Kitchen God's Wife

Rating:
Summary: This book took forever to read
Review: I had to read this for summer reading. I love to read, but this book just dragged on forever and trying to get it done was a chore. I liked The Joy Luck Club, but this one was not as catchy. It reminded me of Madeleine L'Engle's A Live Coal in the Sea, but that book was soooooooo much more interesting. L'Engle is one of my fave authors so that makes a difference in the way I look at things. But I have to write a book review that is due this week, and I am a procrastinator, so it will never get done, until the night before. Oh well!

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This is truly a wonderful story. It tells each of us not to take anything for granted and that we can all live through life's stuggles and prevail at the end. Winnie is a strong character whom I respected throughout the book. I could not put this book down. A must read!

Rating:
Summary: My favorite Amy Tan book!
Review: I love the way this story is told. The reader finds out what the mother and daughter have gone through in their lives and what has shaped their personalities. Amy Tan writes first person narratives that are exciting, poetical, and dramatic. The struggles the mother faced in her life are revealed one piece at a time and lead to the final resolution. The differences that once pulled the two women apart bring the mother and daughter together.

Rating:
Summary: Entrancing
Review: I really appreciated this book, and found it one of the best works of fiction I read this year. This was surprising since when I was first into it I said to myself if I had a policy of not finishing a book I start if it did not seem worthwhile, I'd quit reading. I am really glad I did not quit reading this book. The dialogue, by the central character, with her daughter Pearl is priceless.

Rating:
Summary: Kitchen God's wife a tale of a woman's hardships
Review: This is one of Amy Tan's better works. This book seemed to relay to the reader of the hardships that a women went through prior to world war 2. It also distinguished the cultural differences between two very different generations. It allowed the reader to identify with the culture and the relationships between family. This book is recomended for those interested in chinese culture and why the older generation is different from present chinese americans.

Rating:
Summary: This was a slow-paced novel with no major conflict
Review: The Kitchen God's Wife was an uninteresting book about Chinese traditions and superstitions. There was no major conflict but instead series of minor struggles. An example of a minor struggle was Pearl's anxiety of telling her mother about her disease. This is not even resolved until the end of the book and by then we had already forgotten about it. The switch in the narrators at the beginning was a little confusing. During the part when Hulan and Winnie are traveling during the war there is too much confusion about where they are going and where they have just been. The plot is also a little slow around this point. The end of the story, when Winnie buys Pearl the staue, did not really tie into the rest of the novel.

Rating:
Summary: see below
Review: Winnie's story of life and passion exemplified an era in Chinese history. During the begining of WWII, a woman's role was to serve her husband without any questions. Winnie gradually defied this stereotype after years of abuse.Her story is told to her daughter to relieve the stress that years of lies had laid upon her. The story directly affects Pearl, Winnie's daughter, because her father is not who she thinks he is. The two formed a bond and became much closer after all of the lies and secrets were revealed and forgiven. This book will open your eyes and your hearts to a story of a family who, through all their struggles, over came the pain and suffering that was endured throughout the years.

Rating:
Summary: The Kitchen God's Wife is a cultural masterpiece.
Review: A wonderful narrative of the life of one Chinese woman. One of Amy Tan's greatest novels of all time. It tells of the trial and hardship of one Chinese woman as she struggles for freedom from her controling husband. Through her story, she reveals much about the Chinese tradition and superstition. It is a wonderful masterpiece that will captivate the minds of young readers for a long while.

Rating:
Summary: How do you sum it up in one line?!
Review: This book was FANTASTIC! Not only did it incorporate facts of WWII, but also about life in China BEFORE the war. It was very easy reading in both the structure and plot. We were really pulled in and just COULDN'T put it down! It sounds kinda fluffy, but it's true. Amy Tan truely forces the reader to identify with the trials and troubles of both the young and old Winnie, even if the reader has no knowledge of Asian culture. "The Kitchen God's Wife" shows the straining relationship that can occur if lies are told and secrets are witheld. So in conclusion, we highly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: we view the complex world of California's immigrant Chinese
Review: Tan really gets the job done.She has and maintains a sweeping war senario,a confessional style and the painful silences between mother and daughter.This book depicts the hardships of a chinese immigrant families and their trial and tribulations endured in america. The story displays how superstition and luck play a role in the newly found values system in america.