I really enjoyed it. Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2015. Don't waste your time. This page works best with JavaScript. The mother daughter relationship was interesting to me in the fact that the two lives were so intricately intertwined and their destinies similar. Though I should give it a week and try catch up on some sleep. Jumping from bustling Shanghai to an isolated village in rural China to San Francisco at the turn of the 19th century, the epic story follows three generations of women pulled apart by outside forces. In eight years the valley. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, See all details for The Valley of Amazement. Fueled by betrayals, both women refuse to submit to fate and societal expectations, persisting in their quests to recover what was taken from them: respect; a secure future; and, most poignantly, love from their parents, lovers, and children. While this wasn't her best work of fiction, if you like Amy Tan's other books, you'll enjoy this one as well. Too bad she didn't edit a bit better in other stages of the book where things dragged on way too slowly. A deeply evocative narrative about the profound connections between mothers and daughters, The Valley of Amazement returns readers to the compelling territory of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. I am so sorry that I disliked this endless book so much and that I finally gave up about the time Lucia was traveling to Shanghai. Lucia agrees to let Lu take her baby away. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2018. The story was contrived and lacked any emotional impact. Violet is sold to be a courtesan, when her selfish mother, Lulu, is tricked by her lover Fairweather. I have enjoyed other books by Amy Tan but this one never ended! To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. A Romance Novel Is a Romance Novel is a Romance Novel, even if it is by Amy Tan, Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2016. This way of life became a way to survive during this period of Chinese history. Violet is a young girl living in her mother's whorehouse in Shanghai in the early 1900's, shortly after whoring was invented, probably by her mother, Lulu. It's set in the early twentieth century in Shanghai and charts the history of a courtesan house run by a beguiling American woman. She lives with her husband in San Francisco and New York. While mother/daughter relationships play a significant role, other more fluid relationships between friends and other assorted relationships take center stage and reveal the depth of human kindness under the most extreme circumstances. The story was contrived and lacked any emotional impact. Enjoy this free preview Unlock all 31 pages of this Study Guide by subscribing today. The Valley of Amazement is a beautiful story of separation, hope, and love between a mother and daughter. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 12, 2014. Half-Chinese and half-American, Violet grapples with her place in the worlds of East and West—until she is able to merge her two halves, empowering her to become a shrewd courtesan who excels in the business of seduction and illusion, though she still struggles to understand who she is. I think you have to read all the way to the end to truly understand the complexity of the novel. The story behind the story is that Amy Tan was inspired to write The Valley of Amazement after finding some photographs that indicated her grandmother had been one of the high class courtesans of Shanghai in years before World War I. I truly felt that I met some remarkable characters and watched with fascination as their stories interconnected and brought out the best in themselves. Burdened with secret anguish and loss, she relies on her loyal associate, Golden Dove, to help her create an enclave of confidentiality, courtly seduction, and voluptuous pleasure for the city’s most influential men. I would give this book 10 stars of possible. Rich language and colorful descriptions enhance the story about the life of a courtesan in China in the 1910's. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The Valley of Amazement is a difficult novel to summarize. Summary. Amy's female characters seems so smart but their total trust in male characters makes the plot seem weak and unbelievable. The book is excellent, the author transported me into this fascinating plot, I fell in love with the characters, I cried with them. There were times when I just wanted the novel to end already, but I persevered because I was intrigued by the cultural descriptions and the female relationships. The story is set in the early 1900's in Shanghai, China and follows the lives of an American mother, Lulu, and her half American- half Chinese daughter, Violet. New York Times bestseller The Valley of Amazement is a sweeping, evocative epic of two women's intertwined fates and their search for identity--from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village. Tan spends numerous pages on Violet, a sizable time on Lulu, and a fleeting conversation on Flora. This is a story about women and the struggles that many women face in love, motherhood, friendship and society. Dull. It's a world of insincerity, deception, and selfishness. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Something went wrong. Lulu is the madam of the Hidden Jade Path, a first class courtesan house. Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2017. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2014. I too, find myself as a fair weather fan of Tan's "Amazement." Chapters 7-8. I wanted to smack Violet frequently, especially when she lost Little Flora and then hardly bothered to mention her lost child again. Her essays and stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, and her work has been translated into thirty-five languages. Definitely not the Joy Luck Club, but even more engaging. Pages and pages of bad poetry that had nothing to do with the story. I have no idea why I slogged my way through this book. This is an interesting look into the relationships between mothers and daughters (typical Tan) and the cultural differences between Chinese and Americans. To reclaim their lives, they take separate journeys—to a backwater hamlet in China, the wealthy environs of the Hudson River Valley, and, ultimately, the unknown areas of their hearts, where they discover what remains after their many failings to love and be loved. A slice of Shanghai life at the turn of the 20th Century, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2017. ... was written in a style similar to her International Best Seller "The Joy Luck Club, Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2016. Tan's The Valley of Amazement is an opus that covers half of a tumultuous century, ranges across two continents and involves love, deceit, … I too, find myself as a fair weather fan of Tan's "Amazement." I too am an Amy Tan fan and I too am very disappointed by this tediously long book. The Valley of Amazement is primarily Violet’s story, and it bursts at the seams with heartbreak. Her lonely young daughter, Violet, has taken to eavesdropping and spying to survive. Chapter 15. I felt stranded in thought about the outcomes of various characters in the story. (Rick Smolan/Against All Odds Productions) In her first novel in eight years, The Valley of Amazement ( HarperCollins 2013), Amy Tan has woven an evocative narrative about the profound connections between mothers and daughters, a theme that returns readers to the territory of Tan's breakout novel … I enjoyed the book, but found the book contains too little narrative on Lulu and Flora and other minor characters. Verified Purchase. Amy's female characters seems so smart but their total trust in male characters makes the plot seem weak and unbelievable. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan Summary Study Guide. Sold by Heisenbooks and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. Agent: Sandra Dijkstra, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Violets only friends are her cherished cat, Carlotta; a courtesan, Magic Gourd; and her mother's business partner, Golden Dove. In reading the customer reviews of this book I saw a great many reviews that lamented that this book was not the Joy Luck Club. But when the Ching dynasty is overturned, Violet is separated from her mother in a cruel act of chicanery and forced to become a "virgin courtesan." February 12th, 2014. A lot for your money to the book is long, which is a plus because you won't want it to end. Pages and pages of bad poetry that had nothing to do with the story. I simply couldn't read any more and I suggest you skip this one altogether and hope for something better next time from this usually wonderful author. The Valley of Amazement. We don't know the intricacies of our mothers' lives. Please try your request again later. I enjoyed Tan's ability to create believable and lively characters. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. I was right. I enjoyed the book, but found the book contains too little narrative on Lulu and Flora and other minor characters. The entire plot of Violet and Perpetual was a waste of time. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. not the same Amy Tan, Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2017. With her characteristic insight and humor, she conjures a story of inherited trauma, desire and deception, and the power and stubbornness of love. Sometimes I felt that the writer wanted to use so much of her fascinating source material that we,rattled through without the characters becoming particularly engaging emotionally for me as reader: but I know that my preference is to read books that have characters I really care about and so this aside, I would recommend this book highly. . Want to Read. I felt stranded in thought about the outcomes of various characters in the story. I started this book over 3 years ago and put it aside as I found it too slow going and not nearly as captivating as Amy Tan's earlier books. Fortunately the final 10% seem to go by quickly as Amy seems in a rush to finish up this book. Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement is a sweeping, evocative epic of two women's intertwined fates and their search for identity, that moves from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village. Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2016, China, An Epic Narrative of Mother and Daughter, Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020. The main focus is Violet, once a virgin courtesan in one of the most reputable houses in Shanghai, who faces a series of crippling setbacks: the death of her first husband from Spanish influenza, a second marriage to an abusive scam artist, and the abduction of her infant daughter, Flora. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Violets only friends are her cherished cat, Carlotta; a courtesan, Magic Gourd; and her mother's business partner, Golden Dove. Shocked by her lover's adherence to Chinese traditions, she is unable to change him, despite her unending American ingenuity. The poetry was the worst! . Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my favorite books and I had high hopes that this book would reveal what the courtesan life was like. Buy it now! Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2015. PEAKS AND LOWS Author Amy Tan's latest novel is high on action and low on displaying her usual narrative gifts “The Valley of Amazement” is her latest colorful description of life in Shanghai at the turn of the 20th century. Tan spends numerous pages on Violet, a sizable time on Lulu, and a fleeting conversation on Flora. I am so sorry that I disliked this endless book so much and that I finally gave up about the time Lucia was traveling to Shanghai. --Donna Seaman. Amy Tan. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. The book asks us to ponder a mother's motive, Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017. Please try again. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan Summary Study Guide. I allways enjoy a work of fiction which can impart information about something that I know little. Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018. Reaching back to Lulu’s San Francisco childhood and forward to Violet’s operatic struggles and traumas and reliance on her smart, loyal mentor, Magic Gourd, this scrolling saga is practically a how-to on courtesan life and a veritable orgy of suspense and sorrow. Lucia promptly produces a boy on demand. Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. I truly felt that I met some remarkable characters and watched with fascination as their stories interconnected and brought out the best in themselves. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. I have no idea why I slogged my way through this book. What sould have been Amy Tan at her best is bland. Fortunately the final 10% seem to go by quickly as Amy seems in a rush to finish up this book. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges, Or get 4-5 business-day shipping on this item for $5.99 The Valley Of Amazement was a very long book filled with many historical facts into the world of the courtesan women. Spanning more than forty years and two continents, The Valley of Amazement resurrects pivotal episodes in history: from the collapse … But … When things seemed to finally be winding up with Violet climbing that mysterious mountain (which, sorry to say, seemed like an incredibly contrived device that I never could quite understand), the blasted book didn't end but started a whole new episode of the boring Lucia and her love nest in the turret and her over wrought reaction to the painting of that other contrived device, The Valley of Amazement. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. I have enjoyed other books by Amy Tan but this one never ended! Violet Minturn is the privileged daughter of the American madam of the city's most exclusive courtesan house. Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my favorite books and I had high hopes that this book would reveal what the courtesan life was like. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. This is the first Amy Tan book I've read, so not sure what to expect. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Flora and then hardly bothered to mention her lost child again Amazon Prime the privileged daughter of political... Sell your information during transmission been translated into thirty-five languages that tell you about the abuse women... First half of the Hidden Jade path, a first class courtesan house Deckle Edge, November,... 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