Rating: 
Summary: Here we go again
Review: It seems that when Amy Tan wants to write a book, she pulls out her previous manuscript and then just changes the names of the characters. I really like her writing and it's really a shame that she just can't get past her own life, or whose ever life she keeps repeating over and over again. There's lots of fresh ideas and material out there, but Tan just keeps plugging away at her old and really tiresome formula. This is the last Tan book I will read, unless she truly comes up with something new. Otherwise, why waste time and money rereading something you've already read--what is it, three times over now? I think she's written three other books besides this one, but it gets confusing because they're all nearly identical.
Rating:
Summary: Shameless rehashing
Review: Amy Tan could be such a delicious storyteller but she sticks to the same theme because it has so far proved to be a commercial goldmine for her. At least, that's my guess because there is no other explanation. Still, after her three similarly-themed books, I thought and hoped that she would write something new. Especially when for five or six years we didn't see any new offer from her. But was I disappointed! It's not even worth going into the book, because it's like rereading The Kitchen God's Wife. It's as if Amy Tan convinced herself that her readers want to be fed the same old stuff again and again. Her new book is nothing but a shameless rehasing.
Rating: 
Summary: A SEAMLESS INTERWEAVING OF PAST AND PRESENT
Review: By seamlessly interweaving contemporary Asian-American life with life in long ago China, bestselling author Amy Tan reminds us of how the past affects the present. Ruth Young, a California ghostwriter, is unable to express her feelings to the man with whom she has had a ten-year relationship. When LuLing, her wearisome, dictatorial mother, becomes a victim of Alzheimer's disease, Ruth sees that without a mother's memory her own sense of identity may be lost. Fortunately, LuLing has kept a diary of events that occurred during her childhood in China - the discovery of the Peking Man's bones, invasion by the Japanese, the rise of Communism. We learn of Precious Annie, her nursemaid, who was burned so terribly that her mouth was sealed by scar tissue and she could not speak. Speechlessness, an inability to communicate has haunted three generations until the day that Ruth reads of her mother's tortured past and comes to understand her. Ms. Tan, who collected her own mother's stories, well knows the value of personal history even though at times the past is "what we choose to remember."
Rating:
Summary: Ancient Chinese Secrets
Review: An extraordinary tale of three generations of Chinese women and how their life stories fuse. Ruth, first generation Chinese-American, learns of her mother's (LuLing) and grandmother's (Precious Auntie) past through a written memoir authored by her mother. The memoir is LuLing's attempt to capture what she knows to be true from a childhood of secrets and superstitions handed down by Precious Auntie. Tan uses the onset of Alzheimer's and the ghost of Precious Auntie as the vehicles through which LuLing reconnects to the reality of her past. Ruth's relationship with her live-in lover set the stage for the discovery of how her family's past usurps the sense of happiness and belonging in her relationship. Through these characters, the reader learns the role that love, loyalty, and sacrifice play in the cultural traditions of the Chinese. The story is told through the first person perspective of each woman and third person narration is used to pull it all together. Tan's writing is authentic in tone and true to culture. You'll be hard pressed to find more beautiful writing in American contemporary fiction. The Bonesetter's Daughter is an excellent read, imparting wisdom that will reside within the reader for a lifetime.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Good Read
Review: Another good read from Amy Tan. Some parts are typical Amy Tan: Mother-daughter conflicts over old China ways and new American ways. Another Amy Tan convention; mother with permanent mental scars from old life in China of which for the first 40 years of her life, daugher is unaware. Daughter finally becomes aware of mother's full past which enables her to understand, respect and more fully love her mother and herself. Typical Amy Tan but still very interesting and engaging. Especially the final 2/3 of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it, easy, fluid story, I'm sorry it had to end
Review: I love Amy Tan's writing, and this book was no disappointment. It got some bad reviews, but I didn't care, I bought it anyway, and I don't agree with thier assesments. It is all the more poignent that Amy's mother suffered from Alzhiemers, as did the mother in this book. Don't wait for the paperback. Treat yourself.
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Summary: I loved The Bonesetter's daughter
Review: This is a wonderful new book by Amy Tan. I was intrigued just by the title. The bonesetter is a doctor who creates powders and potions using dragon bones to heal ailments. I love reading about Chinese women too. This is the reason I bought this book. Luling is a strong woman who raises her daughter Ruth by herself after outliving 2 husbands. Luling is the daughter of a mute nursemaid whose identity is unknown to Luling until after her death. I loved reading about how Luling grew up in an orphange. She finds love and a vocation in the orphange. This is probably the most touching part of the book. Ruth Young is a ghostwriter who takes on the responsibility for her mother's care after she develops Alzheimers disease while juggling her career and other demands. This is a very enjoyable book.
Rating: 
Summary: Been there, done that
Review: The Bonesetter's Daughter is the latest in a series of books on family relations of modern overseas Chinese by Amy Tan. The first 2 were almost seminal since they were the first to explore the complex family relations of a contemporary Chinese family amidst a historical background. In her latest book, we again see Amy Tan's beautiful prose and storytelling ability, but in this case the storytelling seems to have worn a bit thin. This is still yet another story on the complex relationship between a Chinese American woman and her mother. Granted she can still weave a tale, the characters in this novel except for Ruth Young's (the leading character) mother are not compassionate and do not grab us the way the lead characters in her first novels did. Ruth Young's character lacks the complexity of the previous ones which is why you don't really find yourself rooting for her. Amy Tan has more success in the story of Ruth's mother in war torn China. She is one of Tan's most interesting characters to date, oddly reminding one of one's own mother. Both exasperating and loving at the same time, you can see why Ruth is so frustrated dealing with her. The description of ink making and traditional Chinese medicine are beautiful, you can almost smell the ink and feel the atmosphere. The book should have delved deeper into the inter cultural relationship of Ruth and her lover, Paul. Instead it just swept through it and paid more heed to the typical stepmother - stepdaughter relationship which could be read in every other divorce novel. This is disappointing since Tan has a unique insight into the matter and the ability to make us understand this experience. Although, overall the book is good, this will be a disappointment for Tan's fans.
Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag overall
Review: The new Amy Tan novel. If you are looking for fresh themes and a completely different storyline that in her previous works, do NOT buy this book... at all. Don't even think about it. If you are a hard-core Amy Tan fan you will enjoy it, but even the most devoted fan will find it hard to ignore than most of what is in this book has been written by Tan before (and many times, in more eloquent and touching ways). Why the three stars? Because in spite of all, Tan's storytelling touches the heart. Some scenes are truly memorable and prove that Tan can write with a flourish when she sets out to do so (I love the scene where Ruth is by the sea... you'll know which one I'm talking about). Alas, you will have to search for these scenes among the so-so narration around it. The ending in particular seems incredibly rushed and unlikely. (Something weird for Tan... her previous three novels have polished endings that really boost the overall quality of the work, the Kitchen's God wife in particular). So... a so-so book, with some incredibly good scenes, some boring stuff in the middle, and a not-so wonderful ending. But the truth is, this book is probably the best stuff being written out there, so buy it. (Or check out The Kitchen's God Wife... now that's a book).
Rating: 
Summary: Another Saga of the Chinese Mother-Daughter
Review: If this is your first Amy Tan book, then you will probably like it. However, if you've read the others, then this is just a tedious rehash of what she has already written. American born daughter, Chinese born mother. Chinese born mother who struggled in China against horrible men, an unforgiving society, and so on. The story never changes. The American born daughter is always the same in every book, as is the comparison of the two generations. I liked her first book, the Joy Luck Club. That was fresh and original. But then she just repeated it with the Kitchen God's Wife, which was just a continuation and a rehash of the first. I only got halfway through it before it got just too repetitive. I skipped her third book because the plot sounded too familiar. This one I took out of the library, and got about halfway through before I just had to put it to rest. Same story, same characters, just different names. It would be nice if Tan could write something original, instead of this same worn out theme. Unless you're interested in re-re-re-reading the Joy Luck Club, pass this one by.
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