The Joy Luck Club: Amazon.co.uk: Amy Tan: Books

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, 14 Feb 2003

By	K. Alley "Mermayd" (London, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Joy Luck Club (Paperback)

The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of Chinese women and daughters living in modern day San Francisco. Not unlike "How to Make an American Quilt" (not sure which came first) the book examines the difficult maternal relationships using flashbacks to various parts of the mother's lives. It is only once you know someone's history that you can understand why a person behaves the way they do.

I love this book. Reading it was one of those rare joys that made me forget who and where I was as I read it. I even managed to read throughout the entire night before noticing that the sun had come up. I had forgotten to go to bed! Beautifully drawn characters, elaborate but not complicated plots, and hauntingly evocative of descriptions of life for women in early 20th century China. The Chinese aspect of the story dominates but women from all cultures will recognise the universal relationships between mothers and daughters. It has even given me a new appreciate for Chinese food! Don't wait for a rainy day - read it now. Sisterhood is global.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written story of family relationships., 11 Jun 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Joy Luck Club (Paperback)

I have just finished this book, after reading it in one day. The story unfolds through the narrative tales of eight women; four Chinese women who left China for America, and their daughters, who struggle to come to terms with their Chinese American identity. The book is beautifully written, and the personalities of all eight women come through very strongly. The tales of the mothers' lives in China are sensitively combined with the perceptions of the daughters, making the book a moving and beautiful one. I do not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone, but if you enjoyed 'Wild Swans' I think you would especially enjoy this book.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The need to belong and the desire to escape, 5 Feb 2003

By	"lexi_wades" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Joy Luck Club (Cambridge Literature) (Paperback)

Focussing on a female dominated mother-daughter generation gap and a Chinese-American culture difference Tan mixes social and personality differences to create a broad and encompassing novel about change. TJLC shows, in its older generation, the huge amounts of reliance displaced individuals have on bonding with other alienated people and the human struggle surmounted to achieve happiness. The daughters in TJLC portray the difficulties sometimes endured being Chinese-American and seeming to be an outsider of each culture. So through these two different aspects of the novel Tan incorporates a “traditional” Chinese story at times in the vein of a less political Wild Swans and the cultural disparity of the modern world adds weight to the “emigrant” literature already established from writers such as Frank McCourt (Irish immigration to the USA) and Caryl Phillips (West Indian immigration to Britain).
Sometimes the tone of TJLC can be overly sentimental and meandering but in all Tan creates a moving tale of displacement, the need to belong and solidarity.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
I'm not really sure what I expected of this book. I think I was expecting there to be more of an ongoing story, rather than flashbacks. Even so, I enjoyed it. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Kirsty B

2.0 out of 5 stars The Joy Luck Club
There was nothing here that I hadn't read or seen before and I can't say that I feel enlightened about Chinese culture. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Rich

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, enlightening and a joy to read.
Addressing the differences between cultures and several generations, Amy Tan's novel is an enlightening, involving and thoroughly enjoyable work. Read more

Published on 21 Jun 2001 by laura_a_howe@yahoo.co.uk

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful set of tales...but little thread running through
Amy Tan continues to enchant her readers with wondrous but tragic tales of life, loves and disappointments. Read more

Published on 30 Dec 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving insight into inter-generational struggles
Set in the US and China, Amy Tan crafts a beautiful story of 4 mothers and their daughters who battle with each other and their inherited cultures. Read more

Published on 28 April 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Good thought provoking read
Never having read a book about Chinese culture or family and having picked the book at random I was entranced and informed. Read more

Published on 18 Sep 1999 by andrew@brins.freeserve.co.uk

5.0 out of 5 stars the content of the story and the the author
This is a beautiful story of the intertwined lives of eight very brave women. The three dimensional characters developed through the chapters only enhance the book to a higher... Read more

Published on 18 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars stories from the heart
A collection of stories about a group of Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters. Stories about coming to terms with the past, and learning how to face the future... Read more

Published on 11 Feb 1999

› See all 11 customer reviews...

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The "Joy Luck Club" Notes

Cliffs Test Preparation Guides help students prepare for and improve... Read more
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	88% buy the item featured on this page: The Joy Luck Club 4.5 out of 5 stars (11)
	5% buy The Joy Luck Club [DVD] [1994] 4.6 out of 5 stars (11) �5.18
	3% buy The Hundred Secret Senses 4.6 out of 5 stars (14) �5.99
	3% buy The Bonesetter's Daughter 4.5 out of 5 stars (21) �5.99


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The Joy Luck Club (Mass Market Paperback)

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