Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read - Especially Beneficial for Writers
Review: Reading writer's memoirs is sort of a sub-hobby of mine, a very intentional form of reading so that I can learn about how other writers experience life.
"The Opposite of Fate" by Amy Tan is among the most satisfying, enjoyable and information rich memoirs I have read thus far. Her sense of humor and joy for life shines through each of the stories which are presented as the whole of her writing life.
I have never read any of her fiction, yet now I am so compelled by her words that I know there is much more to her than "Sagwa" the PBS Children's Show based on the character she created (also the name of a cat in her life.)
Each essay could easily be read on its own, although I found myself breezing through the book from cover-to-cover in less than a week even with a heavy reading schedule. They were ALL intriguing - from reading of her youth to reading of her challenges with her health later in life to reading about her surprising syncronicities and muses - to being a "Cliff Notes" subject....
This book would be great reading for anyone who enjoys humorous self reflection though it would be especially great for any fledgling writers out there.
Tan shares one question she asks regularly, "What happened?" and I have found it to be a great scene mover, especially in the script I am writing.
Rating:
Summary: Love non-fiction essays
Review: Thanks to amazon, I got this book the day before Christmas and read it the entire long weekend. I am a dragon (same year), also, so I identified with a lot of what Amy wrote! Each essay is different. I did not have my glasses on to examine closely the "inferior decorating" chapter's photo, but if it is Amy's humor, I do believe that that is she and her husband! One of the best essays concerns Cliff's Notes. I always got Cs or less on my interpretations of books. [I figure it this way, if one reads something, it is a personal experience. I suppose that is why either the Greeks or Romans were leary of the written word.] Pupils who got As had plagiarized parts of Cliff's Notes which the teachers did not notice as they read Cliff's Notes from which to get a quickie lesson plan! I did not realize this until many years later when I worked at a book store and finally read a Cliff Notes booklet on a slow day. I have read one or two of Amy Tan's fiction books, given to me by my friend who is American, was raised in Morocco and lives in France. I am not a fiction fan, but did read them upon recommendation of my friend = fantastic! When I saw Amy Tan + non-fiction, I was ecstatic! This book is very good for fans of non-fiction. I am not sure the "fictionites" would be delirious. p.s. Buy it anyway and try it!
Rating: 
Summary: Being Amy Tan
Review: This book strives to show the reader the inner workings of a beloved writer who has turned her life's problems, joys, and insights in the creative works of fiction. Though her books often seem nonfiction in many respects, she continually assures the reader that they are indeed fiction, even if the only true fiction elements are invented aunts and uncles.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly and would recommend it to anyone who likes Tan's novels. She has a self-deprecating humor in this work, which carries the reader through; she is as humble as the average reader--believing she is neither great, nor a fraud.
The stories of her life before her first novel are the most engaging, but I believe she is trying to teach readers something more than how to overcome trials and tribulations. She is attempting to show that we all grow continually and make choices that steer us where we wish to go.
Rating:
Summary: The Opposite of Fate
Review: This is Amy Tan at her best... Her own life is much more interesting than her fiction!
I enjoyed hearing her own point of view as she described the motivation for writing her various novels. Each one is based on a real experience in her life. Her family, especially her relationship to her mother, is simply fascinating and the way she crafts her words is so poetic. I am now inspired to read all of her other fictional books!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have read
Review: This is one of the best books I have read. Amy Tan gives an open look into her world and thoughts. She gives a interesting view of her life. I especially enjoy her talking about fate vs. faith and also her stories about ghosts. While this is not a biography per se, it gives a more intimate view of her life than most biographies I have read. If you enjoy reading about people, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Your Life May Depend on It
Review: This nonfiction book is an interesting collection of essays and musings about Amy Tan, written by Amy Tan, the author of four best selling novels. Organized into seven sections beginning with "Fate and Faith" and concluding with "Hope," the collection is in roughly chronological order. To enjoy the thread of this work, the reader should note those section titles and keep them in mind while reading. I am not a fan of Amy Tan's fiction. "The Bonesetter's Daughter" could not sustain my interest and I have an uncertain memory of giving up on "The Joy Luck Club" as well. Although both books peaked at number four on the USA Today's bestseller list, I've yet to develop a taste for their themes. I began reading "The Opposite of Fate" with a tinge of obligation because it was a gift from a good friend, and continued reading with dedicated interest to the end. Being an aspiring novelist, I was in part curious about the trials and tribulations of an accomplished writer of fiction, and this book has a wealth of singular anecdotes and insights. But there is much more, principally Amy Tan's tenacious sprightliness in spite of tragedies, deaths and diseases, bad luck and ill fate, always clinging to the opposite of fate. There are lessons in the Chinese-American philosophical, the multiple perspectives of truth, the management of memories and the indestructibility of mother-daughter love. In the chapter "Angst and the Second Book," Amy Tan discusses her determination to overcome the axiom that the second book is doomed no matter what the author does, but she does not mention how well her second novel did. In fact, of her four novels, her second, "The Kitchen God's Wife," faired the poorest, peaking at the 94th position in USA Today's bestseller list, and stayed on the chart for only five weeks. Interestingly though, her first book, "The Joy Luck Club," and the second novel entered USA Today's list on the same date, October 28, 1993. Regardless of your interests, the final chapter of this book describing the advent and of a prolonged illness and its eventual diagnosis is essential reading. Your life could depend on it.
Rating:
Summary: Your Life May Depend on It
Review: This nonfiction book is an interesting collection of essays and musings about Amy Tan, written by Amy Tan, the author of four best selling novels. Organized into seven sections beginning with "Fate and Faith" and concluding with "Hope," the collection is in roughly chronological order. To enjoy the thread of this work, the reader should note those section titles and keep them in mind while reading. I am not a fan of Amy Tan's fiction. "The Bonesetter's Daughter" could not sustain my interest and I have an uncertain memory of giving up on "The Joy Luck Club" as well. Although both books peaked at number four on the USA Today's bestseller list, I've yet to develop a taste for their themes. I began reading "The Opposite of Fate" with a tinge of obligation because it was a gift from a good friend, and continued reading with dedicated interest to the end. Being an aspiring novelist, I was in part curious about the trials and tribulations of an accomplished writer of fiction, and this book has a wealth of singular anecdotes and insights. But there is much more, principally Amy Tan's tenacious sprightliness in spite of tragedies, deaths and diseases, bad luck and ill fate, always clinging to the opposite of fate. There are lessons in the Chinese-American philosophical, the multiple perspectives of truth, the management of memories and the indestructibility of mother-daughter love. In the chapter "Angst and the Second Book," Amy Tan discusses her determination to overcome the axiom that the second book is doomed no matter what the author does, but she does not mention how well her second novel did. In fact, of her four novels, her second, "The Kitchen God's Wife," faired the poorest, peaking at the 94th position in USA Today's bestseller list, and stayed on the chart for only five weeks. Interestingly though, her first book, "The Joy Luck Club," and the second novel entered USA Today's list on the same date, October 28, 1993. Regardless of your interests, the final chapter of this book describing the advent and of a prolonged illness and its eventual diagnosis is essential reading. Your life could depend on it.
Rating:
Summary: AN ALL AMERICAN CHINESE GIRL
Review: What an interesting book this is. I would call this a memoir, yet musings is appropriate as this is about bits and pieces of the author's life in no particular order. She is American through and through, yet her parents were from China and she has many relatives there. Amy has an academic background, yet is down to earth with language for the common man and a sense of humor that is refreshing. Her mother is a major influence in her life and stories about her are very, very different from the "typical" American mother; you will enjoy! Amy talks about the process of creating stories and, like other authors, she has no idea where all the gist for her mill comes from. Do not pass over the last section in the book titled Hope, nor the last chapter titled, "The Opposite of Fate." Life changing coincidences has happened many times in her life and you should read about them. This is an exceptional tome.
Rating:
Summary: INTRIGUING AND HIGHLY LISTENABLE
Review: With lilting voice and understanding heart noted author Amy Tan reads her first work of non-fiction. Listening to her is very much like having a private audience with someone we have come to admire and respect. As one who was born into a family that believed in fate Ms. Tan now both challenges and accepts that destiny. She expounds on the meanings of our choices in life, the effects of accidents and the choices we make.
As she reflects upon life in both this world and the next listeners will find themselves reexamining their own lives - perhaps making new choices or changing paths. There is much food for thought in this series of candid revelations from Ms. Tan. "The Opposite of Fate" is an intriguing and highly listenable audio book.
- Gail Cooke
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