The Hundred Secret Senses

Rating:
Summary: two years later the emotions still remain
Review: I was rating (checking the boxes) several other Amy Tan books and started thinking about this wonderful novel. It isn't the plot or the characters or the setting but rather the remembrance of the feel of this book. Two years after reading it, the mood returns with just the mention of the title. A mood of thoughfulness and like her other books a mood filled with a little melancholy and much joy.

Rating:
Summary: not as good as her other books
Review: I love Amy Tan's writing but this one isn't as good as The Joy Luck Club or Kitchen Gods Wife. It still has her normal style but the story just wasn't as good this time. However, I still would recommend it as a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Captivating..
Review: I've always been a fan of Amy Tan, which is why I was not surprised that I enjoyed The Hundred Secret Senses. The entire storyline and characters come alive and it's almost as if you're traveling with them to China. This book definetly tugged at my heartstrings. A must for all Amy Tan fans.

Rating:
Summary: My review for the 100 secert senses...
Review: I read The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan during my winter vacation. I chose to read this book because my friends told me that Amy Tan is a great writer, and I'm really interested in the topic, which is about Chinese Americans and the issues between sisters.
The story begins when Olivia's father dies; she is told that she has a half sister in China, Kwan, who then comes to join her family soon after their father's death. When they are all little, Olivia doesn't like Kwan at all, she thinks that Kwan only brings her trouble and embarrassment because of her poor English. When Kwan admits that she has a special ability that she is able to interact with the dead people she sees around the world, Olivia tells her mother about the yin stories Kwan has been telling her, which causes her mother to send Kwan to the psychiatric ward for years. However, after all those shock treatments in the psychiatric ward, Kwan still appreciates her sister, and has always been taking care of her like a mother more than the real one. After more than thirty years, time has changed Olivia's attitude towards Kwan, she finally realizes that Kwan and her share a love that is not only inseparable, it is also limitless and endless.
I can relate myself to the story utterly because I have a sister too. I am annoyed with my sister sometimes, but I always find it nice to have someone that you can talk to as a close friend who is actually closer to you more than any of your best friends. As we grow up, we come to realize that we can experience everything with something better than the five senses ¡X¡X our hearts. With our hearts, we not only feel the connections between us as sisters; we also "feel" the world and the people around us. I think the book is trying to tell us that love is everything, it can be both happiness and sadness, anger and forgiveness, it all depends on how we learn to be grateful to everything that's been given to us.

Rating:
Summary: Very dramatic
Review: I enjoyed the book. I am very interested in dreams and the world of the imagination. Plus the feelings described in the book seem to describe my own at various times in my life.

Rating:
Summary: Yummy Book-
Review: I loved this book, but didn't enjoy reading it as much as The Joy Luck Club. It sometimes got confusing when talking between the past and present life, but it was worth it to keep reading and get to the last crumb. It made me aware that so much of what I worry about is petty and are things that really don't matter in the end. I feel like it gave me a boost I needed to focus on the really important things in my life like love, trust and hope. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Shivers Down Your Spine Ghost Story
Review: This is an excellent book. As most Amy Tan books do, this story is about trying to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western beliefs within the same family. But this tale deals more with the concept of reincarnation. It really made me feel chills.

Rating:
Summary: very good story teller
Review: This is the first book I've ever read from Amy Tan. I loved her way of mixing real daily events with ghost stories, going back and forth in time. Beautiful imagination to write about reencarnation, it makes you wonder if there is actually people like the caracter played by Kwan in this book. I loved the ending although I would have to clasify it as a 'chicks' type of book, a man would not enjoy the ending that much.

Rating:
Summary: If Only For a Moment
Review: Amy Tan weaves an incredible narative, rich with characters who will live within you forever. Kwan, whose life is inextricably intertwined with her sister Olivia, is the embodiment of the potential of the human spirit... for hope, for love, for life. Olivia is the vessel that the depths of Kwan's innate wisdom flows through. I will never forget Kwan, her sorrows, her dreams and her capacity for love. Amy Tan has given us a moment in time to look beyond ourselves and see in others their strengths and not their weaknesses. Olivia is still struggling with this in the end of the story. We are left with an abiding sense of hope... for Olivia, for ourselves, for all of humanity. Kwan has reached in and touched our souls ... if only for a moment.

Rating:
Summary: Amy Tan must be a Chinese me.
Review: I would recommend this book to all my women friends. I am not sure the men would understand it. I really loved the book. So many of the feelings described in the book describe exactly what I have been going through this year. I am a litte prescient myself, but it usually doesn't seem to help me. Great book! I think that Amy Tan should write another book dealing more directly with the issues of major depression and mental illness. Hopefully Amy Tan will continue to receive guidance to use her talents to help others, plus entertain them. That is probably exactly what she will do.