The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Joy Luck Club
Book Review: Mothers and their daughters
Summary: 3 Stars
This book and The Kitchen God's Wife, also by Ms. Tan, are very similar in terms of theme and mood. There were multiple generations of women, each of whom didn't entirely understand the struggles the other went through. This was an interesting study of how we can interact with and communicate with another person, without ever understanding them completely.Book Review: Powerful and Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club is one of the most relatable novels I have read. It follows the relationships of Chinese women and their grown daughters as they struggle to find their places in the world. Each of these women tell stories from their past. We see what each of the mothers went through in China and why they came to America and we see what the daughters have gone through in their lives as well. These stories draw the reader into very relatable stories highlighting love, relationships, purpose, and understanding, just to name a few. Many of the stories involve misunderstanding, especially concerning the mother-daughter relationship. This novel is powerful, entertaining and touching all at the same time. I highly recommend it.Book Review: Relevant
Summary: 4 Stars
I read this book a long time ago while I was still studying in high school. At that time, I pushed this book away thinking that it did not apply to me, that the stories are just made up by a fellow Chinese girl.
When I moved more than 9000 miles across the world to marry my husband, I picked up this book again, probably because I felt nostalgic. It finally sunk in that I had left everything behind, my parents, my brother, my extended family, friends, job, et cetera. It was very difficult, especially for a young Chinese girl. Being so far away from a close-knit family was horrendous, especially in a country where everyone spoke differently, and I found myself clawing at my cultural roots in desperation.
While re-reading the book, and keeping an open mind about the stories, I found that I saw a lot of myself, and a lot of my mother in the pages. One of the stories in particular, was the "piano player" story. I remember resenting my mother for "forcing" me to play the piano, or learn ballet, or do things I really didn't want to do (which was climb into a storm drain to catch fish, in an all-white school uniform). I remember rebelling against her, similar to how the daughter in the story did against her mother.
It touched me on a personal level, and has helped me understand more about how my mother would react to certain things in my girlhood than I could as a high school girl, full of teenage angst.
I've seen that some people think that the women in the book are monotone, that all the older women have the same "voice" and that all the girls are characterless, but I believe it's because readers like that do not understand the intricacies and certain obligations that come with being Chinese, because of your heritage. It is not just a simple matter of colour of skin; it goes so much more deeper than that, and only a Chinese girl who was brought up in a traditional Chinese family would truly understand what it means to be Chinese, as much as Amy Tan tries to describe it to us.
Kudos to her for writing this book; it has certainly changed my life, and my outlook.
Book Review: Started a Trend
Summary: 5 Stars
As far as I'm concerned Amy Tan practically started a new genre with this novel. So many copycat books are now out there, but I think that her novel will endure. This is such a lovely book, esp the parts about mother/daughter relationships.Book Review: Stunning.
Summary: 4 Stars
This book has some really good lessons. Unlike most reviewers, I didn't find the mothers and daughters hard to keep track of. The story may come off as boring and meticulous sensationalism, but most parts of this book are incredibly honest and profound; you just have to pay attention and think about what Tan is trying to say. I seriously believe it's aimed at an immigrant audience; if I dare say, Asian females.