The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Joy Luck Club
Book Review: Great anecdotes, but a subpar novel
Summary: 2 Stars
I've liked some of Amy Tan's other work, but The Joy Luck Club just didn't work for me. It's a story of four Chinese mothers and their Chinese-American daughters, with seven narrators (all but the one mother who has died). The book is divided into 16 chapters, perhaps more accurately described as 16 related short stories; the women have one chapter each from childhood and one from adulthood, while Jing-mei, the daughter of the dead mother, has 4 chapters from adulthood. Most of the acclaim for this book seems to come from the portrayal of the relationships between the mothers and the daughters; they seem true-to-life but are repetitive (every daughter lacks respect for her mother and understanding of her Chinese origins; every mother speaks in vague metaphors and is always right). Many of the events portrayed are interesting, and you can't help but learn a bit about Chinese culture. If you like short stories and read them as such, this book might work for you, but it didn't for me, for two main reasons:
1. The women's voices are indistinguishable. All of the mothers have basically the same personality; the daughters have a few differences but all talk the same way and have similar life stories. Seven first-person narrators would be a challenge for the most experienced of authors, and this is Amy Tan's first book, so it's no surprise that she falls short. I had a hard time remembering which daughter went with which mother and which childhood with which woman. As a reader of epics with dozens or even hundreds of characters, I almost never have trouble telling characters apart, especially when there are only eight of them, but I did here.
2. There's no resolution. Stories need a beginning, middle, and end, but this one's missing the end. Jing-mei's sections book-end the novel, and she has a satisfying personal resolution, but the other six women are left in limbo. For instance, one of the younger women is in a troubled marriage. At the end of her chapter, she finally confronts her husband... and then it's over. Did they work to solve their problems? Did they get divorced? Did they deal with the personal issues that complicated the marriage in the first place? We don't know. At least three of the women's stories end this way. I don't mind books ending with some general hope for the future rather than an exhaustive tying up of loose ends, but the plot arc needs to come to a close.
One criticism I have to disagree with, though, is the portrayal of men, especially Asian men, whom many other critical reviewers say are portayed negatively. I didn't think that was the case at all: all the girls' fathers are sympathetic figures (even the clueless American one), and two of the three troubled or failed marriages on the part of the younger generation involve women who are just as much at fault as their (white) husbands. No one is in an abusive relationship, and the men don't blatantly favor their sons over their daughters. Some of the older women have nasty men in their pasts, but with each one comes a nasty woman who encourages and enables him.
Amy Tan isn't a bad author, and at this point she was probably still learning her limits. If you're interested in her work, I would recommend The Hundred Secret Senses, which showcases her strengths but lacks the weaknesses of this book.
Book Review: Great book
Summary: 4 Stars
I saw the movie when I was younger, and read the book a few years later. it was interesting to note the difference between the two, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. Ms. Tan has a talent for storytelling, and I was unable to put this book down. I would have to say my favorite tale was that of An-Mei, though I also found Ying-ying's story to be fascinating. (It was also interesting to note the differences between the movie and the book, and I was actually surprised at a few of the differences)Book Review: Interesting Exploration of Mother-Daughter Relationships
Summary: 5 Stars
Amy Tan's first novel, The Joy Luck Club, follows the stories of four Chinese women living in America and their grown daughters. The narrator shifts in each chapter, allowing the reader a glimpse into the lives and values of each of the eight main characters. These people have led difficult lives, and kept many aspects of themselves hidden from their family members. As they explore their past and present, the reader begins to feel connected to this group of people.
Tan does a great job showing the Chinese culture and way of thinking in an interesting and creative way. Each chapter reads more like a short story. I found myself getting the characters confused near the end, as I tried to remember what else I'd already learned about them, but rather than be a nuisance it just made me want to read the book again. The characters are realistic, entertaining, and insightful.
Themes include the relationship between mothers and daughters, secrets, dignity, guilt, and what it means to be an American. It is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in a good read, multicultural families, and just a book about what it means to live life.
Book Review: Lifechanging perspective
Summary: 5 Stars
There's a reason some books become best sellers - they're just plain good. I truly believe that great stories are given to us by the gods, and that wonderful authors are the mediums for greatness. This is a perfect example.Book Review: Mothers & Daughters - Joys & Disappointments
Summary: 4 Stars
I am way late to reading this book, but I am so glad that I did! The story involves 4 Chinese immigrant women and their 4 American born daughters. The mothers have joined together in a Mah Jong club, which gives the title of the book. They lament the fact their daughters are not as tied to their Chinese culture and heritage as the mothers would like. The daughters feel their mothers don't understand their lives in America.
In this book, we learn the lives the mothers had in China before coming to America, and how that shaped who they are. We also see how the daughters, in living their lives, are shaped by the decisions they are making.
It seems mothers and daughters always have somewhat of a struggle to be understood by each other, no matter the culture, and this book brings forth a common theme. It is well written and so very easy to get swept up in the lives of all of these women. The only problem I had (and hence the 4 stars) was keeping track of which mother was related to which daughter and which story went with which mother. I kept having to refer back in the book to refresh my memory - and I didn't read this book over a long period of time. That was a bit frustrating, but overall the book was a delight.