Rating: 
Summary: Amy Tan Scores Again with a Beautiful Tale!
Review: Now that I've read 2 of Ms. Tan's novels (THE KITCHEN GOD'S WIFE and THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER) and seen the movie THE JOY LUCK CLUB, I can honestly identify her as one of my favorite authors. Her wonderful story-telling ability, believable characters and fascinating exploration of Chinese culture and history make her stories some of the best I've read in a long time.The story begins when both Winnie and her daughter Pearl are put in a position whereby they both have to reveal their secrets to each other. The novel, however, is dominated by Winnie's autobiographical account of her life in China before Pearl was born. Winnie Louie told a fascinating tale of her life - a tale which included a strong focus on Chinese culture and history from a very human perspective. She was a very strong individual who was able to survive and prevail through terrible hardships ...And she was still able to pass on a strongly feminist message about self-repect to her daughter despite the emotional and physical abuse inflicted upon her by her first husband in China. This is such a powerful story dealing with the mother-daughter bond, friendship, loyalty, cultural differentiations, personal choices, courage and self-respect. The story left me with a lump in my throat - feeling sad, touched and uplifted all at the same time. I can't wait to read THE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES next!
Rating: 
Summary: Very moving and intriguing
Review: I am a big fan of Amy Tan because she truly knows how to tell a story. Her style of writing captures you from the start of the book and keeps you on the edge of your seat because you always want to know what's going to happen next. I really enjoyed this book because it was moving to see the relationship between a mother and a child develop for the best by looking back and understanding the past, no matter how horrible it is. The life story of Winnie Louie in Shanhai and rural China is heart wrenching, and her stories want you to keep reading to find out how she gets away from her very abusive husband, Wen Fu. The characters of Old Aunt, New Aunt, Peanut, Wen Fu, Jimmy Louie, Pearl, Winnie, and Helen are all very well developed. You feel like you actually know the characters and can relate to them. One thing that Amy Tan never is is boring. She captures your attention and shows a vivid image of China during World War II. She makes you understand Chinese custums, why Chinese think and feel certain ways, and she makes you really know how the Chinese lived in fear of the Japanese during World War II. Tan has a great understanding of human nature and the relationship between mother and child. It is heartbreaking and angering to read how Wen Fu treated Winnie, and you actually begin to believe that this really happened. I highly recommend this book! I also recommend the Joy Luck Club, Hundred Secret Senses, and I am now reading The Bonesetter's Daughter, which I also recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Page Turner
Review: I recommend this novel to everyone because the author filled every page with exciting events that no one can stop flipping the next page until he or she finishes the book. The author wrote other events besides the Chinese background and a story between a mother and a daughter's relationship. The author talks about the history of World War Two also. Moreover, the author talks about how most husbands in the past mistreated their wives and how women gain their power as they grew stronger and as they experienced many things as time past by.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful novel with rich characters
Review: I can't compare "The Kitchen God's Wife" to any other Amy Tan's novels since I haven't read any besides this one. This heart-felt and touching novel about a mother-daughter relationship moves every reader's heart, including mine.
I never like reading novels with too many pages, and the first time I picked up this book, I thought, "Oh no, I am going to stuck with a 500 pages story. This is going to take me a several weeks to complete." As the result, I finished reading this book in four days.
Tan's story-telling is wonderful in this book. I especially like the way she divides the book in parts, and each part has a narrative of different characters.
I am a chinese immigrant myself, reading Tan's book makes me feel so close to my own Chinese cultural. Somehow, I feel that I can actually relate myself Pearl, the daughter in the novel.
I highly recommand anyone who read this review to read this book. It's very inspirational, touching and well-written.
Rating:
Summary: A great novel ... insight into China, its people & history
Review: This is the first book of Amy Tan I read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was totally captivated by the mother's story in China. It is mostly the story of a Chinese woman growing up in Shanghai and rural China and then living the war years in different parts of China. Amy Tan vividly captures the images of China and the Chinese character in a thoroughly enjoyable and very readable way. It makes them accessible in a way where you can actually develop a real understanding of the Chinese obsession with luck, superstition and manners. I particularly enjoyed the fascinating account of the preparations for the marriage and a wedding with war approaching fast in the Shanghai background. I couldn't help recalling the images of "Empire of the Sun", even though that dealt more with the super privileged lives of the colonials rather than the merely privileged lives of the well off locals. The tale of many years of a bad marriage at a very difficult time intertwined with friendships and adventure flows so naturally. The "suspense" is never reduced even though you know the outcome. The brutality of thoroughly dreadfull man, the husband is in the background all the time, even in later days in America. I really enjoyed the description of the situation in Shanghai following the defeat of the Japanese and in the period prior to the KMT collapse. Amy Tan paint a picture of ciaos and confusion again in natural way, in a setting the scene way so you can actually picture the background and develop an understanding for why and how historic events took place. You never get the impression that Tan set out to give a history lesson, and there is never the dryness of a long section setting the scene; it is just there. The story eventually returns to America, to the San Francisco China Town and to the life of an Americanized daughter, also in the Bay area. The dialogue and the continued saga of the two old "friends" from China in America was beautifully "ethnic". There is fair bit about the mother - daughter relationship and the daughter's view of her relations. This was fine, but frankly just very distant background that I did not think added much to the book. I don't believe it detracts from it either. Being found of Asia in general and having reasonable first hand knowledge of China, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think Amy Tan is a gifted novelist with great insight and a fantastic ability to create thriller like suspense of ordinary lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Touching
Review: This is my first Amy Tan's book. I never got to read Joy Luck Club though I have the book because I saw the motion picture. The movie thorough reached out to my heart. Hence, I bought The Kitchen God's Wife. Initially, the first few pages were extremely boring. It is only when the part whereby Pearl's mother, Winnie, begins to tell a heartwrenching tale her dreadfully agozing past in China. The suffer and hardships endured by Winnie is one that is truly shocking. As the unravel her past to her daughter Pearl and comes to the crucial truth which is Pearl's biological father is actually from Winnie's first cruel husband, Pearl was able to accept this truth and she even understand her mother better. Mother and daughter brought closer together just by telling the truth. I couldn't stop turning the pages once Winnie started to tell her story to Pearl. This book will makes you rethink the rough paths you think you can't cross over but actually these so called "rough paths" are just a part of everyday life. There are people out there who suffered even more hardships but still , able to come through it.
Rating:
Summary: Won't be disappointed
Review: After trudging through several books that weren't worth reading- I finally found one that was... I enjoyed the story line, the mother-daughter relationship and learning about the Chinese culture.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic novel - my favorite by Amy Tan!
Review: I have really enjoyed all of Tan's novels, however this book I have not been able to set down. She uses a style of a master story teller often ending a section which you've had your breath heald through with a sentance like "and after that my luck changed for the worse..." Then you just have to keep reading to find out how it got even worse! I often found myself craving Dim Sum after reading her description of their meals. You get to know the people in the book so well it's like loosing touch with a friend when you finish.
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Summary: SOO I CRY ON THE NEW.YORK SUBWAY
Review: WOW. This is the 3rd time I have read this book, and I just start weeping. I work on Broadway, ( yes I am a performer)and this book is wonderful. I'm from the old country ( England) and I truly bloody well connect with all the people in her novels. I'm young; and Amy is me mentor. When I remember what I've gone through in me wee life, I remember charachters in her books that I can identify with ( JOY LUCK CLUB included) and then I feel I can "CARRY ON' Thanks ever soo much . You are a true genius, Cheers . A faithful and Loyal follower NATA$HA V.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: Amy Tan has done it again! She brings the reader into another world to explore the difference a generation can make between parent and child and how love can transcend the distance. I'm a finicky reader when it comes to "pop" fiction novels yet Ms. Tan never seems to violate the "suspension of disbelief" a book lover needs to make the story and characters real. A generous, spell binding work.
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