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What Members Thought
May 04, 2016
Judi
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
recorded-books,
historical-fiction
This book engaged me on many levels. Family history, memories (painful, joyous and everyday), the process of losing one's beloved mother to Alzheimer's and the cultural insight. Realizing the universality of human experience regardless of race or culture. This is a particularly timely read for me as in a few weeks I plan to visit my Mom's three of nine remaining siblings, in rural Wisconsin. All of them in their 90's. Respect for memories, history, culture. I am certain my Mom will be with me in
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An amazing book that spoke to me on several levels. Three stories really; the stories of three generations of women, grandmother, mother, daughter. It's also the stories of their mother-daughter relationships and the stories they don't tell and then finally tell one another. I felt connected with each of the women and enjoyed Amy Tan's wonderful use of language. Highly recommended!
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There's a lot to like in this book, but this is not the book for me.
It would be accurate if I described this as: rich, nuanced and layered storytelling describing the voicelessness of three generations of women who felt incapable of taking the things they needed or wanted. It would also be accurate to describe this as: slow, plodding, and bloated with needless details. I wanted to love this, I really did. But it didn't work for me; too many details I didn't care about. I just didn't like Ruth, ...more
It would be accurate if I described this as: rich, nuanced and layered storytelling describing the voicelessness of three generations of women who felt incapable of taking the things they needed or wanted. It would also be accurate to describe this as: slow, plodding, and bloated with needless details. I wanted to love this, I really did. But it didn't work for me; too many details I didn't care about. I just didn't like Ruth, ...more
Very interesting book about the way our heritage changes the way we view everything in our own lives. This is my first time reading Amy Tan, and I really enjoyed the way she melded traditional Chinese culture with modern life and its set of unique problems and challenges.
Mother/daughter relationship in which we uncover family secrets.
For some reason I just didn’t feel particularly invested in this story. I did like the ending pretty well, though.
Clean readers: there are a couple of characters who drop three or four f-bombs apiece (all in the first half of the book), and a few other swears, but it didn’t feel pervasive. Some sexual content and sexual assault. Maybe this is why I didn’t enjoy the book.
For some reason I just didn’t feel particularly invested in this story. I did like the ending pretty well, though.
Clean readers: there are a couple of characters who drop three or four f-bombs apiece (all in the first half of the book), and a few other swears, but it didn’t feel pervasive. Some sexual content and sexual assault. Maybe this is why I didn’t enjoy the book.
Sep 08, 2009
Hilary
marked it as to-read
Jul 21, 2011
Ann
marked it as to-read
Oct 20, 2013
Kellie
added it
Oct 19, 2014
Trish
marked it as to-read
Jun 01, 2017
HeatherLynn
added it
Nov 28, 2019
Cathy
marked it as to-read
