The Kitchen God's Wife

[[deleted user]]

I liked this book at least as much as the "Joy Luck Club." Which is saying a lot. More complex, lots of stuff about China, fascinating, scary, moving. You don't have to read both books to enjoy this one. But you should anyway.

[S.L.]

Are the two books related at all, other than being from the same author? I read The Kitchen God's Wife a few years back and enjoyed it (it always comes to mind when I find myself carrying daughter around), but I've never gotten around reading the Joy Luck Club.

[Kressel]

The books aren't related, and I liked The Kitchen God's Wife better, though it's much sadder.

[Roberta]

Have to say I much preferred the Joy Luck Club.

[Mia]

I LOVED The Kitchen God's Wife. I connected better with the narrators more in The Kitchen God's Wife than in The Joy Lucky Club. This is my fav of Amy Tan's book.

[Roberta]

I connected better with the characters in the Joy Luck Club, and I liked the symmetry of four mother and four daughters with all their attendant personalities and trials. This is my fav Amy Tan and one of my all time favs too.

[Erika]

I have loved every Amy Tan book I have ever read. She is one of my favorite authors. I wish should write more novels

[Rg]

The best of Amy Tan. Very poignant, and sad. I can't imagine myself struggling with that kind of life. It was unbearable and those who has perseverance and strength to face death were saved.

[Jenn]

I read Kitchen God's wife and another book by Amy Tan; I forget what it was called right now, but I liked them both. I do have Joy Luck club sitting on my bedstand waiting to be read. Tan has a great way of telling a story. highly enjoyed reading the culture of China.

[Karen]

Kressel wrote: "The books aren't related, and I liked The Kitchen God's Wife better, though it's much sadder."

Same here.

[Karen]

Jenn wrote: "I read Kitchen God's wife and another book by Amy Tan; I forget what it was called right now, but I liked them both. I do have Joy Luck club sitting on my bedstand waiting to be read. Tan has a g..."

She does have a new book coming out. I'm not sure but it might be called Valley of Amazement.

[S]

She essentiailly wrote the same book over and over again. I didn't care much for her last, Saving Fish From Drowning, but at least she was doing something different.

[Mare]

I much prefer The Kitchen God's Wife to Joy Luck Club. To me, they're not even in the same league, so I'm very glad I read this one first or I probably wouldn't have gone back to Tan for Joy Luck.

Another great thing about this book is that it sort of led me to the non-fiction Wild Swans (not by Amy Tan) which was an absolutely amazing chronicle of several generations of Chinese women and Chinese history. LOVED it.

[Nathalia]

This is one oft my favourite books of all times. Even when rereading it, it gives me the chills. There is something so simple in her writing, it does not distract from the story and it sounds like a real narrator. And the story is real, there are no unlikely moments. It made me think of my mothers and my grandmother's life, who also had these crazy experiences and then moved on. It shows human strength in the most honest way.