a speed reader but because I was legit hooked once LuLing's tale began. If you love the backstory's of Tan's "mothers", then read this book now. You won't be disappointed. If you can't bear to read another Olivia-type character again I'm...I'm sorry. Good luck.(less)

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Aug 02, 2011 Dee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amy Tan is such an awesome author. She really pulls you in to her stories. I have handed this book to my mother, who thinks she is "loosing it" and wanted her to know what a woman loosing it really experiences. But in this story, the mother seems to tell more truths, that have never been uttered, as he mind starts to go. At first, as Ruth's mother tells the doctor that she is older than Ruth knows her to be, Ruth chalks it all up to her mother's mind going. Then she tells everyone that the woman...more

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Mar 27, 2010 Imas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: karya-perempuan, award-winner

Kisah hubungan ibu dan anak dari 2 generasi yang berbeda. Masa lalu yang mempengaruhi jalan hidup sang anak dan berikutnya cucu. Mengharukan cinta kasih seorang ibu sekaligus tragis akibat kekuatan cinta. Kisah ini dilukiskan secara menakjubkan oleh Amy Tan. Seorg anak yg tidak mengetahui bahwa pengasuh cacat buruk rupa dan bisu adalah ibunya sendiri. Kecintaan ibunya yg tak terbalas oleh sang anak melahirkan kekecewaan yg mendalam dan berujung bunuh diri tatkala mengetahui sang anak akan menika...more

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Apr 24, 2008 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Holly by: My Mother

Shelves: amy-tan

At the beginning of Amy Tan's fourth novel, two packets of papers written in Chinese calligraphy fall into the hands of Ruth Young. One bundle is titled Things I Know Are True and the other, Things I Must Not Forget. The author? That would be the protagonist's mother, LuLing, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In these documents the elderly matriarch, born in China in 1916, has set down a record of her birth and family history, determined to keep the facts from vanishing as her min...more At the beginning of Amy Tan's fourth novel, two packets of papers written in Chinese calligraphy fall into the hands of Ruth Young. One bundle is titled Things I Know Are True and the other, Things I Must Not Forget. The author? That would be the protagonist's mother, LuLing, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In these documents the elderly matriarch, born in China in 1916, has set down a record of her birth and family history, determined to keep the facts from vanishing as her mind deteriorates.
A San Francisco career woman who makes her living by ghostwriting self-help books, Ruth has little idea of her mother's past or true identity. What's more, their relationship has tended to be an angry one. Still, Ruth recognizes the onset of LuLing's decline--along with her own remorse over past rancor--and hires a translator to decipher the packets. She also resolves to "ask her mother to tell her about her life. For once, she would ask. She would listen. She would sit down and not be in a hurry or have anything else to do."

Framed at either end by Ruth's chapters, the central portion of The Bonesetter's Daughter takes place in China in the remote, mountainous region where anthropologists discovered Peking Man in the 1920s. Here superstition and tradition rule over a succession of tiny villages. And here LuLing grows up under the watchful eye of her hideously scarred nursemaid, Precious Auntie. As she makes clear, it's not an enviable setting: I noticed the ripe stench of a pig pasture, the pockmarked land dug up by dragon-bone dream-seekers, the holes in the walls, the mud by the wells, the dustiness of the unpaved roads. I saw how all the women we passed, young and old, had the same bland face, sleepy eyes that were mirrors of their sleepy minds. Nor is rural isolation the worst of it. LuLing's family, a clan of ink makers, believes itself cursed by its connection to a local doctor, who cooks up his potions and remedies from human bones. And indeed, a great deal of bad luck befalls the narrator and her sister GaoLing before they can finally engineer their escape from China. Along the way, familial squabbles erupt around every corner, particularly among mothers, daughters, and sisters. And as she did in her earlier The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan uses these conflicts to explore the intricate dynamic that exists between first-generation Americans and their immigrant elders.
(less)

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Dec 08, 2008 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amy Tan immerses me in mother-daughter relationships and all the behavior that is leftover from a mother's unknown past world. She brings this to bear on Ruth's, the daughter, current relationships and way in the world. Ruth is a ghost writer. I love the list of the books she helped to write:

"The Cult of personal Freedom. The Cult of Compassion. The Cult of Envy.

The Biology of Sexual Attraction. The Physics of Human Nature. The Geography of the Soul.

The Yin and Yang of Being Single. The Yin and...more

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Jul 24, 2008 Dalene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved that I started reading this--with its interesting metaphor of fire and water coming together to make steam--while on vacation to West Yellowstone, in particular on the day we visited the geysers.

Amy Tan's mother-daughter conflicts speak to me in ways that don't need explaining. This episode did not disappoint. My only regret (is it experience or simply jealousy?) is that everything wrapped up so happily at the end in such a perfectly tied bow. I'm not so good at tying bows and not so hop...more

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Jan 28, 2009 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another wonderful book by Amy Tan. This book tells the story about 3 generations of women: Ruth, her mother Luling, and Luling's mother "Precious Auntie." All three generations had difficulties understanding each other due to secrets, personalities, misunderstandings, guilt, superstitions, etc...

Ruth's day is separated by carefully planned tasks and obligations with little time for enjoyment or sponetaity. One of those obligations is dealing with her diffuclt mother, Luling. But Ruth realizes h...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Linda Scherr rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I reread this book in anticipation of our upcoming trip to China. I did learn about oracle bones and Peking Man, but mostly this book was the story of three women – Precious Auntie the grandmother who was maimed by a fire on the same day her brand new husband was killed by a horse. Precious Auntie was pregnant with LuLing who was raised by Precious Auntie who pretended to be a nursemaid and LuLing didn’t find out until she was an adult herself who her real mother was. LuLing loved Precious Aunti...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Margitte rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-novels

A great read! The mother-daughter relationships spanning over three generations was done so authentically it is hard to believe that Amy Tan was not there herself in each generation living those lives in all the different scenes/eras of the book.

"Things I must not forget" - is the first line of some Chinese writings that her mother handed to her and which she managed to translate. Luling's, the mother, early stages of Alzheimers forces Ruth (or Lootie as her mother pronounced her name) to finall...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 23, 2012 Lilian Garcia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An extraordinary tale of three generations of Chinese women and how their life stories fuse. Ruth, first generation Chinese-American, learns of her mother's (LuLing) and grandmother's (Precious Auntie) past through a written memoir authored by her mother. The memoir is LuLing's attempt to capture what she knows to be true from a childhood of secrets and superstitions handed down by Precious Auntie. Tan uses the onset of Alzheimer's and the ghost of Precious Auntie as the vehicles through which L...more

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May 07, 2012 Carl Brush rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I sort of skipped The Bonesetter’s Daughter when it came out a few years ago despite the fact that I’ve met Tan and her husband and hiked a Sierra trail with them and their two Yorkies (I wasn't alone with them, of course. There were a number of others along, it being a writers’ workshop event.) You might think these would be inducements to run out and get everything that fell from her pen. However, she had this kids’ TV series about cats, and The Joy Luck Club (movie and book) didn’t enthrall...more I sort of skipped The Bonesetter’s Daughter when it came out a few years ago despite the fact that I’ve met Tan and her husband and hiked a Sierra trail with them and their two Yorkies (I wasn't alone with them, of course. There were a number of others along, it being a writers’ workshop event.) You might think these would be inducements to run out and get everything that fell from her pen. However, she had this kids’ TV series about cats, and The Joy Luck Club (movie and book) didn’t enthrall me, and on the trail she made infantile jokes with her dogs (They know how to talk. What goes on top of a house. woof. See?) So I left Bonesetter alone. Then came the word that the San Francisco Opera has commissioned Stewart Wallace (Harvey Milk) to compose an opera based on the book, with libretto by Ms. Tan herself. I’m certainly not going to miss that, and I suddenly didn’t want to miss the book either.
After the first hundred pages or so, I wondered where in the world an opera was going to come from. It’s mostly a routine household drama about a couple of mid-forties live-togethers named Ruth and Art. He has two teen-age daughters whose custody alternates between their divorced parents. She has a difficult aging mother who is sliding into dementia.
To my mind Tan takes far too long in the telling of this rather ordinary setup. However, don’t stop reading because the rewards for continuing are rich indeed. In the process of combing through her mother’s belongings, Ruth uncovers a manuscript in Chinese, in her mother’s hand. She has it translated, and in this book-within-the-book is a reading treasure that has the makings of quite a grand opera.
The mother’s autobiographical tale is a story that begins in a small village in pre-WWII northern China, goes from there to Peking, to Shanghai, to Hong Kong, and on to San Francisco. The story is filled with elements of lust, avarice, betrayal, self-mutilation, revenge, suicide, love, devotion, perseverance and just about every other element of human vice and virtue imaginable. Even though you know most of how it turns out, it’s filled with suspense, and some of the scenes will tear at your heart.
The return to the framing drama in San Francisco, is inevitably anti-climatic, but the web of mother-daughter relationships, the complex mixes of love and rejection and fear of love and rejection take on such dimension and meaning once we’ve experienced that inside story that even the limited dynamics of the Ruth-Art fable transcend their TV level mundanity.
Not a perfect book, but a very worthwhile one, and definitely worthy of an opera. I can’t wait.(less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Maggie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As with most authors that establish a distinct voice, Tan's books get a bit formulaic. I liked/connect with other books of hers much more, probably because the protagonist in this book is such a pussy I didn't root much for her.

As always with Tan's writing, it was a good/easy read and compelling story and characters. But the mom is such an inconsistent character - I couldn't figure out where along the way her mom turned from a strong, vivacious woman to a crazy, mean shrew. While she was suppose...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read "The Joy Luck Club" when it was popular 5 or 6 years ago. It was good, but didn't cause me to deliberately seek out Tan's other books. A year or so ago, my oldest daughter left a copy of "The Bonesetter's Daughter" on our coffee table. The few times she's been at home since then, she always asked if I'd read it yet. Well, I finally did. To my amazement, I was completely sucked in to the portion of the story involving the grandmother and mother when they lived in "old" China, pre-WWII, mor...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fic-historical, fic-literary

***1/2

Not the sort of novel I'd normally pick up, but I got a cheap copy at a yard sale, and -- surprise -- I enjoyed it. Tan's portrait of a challenging relationship between a daughter and a stubborn mother in the early stages of dementia is authentic and touchingly written. My willful Irish-American grandmother had Alzheimer's, and these scenes struck familiar chords. The story becomes even more involving when it travels back into the colorful past, through the mother's writings, to her life a...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

I sincerely loved this book. Part I is about Ruth, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant name Liu Ling. Her mother is elderly and has been difficult her entire life. I found this part to be the least interesting. At the time the stories felt random and a little overly drawn out. However, in the grand scheme of the book it fit and made me understand and care about the characters more deeply. Part II was more fast paced and covered Liu Ling's life in China and how she came to the United States. I fo...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Sandie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I pondered my review for about 24 hours. I didn't know how I felt about this book...my fluctuation was between not enjoying it and it was ok. I have decided that the book was ok. I enjoyed some of the history of the Chinese Americans involved in this story, but the lack of depth of characters, lack of story detail, lack of background, and just an all-round 'heavy' read. I kept waiting for the story to get more interesting...to bring me into this world and become invested in the characters or the...more I pondered my review for about 24 hours. I didn't know how I felt about this book...my fluctuation was between not enjoying it and it was ok. I have decided that the book was ok. I enjoyed some of the history of the Chinese Americans involved in this story, but the lack of depth of characters, lack of story detail, lack of background, and just an all-round 'heavy' read. I kept waiting for the story to get more interesting...to bring me into this world and become invested in the characters or the outcome. Instead...I just kept waiting for the end. I had heard so many good things about Amy Tan and unfortunately this is my first experience with her books...it will be a while before I can open one of her books again...and then only after some serious recommendations from friends.

I wouldn't make this book one of my summer reads...so tread lightly!!
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"In its rich character portrayals and sensitivity to the nuances of mother-daughter relationships, Tan's new novel is the real successor to, and equal of, The Joy Luck Club. This luminous and gripping book demonstrates enhanced tenderness and wisdom, however; it carries the texture of real life and reflects the paradoxes historical events can produce. Ruth Young is a 40-ish ghostwriter in San Francisco who periodically goes mute, a metaphorical indication of her inability to express her true feelings to the man she lives with, Art Kamen, a divorced father of two teenage daughters. Ruth's inability to talk is subtly echoed in the story of her mother LuLing's early life in China, which forms the long middle section of the novel. Overbearing, accusatory, darkly pessimistic, LuLing has always been a burden to Ruth.

Now, at 77, she has Alzheimer's, but luckily she had recorded in a diary the extraordinary events of her childhood and youth in a small village in China during the years that included the discovery nearby of the bones of Peking Man, the Japanese invasion, the birth of the Republic and the rise of Communism. LuLing was raised by a nursemaid called Precious Auntie, the daughter of a famous bonesetter. Once beautiful, Precious Auntie's face was burned in a suicide attempt, her mouth sealed with scar tissue. When LuLing eventually learns the secrets of Precious Auntie's tragic life, she is engulfed by shame and guilt. These emotions are echoed by Ruth when she reads her own mother's revelations, and she finally understands why LuLing thought herself cursed.

Tan conjures both settings with resonant detail, juxtaposing scenes of rural domestic life in a China still ruled by superstition and filial obedience, and of upscale California half a century later. The novel exhibits a poignant clarity as it investigates the dilemma of adult children who must become caretakers of their elderly parents, a situation Tan articulates with integrity and exemplary empathy for both generations. Agent, Sandy Dijkstra. (Feb. 19) Forecast: With a readership already clamoring for the book, and Tan embarking on a 22-city tour, this novel will be a sure hit; its terrific sepia-tinted cover photo of a woman in old China only adds to its allure. Moreover, readers will be intrigued by Tan's hint that this story about family secrets is semi-autobiographical. The dedication reads: "On the last day my mother spent on earth, I learned her real name, as well as that of my grandmother." - Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc."(less)

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May 20, 2011 Cyndy Aleo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: women-s-fiction

A long-time fan of Amy Tan's writing, I was recently going through some of my books to determine which could be released in my BookCrossing.com releases when I can upon The Bonesetter's Daughter. I immediately sat down to reread it in order to determine whether it might be a helpful read for my mother, whose relationship with her own mother has several parallels with this book.

::: The Plot :::

For those unfamiliar with Amy Tan's writing, her books usually center on family relationships between a...more A long-time fan of Amy Tan's writing, I was recently going through some of my books to determine which could be released in my BookCrossing.com releases when I can upon The Bonesetter's Daughter. I immediately sat down to reread it in order to determine whether it might be a helpful read for my mother, whose relationship with her own mother has several parallels with this book.

::: The Plot :::

For those unfamiliar with Amy Tan's writing, her books usually center on family relationships between a Chinese-American daughter (or daughters) and her immigrant Chinese mother. In The Bonesetter's Daughter, our narrator is Ruth, who has been raised by her superstitious and often depressed mother LuLing. Ruth's father died when she was a toddler, and the two have a complex relationship that is changed irrevocably when Ruth's mother is diagnosed with dementia.

Ruth has a complicated life of her own even before her mother's diagnosis. She lives with a man who has never asked her to marry him, and he shares custody of his two adolescent daughter. After a very confusing visit with LuLing to the doctor, Ruth finds a translator for the pages of writing that her mother gave her months before, and so discovers the truths of her mother's life, a story Ruth hadn't ever known.

While Ruth learns about herself and her mother through LuLing's story as well as her disease, she also works through her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, as well as her mother's history with LuLing's sister.

::: Universal Truths :::

I actually read The Bonesetter's Daughter quite some time ago. Little did I know at the time that my mother's own mother would begin to show the same signs as LuLing, and my mother's relationship with her mother has many complications, much as Ruth's with LuLing had.

Even without that parallel, The Bonesetter's Daughter is a story of mothers and daughters across two generations, and the themes are universal: the struggle of an adolescent daughter to separate herself from her mother, and the struggle of an adult daughter to reconcile herself with her mother as a separate person, while also resolving the adolescent relationship that many mothers and daughters seem to continue.

At times, the reader feels almost bludgeoned with the idea that you have to resolve your relationship with your mother before it is too late, both in Ruth's relationship with LuLing only being worked on once she realizes her mother is in the throes of dementia, and in LuLing's relationship with her own mother left forever unresolved after her death.

However, Tan's ability to take her own relationship with her mother (who died of Alzheimer's) and put it into the pages of this story give the characters a reality that is felt by the reader, and prevents the story from becoming the fable that it could have become.

::: Overall :::

Any fan of Amy Tan's writing will enjoy The Bonesetter's Daughter, but I also think that any daughter, or any mother, will find bits and pieces of her own life in this book.(less)

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Apr 05, 2011 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, china, united-states, contemporary

I enjoyed The Bonesetter's Daughter so much that I read the entire novel in one day, which is saying something for a 350-page book.

The book is divided into three sections: first, we meet a Chinese-American woman, Ruth, who has a difficult relationship with her elderly Chinese mother, LuLing. We read about their current struggles and get extensive flashbacks from their often dramatic past. The heart of the novel comes in the next section--LuLing's memoir about her young life in China--and the fi...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Joan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I like Amy Tan and I liked this book. On occasion I found it confusing, mostly because it took me a while to get the point of view changes. As usual, Tan deals with a mother/daughter relationship. I think here she writes close to home. For a time I though the protagonist was Ruth, daughter of LuLing Liu Young. Ruth is virgually paralyzed in her relationships because of her relationship with her mother, forgetful, whining, difficult, claiming she will kill herself. Interestingly, Ruth's part of t...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Katje rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Just finished Amy Tan's "The Bonesetter's Daughter." I enjoyed the book for the most part... it felt like her other stories did, a glimpse into a culture radically different from my own, yet wrestling with some similar issues I've grappled with in my own life.

The last few pages, though... just drove me insane. This gal is dealing with her elderly Alzheimer-stricken mother with a $750/mo. Social Security income, her insecure boyfriend and his two whiny teenage daughters, losing her confidence in...more Just finished Amy Tan's "The Bonesetter's Daughter." I enjoyed the book for the most part... it felt like her other stories did, a glimpse into a culture radically different from my own, yet wrestling with some similar issues I've grappled with in my own life.

The last few pages, though... just drove me insane. This gal is dealing with her elderly Alzheimer-stricken mother with a $750/mo. Social Security income, her insecure boyfriend and his two whiny teenage daughters, losing her confidence in her career. Then, in the last few pages, magically out of thin air, a huge trust fund appears so the elderly mother can afford the nicest assisted living facility available, a professor instantly decides the elderly mother (the one with dementia) is ideal girlfriend material, the insecure boyfriend becomes Mr. Rock overnight (and his daughters start being wonderful), her career evaporates into thin air as she becomes a novelist, and magically the old mother (who has been wandering the streets in her nightgown, remember) remembers a name she couldn't think of for decades... and the name is backed up by 100-year-old glass photographer plates that somehow survived both WWII and the Chinese cultural revolution.

Oh... and eight years into her Alzheimer's, the old mom rings up her daughter and apologizes for what she did to her as a little girl (she can't remember WHAT she did, only that she's supposed to apologize)... the one single thing so many women of my generation long for from their mothers (and in my experience, never ever receive), an acknowledgment of inflicted pain and a request for forgiveness.

The absolutely impossible events laid out here just totally destroyed the rest of the entire book for me. The reality for families dealing with dementia is poverty, hurt feelings, loneliness, stress, and (possibly worst of all) unfinished business... the kind that will never, ever be resolved because the people they once knew have dissolved underneath the plaque of the destroyed brains.

I felt insulted by the resolution of this book. I can tell it was meant to be heart-warming, satisfying, and hopeful to others in similar positions, but it would be cruel false hope built of wishful thinking and thin air.

I think I'm done with Amy Tan.(less)

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Jul 13, 2010 Rachel Crooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finally decided to look for The Joy Luck Club at the library – and found The Bonesetter’s Daughter instead. In a way, this book was a similar experience to it – I went into it expecting to find one thing and found another.

What I think is expert on Amy Tan’s part is the way she unveils her characters over the course of the book: to begin with, LuLing is the silly, pushy, morose, slightly embarrassing Alzheimer’s-suffering mother of Ruth. Her identity, for being what I thought a stereotypical ve...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Mimi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I am familiar with Amy Tan’s work after seeing and enjoying the movie adaptation of The Joy Luck Club, this is the first time I actually read one of her novels, and it was one of the best I read all year, right up there with The Red Tent, The Ghost of Hannah Mendes, and The Color of Water (not to mention some other 5-star specials!).

As Ruth is forced to cope with her mother LuLing’s increasing onslaught of Alzheimer’s disease, she finds herself learning more about her mother’s past than...more Although I am familiar with Amy Tan’s work after seeing and enjoying the movie adaptation of The Joy Luck Club, this is the first time I actually read one of her novels, and it was one of the best I read all year, right up there with The Red Tent, The Ghost of Hannah Mendes, and The Color of Water (not to mention some other 5-star specials!).

As Ruth is forced to cope with her mother LuLing’s increasing onslaught of Alzheimer’s disease, she finds herself learning more about her mother’s past than she ever imagined. In anticipation of the oncoming dementia, LuLing wrote her memoirs in Chinese for Ruth to translate. These memoirs told the truth of LuLing’s youth, when she was raised by the nursemaid that she called “Precious Auntie”. It turns out that Precious Auntie was really her mother, something LuLing didn’t know until it was to late – not until Precious Auntie committed suicide to prevent LuLing from marrying into the family of the man who had murdered LuLing’s father and grandfather. It also told of how LuLing was raised after the suicide, how she eventually came to America, and how the ghost of Precious Auntie haunted her throughout her life. Reading these memoirs imbued Ruth with an understanding of her own upbringing and it helped her to come to grips with her own relationships and desires.

A little about Ruth: She was a ghostwriter who had been living with her boyfriend Art (and two daughters from another marriage) for years and couldn’t seem to admit to herself how dissatisfied she was with her life. It wasn’t until she was forced to cope with her mother’s illness by moving out of Art’s apartment and in with her mother that she began to question her relationship with Art; whether or not Art was really in tune with her needs. It was this very separation that brought the two of them closer together. Art admitted that he may have been self-centered but he also made Ruth realize that she had not been forward enough about her needs. This reminded me of one of the scenarios in The Joy Luck Club when one of the daughters was married to a Caucasian man (I believe it was Andrew McCarthy). As the years went by, she never thought for herself when it came to their relationship. Always trying to please him, she couldn’t find her own voice. Although she was trying to please him, he ended up getting bored and had an affair. When she finally stood up to him and said she wanted to keep the house…well, that was the beginning of their reconciliation. It turned out that he initially fell in love with her because of her independent mind and that’s what he truly wanted from her! Anyway, the similarities here make me wonder whether Amy Tan has had personal experiences with this type of relationship!

Ruth also found her own writing voice with the help of her grandmother’s spirit:

“Think about your intentions,” Bao Bomu says. “What is in your heart, what you want to put in others.” And side by side, Ruth and her grandmother begin. Words flow. They have become the same person, six years old, sixteen, forty-six, eighty-two. They write about what happened, why it happened, why they can make other things happen. They write stories of things that are but should not have been. They write about what could have been, what still might be. They write of a past that can be changed. After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember? They can choose not to hide it, to take what’s broken, to feel the pain and know it will heal. They know where happiness lies, not in a cave or a country, but in love or the freedom to give and take what has been there all along. …Ruth remembers this as she writes a story. It is for her grandmother, for herself, for the little girl who became her mother.” (pp. 352-353)

Amy Tan is an expert at portraying the complex relationship between mother and daughter from generation to generation. She also describes Chinese culture and traditions in a way that we rarely read about in literature. Her writing is so compelling that I read her children’s story, The Chinese Siamese Cat, to Elayna last night and I find it equally compelling. (The PBS show Sagwa is based on the latter story. Amy Tan has the ability to convey Chinese culture and traditions to every generation and I hope to read more of her work!
(less)

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About Amy Tan

Amy Tan (Chinese: 譚恩美; pinyin: Tán Ēnměi; born February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships and what it means to grow up as a first generation Asian American. In 1993, Tan's adaptation of her most popular fiction work, The Joy Luck Club, became a commercially successful film.

She has written several other books, including The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hun...more

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The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life

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