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Summary: same theme, different spin
Review: All of Amy Tan's books have very similar themes, and even similar plots, but she still manages to put a different spin on each of her novels. This one seems to have more of a supernatural tinge, drawing the reader in from the very beginning. This book didn't have the same historical sweep as The Kitchen Gods Wife, but stood its own all the same, drawing more from Chinese archeological aspects such as oracle bones and the Peking man (or woman). Like all of Tan's books, Bonesetter's Daughter delt with an American-Chinese daughter (Ruth) struggling to understand and connect with her mother and her own Chinese heritage. The midsection of the book is Ruth's crabby and senile mother's (Luling's) story: growing up as the bastard child of the deformed Bao Bomu in World War II era China. As the story unravels, we cdome to understand, along with Ruth, the insights into Luling's life in modern-day California that explain her seemingly odd behavior.
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Summary: Somthing that I can relate to 100 percently
Review: The Bonesetter's Daughter is an interesting read that actually set my mother and I's relationship into perspective. Being a 14 year old Chinese girl growing up in Canada with a mother who is a subduded, yet reasonable and understanding version of Luling. This book has got being a Chinese woman perfectly. I think everyt woman should read this book to put some things in perspective.
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Summary: Tan goes multi-generational
Review: This novel differs from Tan's earlier work in that she explores the relationship between LuLing (the mother) and her own mother, whom she always thought was her nursemaid until it was too late. The book starts with LuLing's 46-year-old daughter Ruth, who is worried about her mother's oncoming dementia with age. LuLing doesn't know how old she is, and misidentifies people in photographs. When Ruth discovers some memoirs that LuLing started writing when her memory first started to go, she learns more about her mother's past and that perhaps she knows the past more accurately than everyone else. Like Tan's other work, this is sorrowful but written with humor. It is a riveting read that you will finish in a matter of hours.
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Summary: Great Book!
Review: Loved this book and all of Amy Tans Books -- when's the next one?
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Summary: Thoroughly riviting read
Review: I have read all of Amy Tan's books, and won't say this is my favorite, but it's hard to classify each one as better than the other one. The Bonesetter's Daughter reads, like all of Tan's books, very much like autobiography. Although I have finished each of her books with that same feeling, this one seems to ring more true autobiographically that the rest, which may or may not be the case. I began this book on a Thursday morning, and, even with two small children, finished it by sundown. It is a thoroughly captivating and profoundly interesting read. Tan's characters are so real I expect to see them in front of me, and I find myself still thinking about the book hours after completing it. Reading Tan's works has stirred an interest in me of things Chinese, so that alone speaks volumes about her skill at grabbing the reader. I loved this book; it is like taking a voyage into China. As with her other three novels, I will read it again for the simple pleasure of the journey.
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Summary: Nothing can ever beat Joy Luck Club
Review: Now, don't get me wrong, the Bonesetter's Daughter is a good read; it just seems that Amy Tan has found a formula that she applies to ever book in the hope of regaining the accolade she received from The Joy Luck Club. The book moves from present to past, from mother to daughter in much the same way it does in every Tan novel. But, with that in mind, I found this book to be somewhat complex and the underlying theme of mother/daughter relationship was something that (I think) all women can relate to. If you are a fast reader, you should finish the book in about three days. Overall (without giving anything away) I walked away from this book feeling satisfied in the depth and length and look forward to the next Amy Tan book.
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Summary: If you can get through part One-
Review: If you can get through part one, which I found slightly boring & slow, it will be worth the time. The last two parts of the book are much more interesting & fun to read. They really grab you in & good luck putting the book down. All together, it was a great book, like I said, it's just the first part that I had a hard time getting into. This was my first Amy Tan book, I have the other 3 on my shelf, and are about to read those. I've been a fan ever since I saw the movie, The Joy Luck Club. One of the best movies ever.
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Summary: Worth the read....
Review: This is worth reading, if not just to learn more about tensions caused between mothers and daughters living in two different cultures. My mother and grandmother are American born, of the Finnish heritage, and I found remarkably many similarities in our relationships to what the women in "Bonesetter's Daughter" were experiencing. Those differences are unique to women worldwide.
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Summary: Bonesetter's Daughter
Review: Bonesetter's Daughter was recently lent to me by a good friend. It was my first Amy Tan novel, so I thought it was really going to be good--Tan is on many school booklists and her books are considered classics; however, I was fairly disappointed with this book. This book had unbelievable potential. There was the story of Ruth--a Chinese-American, middle-aged woman who had "issues" with her Chinese mother and American boyfriend. Ruth's story, however, wasn't the "main" story. There was the story of LuLing, Ruth's mother, who grew up in China in a fairly wealthy family with a somewhat dark past and who struggled to enter the United States. LuLing had "issues" with her "Mother," sister GaoLing, and "Precious Auntie." I honestly enjoyed LuLing's story. It was very dramatic, heartbreaking, and all the page-turning parts of the book were associated with this tale. I did not understand how important Ruth's story was supposed to be. I guess she was supposed to be there to show how protective LuLing was of her past, and to show how LuLing physically and mentally declined as the years went by. I also didn't like Ruth's story because it never really seemed to "go anywhere." At the beginning of the book she had huge problems with her mother and her significant other. At the end of the book, while she had a deeper respect for her mother, she still had problems with her and never stopped having problems with the significant other--though at the end I think Tan tried to patch them up. Overall, this book was an OK read. It wasn't "boring" or hard to read, but I think the two plots lines could've overlapped more, and I think that Ruth's story particularly should've had more substance. I would not buy this book, but would check it out of the library just for fun.
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Summary: Good, but not fantastic
Review: First, let me say it was a great book. Loved it. But from Amy, I guess I expected more. Or maybe I was expecting to much. I just know it could have been better. In some ways, its like Amy works down a checklist when writing. "Lets see... American boyfriend... check! Strained mother-daughter/family relationships... check! Nonlinear plot... check! A disease / disorder to make the characters more interesting... check!" OK, I know that sounds kind of harsh, but i digress. The book was very enjoyable, but the only thing that irked me was the last couple chapters. Its like she was typing and said "Oh no. I only have 50 pages to close this puppy up and get it to the publisher." Everything just clicked into place, and while it works in her other books, to me it just seemed, well, forced. Nonetheless, I'll probably end up reading it again to catch any of the little things I missed the first time. I just think that, with her talent, it could have turned out a little better.
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