Love Made of Heart

Rating:
Summary: All heart
Review: "Love Made of Heart" touched my heart, and that's hard to do. The character of Ruby will make your heart melt and you will find yourself rooting for her against her past and her present. Twice I found myself with tears in my eyes. I read this in two big gulps on the long ferry ride to Victoria, and with Le Yung Ryan's deft touch, I was able to block out the screaming kids and shaking ferry. She has a voice that I look forward to hearing again.

Rating:
Summary: All heart
Review: "Love Made of Heart" touched my heart, and that's hard to do. The character of Ruby will make your heart melt and you will find yourself rooting for her against her past and her present. Twice I found myself with tears in my eyes. I read this in two big gulps on the long ferry ride to Victoria, and with Le Yung Ryan's deft touch, I was able to block out the screaming kids and shaking ferry. She has a voice that I look forward to hearing again.

Rating:
Summary: Love Made of Heart Won My Heart!
Review: A poignant and engaging story about the nature of the mother daughter bond, family conflict and domestic violence. The themes here transcend cultures as an adult Ruby Lin deals with and tries to mend her heart from a painful childhood.

LeYung Ryan paints her characters with a very delicate brush. The theme of self identity is central to the novel as Ruby is immersed as a child into all things American but at home is always the good Chinese daughter. LeYung Ryan's writing shows great talent, to be able to be so evocative in the scenes portrayed that the reader is drawn in and sympathises with the characters, but the author not once writes in a way where she asks the reader for sympathy. It just happens naturally. You are drawn in from the beginning to the last page.

I read this book in just 3 sittings which is not usual. My measure as to if the story touched me is how I feel once I read that last line, it's like saying goodbye to a good friend. That certainly happened with Love Made of Heart. I enjoyed being on Ruby's journey and eagerly await the next novel from LeYung Ryan.

Rating:
Summary: Dynamic, Entertaining, and Educational!
Review: Contrary to Publisher's Weekly review, this book is a powerful voice of the reality many asian american immigrant women and girls experienced. Leyung Ryan was also able to explore and show the dark issue of women/child abuse from its roots to the healing process.

Another interesting topic in this book is the culture clash among asian americans, and its effects on relationships among asian americans.

Last but not least, the book is full of humor, and a character that you'll grow to love. Both entertaining and educational.

Rating:
Summary: Love Made of Heart
Review: How does a young girl learn what it means to be woman? What if that girl is fresh from Hong Kong to San Francisco, and desperate to become a true American girl?
Ruby Lin, the protagonist in Teresa LeYung Ryan's touching and redemptive debut novel Love Made of Heart (Kensington Publishing Corp. ISBN 0-7582-0216-4), rejects Vivian, her mother, as a role model, unwilling to believe that the measure of a woman and wife is to accept her husband's verbal and physical abuse. Instead, Ruby turns to American television and black and white movies, wanting only to become the Chinese-American equivalent of Sandra Dee.
We soon learn that Ruby's relationship with Vivian is nothing like the one Samantha Stephens from Bewitched has with her mother. Ruby's father is a far cry from the gentle and understanding men Ruby watches on Family Affair and Bachelor Father.
But it is Joan Crawford, Ruby's heroine from the movies, who teaches her how to handle men. When a boyfriend becomes disrespectful, Ruby does not fall into the role her mother assumed. In a scene that is perfectly paced and in vivid detail, we watch, as Ruby becomes Joan Crawford herself. We cheer for Ruby when she majestically rids herself of the brut.
Later, because Ruby has grown up believing that the Cartwright brothers from Bonanza were truly great men for the way they treat women and children, how can she resist when another of her suitors flashes a Michael Landon smile and proposes.
Throughout this sensitive tale, LeYung Ryan captures the lasting effects an abusive childhood has on Ruby, and chronicles Vivian's descent into madness. Women readers of all ages would be well served to learn from the lessons Ruby learned on the silver screen. In her quest to become a true American, Ruby also learns how to become a woman.

Rating:
Summary: A book with compassion toward mentally ill people
Review: I am a Chinese who has been treated for mental illness. I also have a mother who suffered from severe mental illness throughtout her life. Being brought up in a very emotionally chaotic family without any outsiders knowing any of our family secrets was the only safe way we knew how to live.
Therefore, I truly apprecite how Teresa was able to show her kind and brave spirit toward a mentally ill family member through her heart-warming writings. I admire anyone who can deal with mental illness and come out with such positive and compassionate attitude. Thanks to this soul reaching book, the healings started once I began to read Teresa's heart pouring words from "Love Made of Heart".

Rating:
Summary: Reader
Review: I bought this book on a Saturday afternoon and finishing reading it by that night. The characters are wonderfully portrayed, and it was hard to put down the book because I found myself emotionally involved with the characters. I don't want to give away the ending, but I thought it was encouraging to see how the human spirit can triumph over life's difficulties when there is love to be given and received.

Rating:
Summary: This book is great! This is a must-read!!!!
Review: I bought this book on a Saturday afternoon and finishing reading it by that night. The characters are wonderfully portrayed, and it was hard to put down the book because I found myself emotionally involved with the characters. I don't want to give away the ending, but I thought it was encouraging to see how the human spirit can triumph over life's difficulties when there is love to be given and received.

Rating:
Summary: LOVE MADE OF HEART- Easy Reading Page Turner
Review: I read Love Made of Heart by Teresa LeYung Ryan in one day. Once I started reading this fascinating book, I couldn't put it down. The author's development of character and plot was flawless and I was very interested in what was going to happen to Ruby, the main character, and her relationship with her mother and her boyfriend. Her relationship with her neighbor was heartwarming and loving. The author's use of food was very clever and sensuous, it even made my mouth salivate for some good old fashioned chicken soup. I was very surprised by the ending which moved me to tears.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about Chinese family customs and the struggle to assimilate into American culture.
Hooray for Teresa LeYung Ryan. She is a fresh new voice and I look forward to her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Love Made of Heart
Review: I think that the critic for Publishers Weekly needs to get a heart! This book is excellent and a must read for anyone who is undergoing or has undergone intense family conflict and tragedy. Ruby is the voice of courage and compassion as she deals with an emotionally troubled mother and abusive father, all the while forging ahead in order to make her way in the world. The characters come alive through LeYung Ryan's writing; humorous one minute, heartbreaking the next. I came to care very deeply about the people in this novel, sharing their triumphs and disappointments with every turn of the page. I found this to be a wonderful first book and am looking forward to the next.