Rating: 
Summary: Her best book (yet)!
Review: Amazing! I rarely reread books, but this one is the exception that proves the rule....
Rating:
Summary: Sly reincarnation story
Review: First of all, Amy Tan's writing style is wonderful. Her characterizations are spot-on, and her dialog is very believable.
This time we have an unusual mystical story involving half-Chinese Olivia and her fully-Chinese older half-sister Kwan. Kwan arrives from China after their father dies, and assumes the role of Olivia's mother because her real mother is neglectful and preoccupied. Kwan is the one who tends to Olivia's scraped knees and who fusses over her as she's growing up.
Olivia thinks Kwan is crazy and irritating, embarrassing and over-bearing with her affection. She makes every effort to give Kwan only the least amount of time and attention she can get away with, and still Kwan gets effusive and grateful over the slightest crumb Olivia deigns to throw her way.
Kwan sees "ghosts". From the time she comes to live with Olivia, she's told her stories describing the dead who come and speak to her, telling Olivia what they have to say and what kinds of observations they have about the living.
Kwan also tells stories about her last lifetime. She was born into the same small Chinese village twice, she tells Olivia, and her stories of "home" are frequently stories of the events she experienced and people she knew in 1864. She describes a small band of European missionaries who came to China to convert the heathens, and in particular her good and loyal friend, "Miss Banner", an English lady who learned Chinese from Kwan (in that life) and translated for the missionaries.
Olivia thinks Kwan is nuts, and recoils.
At the same time, Olivia has just separated from her husband Simon, and resents Kwan's intrusive attempts to get the two of them back together.
Two stories work together simultaneously. One involves the present day with Kwan and her ghosts and Oliva and her estranged husband. The other is the story of the 19th century European missionaries. Both stories come together when Olivia, Simon and Kwan take a trip to China and visit the village where Kwan lived twice.
The reincarnation aspect of the story is presented as fantasy, with Olivia being far too practical to place any weight on Kwan's delusions. However, when they get to China, Kwan produces proof of the other lifetime and shakes Olivia into realizing she's always known the stories were true, and that she was there as well.
In The Hundred Secret Senses, you have a story of endless love and loyalty, wonderfully told.
Rating:
Summary: Ya, I liked it
Review: Hey, forget about a literary masterpiece. Forget about being believable for every minute. Forget about deep characters and motivations. Just sit back, open this book, read, and enjoy a funny, poignent, compelling story.
I don't need to summarize the plot again - it's all here on Amazon. Basically, it's a family saga spanning generations, with several twists that are different and refreshing. There's even some contemporary relationship angst thrown in for good measure. Very entertaining - and isn't that what a book is supposed to do?
I rarely give a book 5 stars. I'm a tough critic. This book is flawed, but at least when I finished it, I didn't feel like I had wasted my time. I also continued to think about the characters and parts of the book for days afterward. I definitely think it's worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Something Chinese Americans should be proud of
Review: I can't say how good I feel inside when I read Amy Tan's books. As a Chinese immigrant, I have always felt extremely proud when I read something I can relate to. The old lores and stories that Kwan told in this book, made me cry, not simply because I miss home, but because Amy Tan told them with a sense of pride. I shall look up to Amy Tan, all Chinese Americans should.
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting!
Review: I have no experience with Chinese or Chinese-American culture except what I have gotten from reading Amy Tan. It must be difficult for her to bear the burden of educating all us WASP females. I found this book to be very interesting and enjoyable although I'm sure I didn't fully grasp all of the nuances. Having already read Tan's autobiography helped. I can see so many of her experiences now in all of her novels. I couldn't put myself into this plot or these characters since Tan's spirit world is so utterly unbelievable to me, but the relationships between the family members are such that any reader can relate.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as "The Kitchen God's Wife," but worth reading
Review: If you've enjoyed any of Amy Tan's previous books, then you shouldn't be disappointed. In "The Hundred Secret Senses," you'll find Tan's consistently running themes of mother-daughter relationships, the American vs. the Chinese perspective, and parallel storylines. In this case, the story focuses on the relationship between Olivia and her older sister Kwan, who acts as Olivia's surrogate mother. All her life, Olivia wanted her mother to pay more attention to her. One day, young Olivia discovers that she has a half sister in China, whom the family has decided to adopt. When Kwan joins the family in America, Olivia's mother gladly hands all mothering duties to Kwan, and Olivia's hopes of gaining her mother's affections are dashed. She is immediately resentful of her big sister, and this attitude continues on into adulthood. However, despite Olivia's often ungrateful attitude, Kwan showers Olivia with unconditional love. Kwan is a unique character to say the least. She claims to be able to see ghosts, and she can remember her past lives. This is where the secondary storyline comes in. Kwan tells the story of her past life, a century ago, when she was a poor girl from the mountains of China who befriended a young American woman named Ms. Banner. As we learn more about Kwan's life with Ms. Banner, we learn about the present day conflicts of Olivia and her troubled marriage. The two storylines weave together to work toward a big reveal, similar to "The Kitchen God's Wife." However, in this case, the reveal is really not that surprising since the book foreshadows it so much. Also, The first third part of the book is a frustratingly slow read because Kwan's "past life" chapters introduce information and characters in no particular order. My advice: reread the first couple of chapters of Kwan's story until you know the characters and their roles. Olivia's chapters will read quickly. My third criticism is that the protagonist, Olivia, is not very likable. This is probably mostly owing to her mistreatment of Kwan, who is absolutely lovable. Despite these criticisms, the book still moved me to tears. Amy Tan has a wonderful narrative style, and Kwan is one of the most endearing characters I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Magical and Funny
Review: Olivia is a girl, that many who loved and felt less appeciated or unworthy, will understand. Her sister's love is touching and her behavior and innocence give this book plenty of high voiced laughter.
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Summary: Traveling Between Two Worlds
Review: Once again, Amy Tan has managed to blow my mind. I have read "The Bonesetter's Daughter" and was deeply impressed by how well Tan can weave a multi-dimentional story..."The Hundred Secret Senses" is no different.
The main character is Olivia. She is likeable but extremely self-absorbed. Her half sister Kwan is more than just an annoyance in Olivia's life, but is the one who ultimately shows her what life is about; what's truly important.
The book deals with reincarnation and zigzags between the past life that Kwan recalls in China and her present one in the U.S. This may sound hokey to some who have not read the book but it is done in a wonderful way that makes you want to suspend disbelief as a reader and wonder "what if?"
The text is wonderfully fast moving and the dialect she uses for Kwan is absolutely amusing and touching at the same time (her poor English is absolutely adorable and you can almost hear her talking when you read the book.)
All in all, it is a coming of age story for a very late bloomer (Olivia), who up until now, has forgotten to turn around and notice the rest of the world.
If you've never read Amy Tan, you don't know what you are missing. Her ability to tell a complex story with ease is unparalleled.
Rating:
Summary: the hundred secret senses:worth a hundred compliments
Review: the hundred secret senses talks about Olivia's being accompanied by her sister Kwan from China together with her stories of ghosts and old chinese tales throughout her childhood.Even Olivia's marriage came under the influence of Kwan's ghosts and Chinese tales. From America to China,Kwan has been with Olivia,being a nice sister and guide to her but something happened in China that Olivia will never forget and will forever thank Kwan for doing...it is something to find out using Olivia's hundred secret senses
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: This book was written amazingly well- almost like poetry... AND it had an excellent story. I just finished it and I can't find a book I like as much.
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