The Bonesetter's Daughter in Around the Year in 52 Books

May 04, 2016 Judi rated it really liked it · 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 ...more

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Feb 08, 2024 Alison Rose rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: women-authors, 5-star-books, poc-authors, read-in-2024

I obviously don't know the characters in this novel (because, you know...fiction), but I sure feel like I do, and that's the best kind of story IMO.

Wow, this really did a number on my emotions. I absolutely love how Tan explored all of the issues in here and the care and thoughtfulness with which she approached it. I thought the structure was an excellent choice, to start out seeing LuLing through her daughter's eyes, as an elderly woman whose mind is starting to fail her, but who also might be I obviously don't know the characters in this novel (because, you know...fiction), but I sure feel like I do, and that's the best kind of story IMO.

Wow, this really did a number on my emotions. I absolutely love how Tan explored all of the issues in here and the care and thoughtfulness with which she approached it. I thought the structure was an excellent choice, to start out seeing LuLing through her daughter's eyes, as an elderly woman whose mind is starting to fail her, but who also might be sharper than others can realize, and then to jump back to LuLing's childhood to see the events and people swirling in her memories come to life on the page. And at the end, we come back to the present-day with such a better understanding of the woman herself, just as her daughter Ruth is also gaining that deeper understanding of her mother.

Dementia is a massively complicated and thorny thing, one that doctors still barely understand the causes of or how to treat it effectively. I thought Tan explored the topic very well, especially the way she showed that not everything a person suffering from dementia says which is unclear or confusing to others is necessarily wrong or made-up. LuLing struggled with new or recent memories and with comprehension and care of self, but her older memories, her life story, was still there in her mind, sometimes coming to the surface in ways that seemed nonsensical to others because they didn't know that part of her. As we get to see LuLing as a girl and everything she goes through, we start to see that her "confusion" and "errors" are something very different. But we also can easily empathize with Ruth and her fear and frustrations -- especially if you have gone through something similar with an aging relative, as I have a couple of times. Tan gives us a full picture and the chance to put ourselves in each woman's shoes, which helps the reader extend love and consideration to both.

I also had a personal affection for LuLing as an old woman, because she reminded me so much of someone I once knew. My best friend in high school, who I'm still friends with, was half-Chinese, and her grandmother lived with their family. I was over at her house all the time, they were basically a second family to me, and we spent a lot of time with her grandma, who was funny and feisty even in her old age and infirmities. And her speech patterns were exactly like LuLing's. Both women were born and raised in China, and were almost but not quiet fluent in English. My friend's grandma, Connie, spoke English precisely how LuLing did, with the same just slightly off verb forms and tense shifts and slightly out-of-order syntax. I could hear LuLing's dialogue in Connie's voice, even though she passed away about a decade ago, and that just made me happy.

I greatly appreciate how Tan handled all of the terror and upheaval and violence in LuLing's past, never glossing over anything but also not being gratuitous or using it for shock value. Bearing witness matters, even in fiction, but there is a fine line between that and exploitation, and Tan knew exactly how to walk that line and stay on the right side of it. And LuLing's determination to do what she could to remember the things she must not forget felt like it would ring very true to anyone who had lived through such turmoil.

Just an absolutely beautiful and poignant story. Loved every moment of it. ...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Trish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

Amy Tan is just awesome. Such a good book!

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Oct 20, 2008 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-club, california, family, concierge, strong-women, library, china

A very good book. Tan writes so well about the struggle between mothers and daughters to love and accept one another. She frequently deals, too, with mother's attempts to shield and protect daughter from her pains - as if hiding a dreadful past will keep the daughter safe from her own heartaches. Here, the mother's Alzheimer's adds another dimension.

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Sep 30, 2009 Tiffany rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction

I recommend that you actually get the audio book rather read by Amy Tan rather then read it. Here her voice w/the accent was so much better. The story was so beautiful!

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Nov 05, 2008 Awallens marked it as to-read

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