The Joy Luck Club

Rating:
Summary: The Joy and the Luck of reading this book
Review: At first this is just another mother-daughter book, about the generation gap and the immigrants' problems and struggle to be accepted to learn a new culture and keep their own identity. If the book was only that it would be good, but the beauty of Amy Tan's 'The Joy Luck Club' is beyond that. She is not afraid of going really deeper in her novel.

Using her own background, Tan was able to build a story with a universal appeal. The main line of narrative follows he generation differences between for Chinese women who immigrated from China to USA in the 1940s. These women although being living in Western for over 40 years, somehow managed to keep their Chinese identity, history and traditions. On the other hand, her daughters are typically North American. This would bring a lot in anyone's plate to talk about, but the writer brought the daughters' and mothers' individual problems, and all they have faced that made them what and who they are.

Tan's style is nice and easy to follow, albeit there are 7 narrators in the novel, each one telling her story, and how it influence --or was influence by-- her mother's or daughter's.

You don't have to be a woman or a Chinese-American to like this book, and even identify with the characters. This is where Tan's prose reaches the universal appeal that so many writers lack of nowadays. It is an interesting book written with the heart, and also the brains.

Rating:
Summary: The Joy Luck Club
Review: This novel by Amy Tan wonderfully combines a mother-daughter struggle to understand each other's worlds with the conflict that comes in an American-born child trying to understand her Chinese-born mother. The novel effectively combines the Chinese culture and the American state of mind in a series of short stories on the lives of 4 mothers and 4 daughters. The Chinese proverbs and morals are strong throughout the book. Tan also manages to put little characteristics of herself and her mother in each of the mother-daughter pairs. The mixture of stories, such as a child's mother committing suicide, a 12-year-old girl's arranged marriage, a woman losing everything and still going strong, and a young child getting a wish granted by the Moon Lady, is sure to leave any reader wanting to know more of the Chinese culture. The main difficulty in this book is remembering which of the 8 characters is the main character in each story. The struggle between one mother and daughter is repeatedly compared to a game of chess that the mother always seems to be winning. This book can get tedious towards the middle, because each of the daughters' struggles with their mothers are very similar and appear to be repeating, but the mothers' stories of their lives in China break up the monotony at the end of the book. Anyone interested in a taste of a different culture, or anyone liking a mixture of short stories is sure to like this book.

Rating:
Summary: Unintelligent, Sentimental, Ugly
Review: If you dislike those little sentimental poems found in gift cards, then don't read this book! Amy Tan has resorted to some very cheap tactics, no doubt unwittingly, brainwashed as she must be, to write this "human interest" tale that is artless as it is banal. A bunch of women bawl about their financial situation, and freak out when their daughters have their periods. This is already pretty uninteresting, but because they are Chinese it is suddenly a "marginalized narrative." In the end, the Chinese immigrant experience is cheapened and exploited. Ms. Tan deserves some kind of humiliating haircut for writing this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Game Of Friendship
Review: The four winds may change direction, and histories may shift at any given moment, but Amy Tan's, 'The Joy Luck Club' remains a captivating tale about four mothers and their four daughters.
The Chinese game Mah-jong works to join the mother's together as they form the club and share the secrets and tragedies of their lives as well as their hopes and dreams for their daughters. The women in this novel struggle to bestow their daughters with the virtues of Chinese traditions and at points seem to go too far-pitting their daughters against each other and sadly living their lives through them.
Tan writes both honestly and sensitively examining the generation gap between mothers and their daughters as well as the struggles migrants face when joining other countries. 'The Joy Luck Club' belongs to a genre which can only be described as realistic with characters which are both three dimensional and relatable.
The story is written through defined chapters-each dedicated to either a mother or a daughter; as they weave their histories and spin their stories.
The novel, through this chapter fragmentation allows each character to develop, with an emphasis on the main narrative- the death of one of the members of the club. The death of Suyuan Woo results in the incorporation of her daughter Jung Mei 'June' Woo into the group. June realises her mother- who died suddenly of a cerebral aneurysm - had unfinished business which leads June to face one of the biggest tragedies in her mother's life. 'The Joy Luck Club' is an inspiring novel which is moving both moving and courageous-a definite pleasure to read.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing story with one beautiful theme
Review: Back in Freshman year there was a short story in my 9th grade English anthology by Amy Tan. It was called The Rules of the Game. It was a great story to break into high school with because I really enjoyed it. Now I've finally had the chance to read where the story came from and I was defiantly entertained. The Joy luck club is a beautiful book with one theme, the relationship between mothers and daughters and the joys and strengths that they share. The narration's jumps between four mothers and their daughters. Real life in China and modern day life in the US. Each story has it's own plot and resolution. Weather it's a young girl in China forced to marry in an arranged marriage when she was only 12. Or a young wanna be prodigy trying to live up to her mothers expectations. There are stories about going through a divorce, living with a concubine for a mother, dealing with your mothers death, or finding secret strengths inside of yourself you never know existed.

I was very impressed with this book. My favorite stories being Waverly's and June's. Every page is entertaining and it's actually even taught me a little about Chinese culture. Everyone who's a mother or a daughter should defiantly read this book. I'm defiantly going to pick up another book by Amy Tan. The Hundred Secret Senses is on my shelf waiting to be read.

Rating:
Summary: The Joy Luck Club
Review: This story is about four close mother's with four different daughters. The mother's tell about their struggles they had when they were younger and the daughters tell about their struggles now. The mother's stories always have a meaning for being told and it usually is brought about by their daughter's actions. It basically compares the mother's lives that they have lived, the Chinese way, to their daughters who were brought up the American way. The stories that are told are very heartfelt and tender. You feel like you are there in China dealing with the war and bombing; and then in San Francisco trying to deal with a job and a husband. For me, since I am a girl, it was very easy to relate to the hardships that the younger women felt towards their mothers. It made me sort of realize that a lot of girls don't get along with their mothers; yet it also taught me to deal with things in a different way - for the better. This book was exceptional and inspirational and it will be the one book that I read again and again. I personally don't enjoy to read but this book I absolutely loved!

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Summary: Adrian's Book Review of The Joy Luck Club
Review: This is an amazing book, breaks all emotional boundries. After reading this book I have become an instant Amy Tan fan for life. This book really gives an insightful look on how it is for a Chinese immagrant trying to make it to America during that time of tragedy. As a young reader I reccommend this book to my fellow pears of any race. ("") (^_^) ("")

Rating:
Summary: The Joy Luck Club
Review: The Joy Luck Club looks at the complex relationships between mothers and daughters. Amy Tan tells the stories of four Chinese women tring to raise American daughters. Each mother wants her daughter to have all of the values of Chinese women with the freedoms of American women. The individual stroies of each woman is not only interesting, but gives insite as to how she raises her daughter. I highly recomend this book because of heart wrenching stories that each mother tells about her childhood. I also enjoy the way her adult daughter relates the srory to her own relationship with her mother.

Rating:
Summary: The Joy Luck Club-A Review
Review: The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan (also the author of The Hundred Secret Senses) is an entertaining novel of four Chinese mothers and four Chinese American daughters. All the mothers get together to play Mah-jongg and talk about their Chinese lives. While the daughters try and forget that they are Chinese. Only until each daughter experiences problems where only their mother can be the one to offer advice do they really appreciate their heritage.

The Joy Luck Club's short stories fit together well and each one has a meaning to think about. I found myself actually thinking of what each story meant and how it could relate to my life. However, I do not know how authentic the novel represents the Chinese culture because I do not know very much about their culture. I gave this book a 4 because it is well written and has moral value, however it did drag on in parts. If you would like to read a book about mothers and daughters that has value I would suggest The Joy Luck Club.

Rating:
Summary: A Club All Its Own
Review: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, is a mesmerizing novel that leads the reader on a journey to remember. The novel interweaves the stories of four mothers and their daughters. Each chapter brings a new life to learn about, touching the heart in a different way every time. The author wants to leave the reader with a new outlook on the hardship one had to take to come to America. The relationship between mothers and daughters is also a strong theme in the novel. Although the changing of narrators may become a bit confusing, the novel still captures the reader with its entertaining characters and stories that lift the soul.

The novel is set in America in the present, but many of the stories are told about years past. Several of the stories talk about a time during the war between China and Japan and the people that fled their homes and country. Once in America they began new and better lives with their families. The daughters that grew up in America do not appreciate what their parents, especially their mothers, did for them. This generation gap between them causes frustration and anger for both the mothers and daughters throughout the novel.

The story begins with the character Jing-Mei Woo, whose mother recently passed away. She now has been asked to take her mother's place in the Joy Luck Club, a group of four women who bonded after leaving China, each for their own reason. Jing-Mei Woo describes the group, "They are young girls again, dreaming of good times in the past and good times yet to come" (41). Each new story is told by either a mother or a daughter about something important that has either already happened or is happening in their life. One of the mothers, Lindo Jong, tells the story of how she escaped her planned marriage and fled China to come to America. She explains how she felt after becoming free, "How nice it is to be that girl again, to take off my scarf, to see what is underneath"(66). One of the daughters, Lena St. Clair, tells the story of how her brother drowned when she was young. The stories continue, each more excellent than the last, until the end. The last story is told, once again, by Jing-Mei Woo about how she granted a special wish to her deceased mother.

The Joy Luck Club was a pure joy to read because of its entertaining characters, heart touching stories, and the special theme of mother-daughter relationships. Each chapter introduced a new life to learn about, which kept the novel enjoyable to read at all times. This changing of narrators did become a bit confusing; having to look back and remember which character is which. Other than that, each new person brought their own personality and story to tell, making the reader feel as if he/she were meeting a whole new group of friends. By the end of the book, the reader knows each character intimately. The book achieves its goal of having the reader learn about the heroic ordeal of immigration, through the detailed stories the women tell about leaving China to make better lives for their families. Several of the stories open the reader's mind to the heartache and turmoil the women had to go through to come to America. The work the mothers did so their daughters would have lives is not appreciated however. A large generation gap between the mothers from China and their American daughters is very evident in the novel. Since the reader hears from both the mothers and their daughters, he/she can see both of their views and opinions. The gap between generations is very easy to relate to, since many parents and their offspring see the world very differently, even today. The Chinese customs that are introduced in the book help give it culture. The game of mah jong is talked about, along with many other Chinese eating habits and celebrations. These simple touches give the reader a sense of China's interesting way of life and highlights how the daughters may see the world a little differently than their mothers.

The intertwined tales of four mothers and their daughters brings the reader on a journey from years ago in China to America in the present. Through all of the characters' individual stories about life, relationships, and Chinese culture, a single beautiful novel emerges that opens the mind and captures the heart.