I have always loved her books since the first one I ever read. I was attracted to them by their titles but it turns out I found it very interesting to read the stories about life as the daughter of Chinese immigrants and also really enjoy the stories of China usually recounted from a parent's perspective.
Anyone have a favorite Amy Tan book?
Why?

I haven't read them, but they looked interesting. :<

I've read a few of her books, but the one I remember and love most is Joy Luck Club. We read it in high school and then even got to watch the movie, which I absolutely adored. She's a wonderful author and I agree - her books are so interesting!

Ah yes, I read the Joy Luck Club back in middle school and saw the movie version of it shortly after. The story's been really stuck in my head and I remember bits and pieces of it but I just remember it being really beautiful and heartfelt.

I love Amy Tan's books, though I never get time to read them.

My favorite is Hundred Secret Senses, even though I can't remember the book properly. :cry:

Amy Tan is one of my favorite authors, I especially liked The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's Daughter. I am currently reading The Kitchen God's Wife.

I like the way that she explores daughter and mother realtionships and the clashes between culture and generation. However, one thing I don't like about Amy is that she write in the American perspective, even though the facts are accurate. Amy herself is an American, and the troubles stated about the misunderstandings between mother and daughter is based on her own life. Amy's books are historically accurate, and wonderful to read, but she lacks personal experience with the culture.

Amy is an American (and I'm not being racist here), and somethings, such as culture, can't be learned just be researching facts. Amy's many details in her books are from her mother, and she doesn't fully understand them the way a Chinese person would. Therefore, all her books are written in a chinese-american way, and it's a wonder she doesn't get "american" awards for them.

Originally Posted by Simplixity

Amy is an American (and I'm not being racist here), and somethings, such as culture, can't be learned just be researching facts. Amy's many details in her books are from her mother, and she doesn't fully understand them the way a Chinese person would.

That made me think of the time she had an American born character who was going to go to China and was worried about being held there, and the Chinese born mother says they won't hold her because they will KNOW she is American, not Chinese!
I also loved the story where the mother came to America and joined a Chinese Christian church and the common language for all the Chinese there was English because their own dialects of Chinese would not be understood by other Chinese.

I love Amy Tan!

Actually, any books or stories explaining about a person's life in America coming from China grab my interest. Like Amy Tan has books about these girls who came from China and are now in America. Those books give a perspective about how Asians had hard times and make people stop thinking about themselves and realize how hard others had it.

Originally Posted by Simplixity

I like the way that she explores daughter and mother realtionships and the clashes between culture and generation.

Oh totally!!! I'm really into this because my mom has 2 daughters, and we each have 1 daughter, so mother-daughter relationships can be related to in our lives a lot, especially with the differences in culture/generation.

Originally Posted by Simplixity

However, one thing I don't like about Amy is that she write in the American perspective, even though the facts are accurate. Amy herself is an American, and the troubles stated about the misunderstandings between mother and daughter is based on her own life. Amy's books are historically accurate, and wonderful to read, but she lacks personal experience with the culture.

Amy is an American (and I'm not being racist here), and somethings, such as culture, can't be learned just be researching facts. Amy's many details in her books are from her mother, and she doesn't fully understand them the way a Chinese person would. Therefore, all her books are written in a chinese-american way, and it's a wonder she doesn't get "american" awards for them.

I'm half-Chinese, so I like that she sometimes uses a Chinese-American point of view, or characters who are bi-racial but are re-learning their heritage/culture by going back to China to visit relatives. I've only read The Joy Luck Club (the book and movie both make me cry, and I love books/movies that make me cry!) and The Hundred Secret Senses, which TOTALLY reminds me of my sister and I!! My mom has read a lot more Amy Tan books, including the Kitchen God's Wife recently, I think.

Originally Posted by Chimama

That made me think of the time she had an American born character who was going to go to China and was worried about being held there, and the Chinese born mother says they won't hold her because they will KNOW she is American, not Chinese!

My mom grew up in Malaysia, left when she was 20 for England/USA, and didn't go back again for another 25 years or so. When she did, all the locals could tell she was "American" and she swears even the mosquitos could tell too!

Originally Posted by Chimama

I also loved the story where the mother came to America and joined a Chinese Christian church and the common language for all the Chinese there was English because their own dialects of Chinese would not be understood by other Chinese.

Yeah totally, the different dialects are so different from region to region, they're almost unrecognizable to each other!!

This lady sounds like someone i need to read.

i need some 'beautiful' books on my shelves.

Originally Posted by jellysundae

This lady sounds like someone i need to read.

i need some 'beautiful' books on my shelves.

She is quite a gifted story teller, and jelly I think you would also like the fact that alot of her work is set in San Francisco. Well, when is is not telling about China

I love all of her books. I can't keep them all straight sometimes, since it's been AGES since I've actually read any of them. One thing I love about books is becoming so involved in the book that I feel like I'm a part of the story. She does this wonderfully and makes me feel as if I'm there with the characters.

"That made me think of the time she had an American born character who was going to go to China and was worried about being held there, and the Chinese born mother says they won't hold her because they will KNOW she is American, not Chinese!"

Yea, that was the part I was thinking of at the time too. Even though Amy looks Chinese, the people will automatically tell that she is an American based on the way she talks and her gestures.

Hmmr, I read the Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's wife over the summer.
She has a very unique writing style and interesting stories. XD

I read The Kitchen Gods Wife and I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed the cultural and generational interactions between mother and daughter.

^ I'm currently reading that book, for pleasure. I'm almost half way through, and I must say it's even more -sad- than the Joy Club. I think I read in Amy's autobiography that The Kitchen God's Wife was originally suppose to be based on her mother's "true story," but somewhere along the line she mixed in the non-fiction with her own imagination. I don't really feel like finishing the book now, it just gets me so depressed.

Also, has anyone read Amy's new book yet -- Saving Fish From Drowning? My English teacher had strongly recommended to me and she said that she loved it. Any other opinions?

Originally Posted by Simplixity

Also, has anyone read Amy's new book yet -- Saving Fish From Drowning? My English teacher had strongly recommended to me and she said that she loved it. Any other opinions?

I have two copies of the book XD it was accidental. It's in my pile to read (which gets longer everytime I go out shopping >.>) but if anyone wants to buy one of my copies I'll gladly sell it XD

^ Haha, I would rather go to the library and borrow it from there instead. But your offer sounds tempting. =]

But it's in your pile eh? How thick is it anyhow?

Originally Posted by Simplixity

^ Haha, I would rather go to the library and borrow it from there instead. But your offer sounds tempting. =]

But it's in your pile eh? How thick is it anyhow?

The book, or my pile :p

Hmm..how about both? =]

Originally Posted by Simplixity

Hmm..how about both? =]

The book is 474 pages long with a reader's guide in the back of it.


As for my pile, it's extremely large as I've not read about half of the books I own....and I own a lot XD It also gets shuffled depending on my mood when I finish a book.

Wow, looks to be even thicker that The kitchen God's Wife. Of course, thickness doesn't matter as long as the story itself is interesting.

I know what you mean though. My bookshelf is huge, and though I've read most of the books in it, there's some thick classics that I know I "should" read, but never taken the time to do so. =]

[.I read Joy Luck Club last summer. It was so good. I kept re-reading it. I felt that Amy Tan was talking to me. The characters are so similar to me..well the younger ones that is. The movie was also well done. Usually book-based movies are not great.]

Yea, the movie was good, though it was pretty confusing for me before I had read the book.

I didn't read many of her books but I remember this one called Joy Luck Club that I just finished recently, again. It's kind of confusing to tell who is telling the story but overall it's a great book x3