Lulu was appalled in learning that part of her was considered undesirable. I struggled to finish this book and when I did I realized I felt like I wasted a lot of time. --Donna Seaman. Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019. I can see why others might not have enjoyed it. I do not like spending so much time with characters I do not like or respect. Like Lulu, I would be shocked and pained if I would know that part of me was removed because it was undesirable. I wonder the choice was made to use their voices since there is so little told from their perspective. It was brilliant in places but tedious in others. Definitely not the Joy Luck Club, but even more engaging. The guest responds with “I am Chinese. An excerpt from the novel was published independently as Rules for Virgins. I am always astounded by reviewers who compare, always unfavorably, the book they have to some book that they feel should have been written. The book is quite long and at times detailed in a way that might be tedious, though personally I found that aspect enjoyable because it really allowed me to lose myself in the book. My review is here in hope that someone who browses for a good book like me and stumbles on this gem. Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement is a sweeping, evocative epic of two women's intertwined fates and their search for identity, that moves from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village. I have read every Amy Tan book and loved them all. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. A lot for your money to the book is long, which is a plus because you won't want it to end. Sold by Double Paradise and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. not the same Amy Tan, Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2017. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane: A Novel, In her first novel since 2009's Saving Fish from Drowning, Tan again explores the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, control and submission, tradition and new beginnings. Do you think her reaction is normal? As I trudged through it, I kept wondering if Ms Tan had begun it before she hit her stride as a writer. ", I have read every Amy Tan book and loved them all. They radiated emotion, made you think. I think there were points the book felt slow. I read Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club in a high school English class. Please try your request again later. Tan wraps up “The Valley of Amazement’’ in 1939 on the eve of World War II. She handles the subject with great insight and also courageously, because this novel, after all, takes place mostly during the the early 1900s, when biracial children were regarded with such deep aversion both in China and in. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2018. This is a great book if you have the patience. Violet Minturn, the daughter of a famed American courtesan mistress in Shanghi, is someone I didn't enjoy. It has, of course, the elegantly simple and lucid prose that Ms. Tan is noted for, as well as the touches of magic and the unique characters she always seems to find. Many of the reader reviews I read here fall into that category. The ending also felt unaligned with the rest of the book because it does leave off on a rather hopeful note with Violet and Magic Gourd both in stable situations which was at odds with what we saw happen to so many others in their situation through out the book. Ecco; 1st Printing edition (November 5, 2013). We think the likely answer to this clue is TAN. Ripping good yarn her husband in san Francisco and New York times 100 Notable books of 2013 ( and. And betrayal wo n't want characters whose nearest and dearest are CONSTANTLY dying or.... 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