Secrets. Mothers and daughters almost always have secrets from each other. At some point in life, however, these secrets need to be revealed, don't they? Winnie, Pearl's mother, is facing this difficult situation. Her dearest friend Helen is threatening to tell Pearl all the secrets of Winnie's early years in China. So, Winnie decides to tell Pearl her life story before Helen does. After all, Helen would not tell it accurately anyway.

But Pearl also has a secret of her own. Will hearing her mother's secrets give her the courage to share hers?

This book was sometimes quite painful to read. Readers who are overly sensitive to any kind of abuse scenes may not be able to handle parts of this story. We see what Winnie endured because of her arranged marriage to a complete jerk and due to the war in China in the 1930s and 40s. She suffered greatly but also had a few victories at times. Somehow, she held onto a deep inner strength that perhaps even surprised herself.

Chance is the first step you take, and luck is what follows. But you have to have the courage to take that first step and trust that luck will come your way. I think Winnie did this in the best way she could. I hope Pearl learns to do the same.

I promised my mother that I would give her this book in May. She recently discovered Tan's work when she read The Bonesetter's Daughter. We are planning a book swap. It will be fun to discuss them after reading because we have recently discovered a bit of a secret between us. Every now and then, we actually like the same books! Maybe that means one of us is getting older and wiser?

For my class, I both read and listened to an audiobook, and I truly, truly adored it.

It was such a captivating and beautiful story that centered around a mother and daughter.

The narrative delved into the mother's life during World War II in China.

The details painted a vivid picture of the challenges and experiences she endured during that tumultuous time.

I was completely engrossed from start to finish.

The relationship between the mother and daughter was so touching and well-developed.

It made me appreciate the sacrifices and love that can exist within a family.

Overall, I have an absolute love for this story and would highly recommend it to others.

It not only entertained but also educated me about a significant period in history.

I can't wait to explore more stories like this one.

This is a truly great story that delves into the relationship between a mother and daughter.

To some extent, we all encounter challenges in our relationships with our mothers. This book has compelled me to take a profound look at my own connection with my mom and has sparked my thoughts about the aspects of my mom and her life that remain unknown to me. Currently, my mom is also reading this, and we have engaged in some remarkable conversations regarding this and what it implies for our own relationship.

This is a wonderful story that encompasses multiple themes. It showcases (1) the remarkable love of a mother, which is often unconditional and profound. (2) It explores cultural assimilation and the preservation of native cultures, highlighting the importance of maintaining one's heritage in a changing world. (3) The story also touches on the rise of communist China, providing a historical backdrop that adds depth and context. (4) Additionally, it emphasizes a woman's fight for self-determination and empowerment, demonstrating the strength and resilience of women in the face of adversity. (5) Finally, it addresses the issue of surviving domestic violence, shedding light on a topic that is often overlooked but deeply impactful.

Overall, this story is a powerful and engaging exploration of various aspects of life and relationships.

Had to catch my breath.

I just love Amy Tan, and I truly wanted to give this modern classic five stars. She is an outstanding writer, no doubt about it. But throughout the story, I couldn't help but keep hoping and worrying about our main character, Winnie.

How many times can one person endure so much hardship and be let down in a lifetime, especially before they're even 30? I understand the context of World War II and the various challenges faced by the Chinese, including spousal abuse. But towards the end, in a plot involving a final confrontation with the villain, I had to suspend my disbelief a little.

I also would have preferred to see more development of the present-day part of the story. There were some loose ends that didn't quite get neatly tied up.

However, this novel is still worth diving into headfirst. Tan's conversational style of narration is simply excellent. She takes you directly to the villages and cities in war-torn China with such vividness that you become completely immersed in the story.

The novel functions well as an inter-generation immigrant story, as well as historical fiction and family drama. If you have a penchant for these types of fiction, you'll likely find this book well worth a read.

I discovered my audiobook version of THE KITCHEN GOD'S WIFE by Amy Tan on Scrib'd!

Winnie has arrived at a crucial juncture in her life. She must now be honest with her daughter about her past, before she became a refugee in America and a mother. She has always concealed such secrets, claiming it was to protect her daughter. More likely, she also needed to safeguard herself. Some history, especially war history, cannot be erased by simply speaking about it, nor can it be made new by airing it out. But her history was not solely hers; it still isn't. Someone with whom she shares the story is ready to tell it, and so she must as well, at least to her own daughter.

This book mainly consists of the memories Winnie shares of her life in different places in China during World War II. She reveals a life of unimaginable hardship. She endured a horribly abusive husband who beat and raped her, harmed their children, squandered their money, and left them in abject poverty, all while demanding the utmost respect and subservience from her. She could not get any help from her community, which was deeply distrustful and judgmental of women. Throughout it all, she showed remarkable patience and cleverness, patiently waiting for her chance at freedom.

For me, this was a difficult book to listen to, as Winnie endured so many terrible things. She was trapped on all sides, and I often felt desperate on her behalf. Please consider this as my trigger warning for extreme cases of physical, emotional, and sexual violence against women and children, as well as the loss of a fetus. This is a truly heart-wrenching story, but also an inspiring one about what a woman can endure in silence, waiting for her moment to escape to a better life.

THE KITCHEN GOD'S WIFE is my first book by Amy Tan, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading many more of her works.

Rating:

Book # ?? for book club with @gabrielle!

If you've never read Amy Tan, you should add her to the top of your list right away.

Truly, any of her books are worth reading.

She is such a talented and thoughtful writer.

Amy Tan has a unique way of telling stories that captivates readers from the very beginning.

Her books explore themes such as family, culture, identity, and the immigrant experience.

Through her vivid characters and engaging plots, she takes readers on a journey that is both emotional and thought-provoking.

Whether you're a fan of fiction or non-fiction, you're sure to find something to love in Amy Tan's work.

So don't wait any longer. Pick up one of her books today and discover the magic of her writing for yourself.

You won't be disappointed!

It took Amy Tan to really pull me out of my literary slump after "Little Women" - and what a beautiful book. What a wickedly beautiful book. What a sublime story of resilience, strength, friendships, and solidarity.

And always, at the center, this mother-daughter relationship, which although it is "lost" from view more than in "The Joy Luck Club", remains complex, difficult, and terribly moving.

The way Tan weaves together the different storylines and characters is masterful. Each character is so vividly drawn, with their own hopes, dreams, fears, and flaws. The settings are also described in such detail that you can almost feel like you are there, experiencing everything along with the characters.

This book is not just a story, but a exploration of the human condition, of the relationships we have with those closest to us, and of the power of love and forgiveness. It is a book that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it, and one that you will want to recommend to everyone you know.

Winnie and her daughter Pearl don't fully understand each other. The fact that one is a Chinese woman who emigrated to the United States, and the other, despite her Chinese ancestry, was born as an American, creates a cultural shock that strains their relationship and keeps them apart. Pearl's aunt, Helen, is always close to her mother Winnie, and although sometimes it doesn't seem that they have a good relationship, the reality is that they have lived together all their lives. Helen's illness will give the starting gun to this crude story, and because of the fear of dying full of secrets, Helen convinces Winnie to tell everything they have been keeping quiet for more than 40 years, everything that Pearl never knew about her mother's life.

Years ago I read "The Joy Luck Club" and it instantly became a favorite. I was fascinated by that cultural shock between those four Chinese mothers and their four American daughters, it touched me and moved me on many levels. Those mothers who try to understand their daughters in a world that is strange to them, that rejects their traditions and their culture, and daughters who find themselves immersed in the middle of two such opposite cultures, not knowing where they belong. It has been a joy to discover that under different stories and forms, the favorite theme of Amy Tan remains the same, because, among many other things, "The Kitchen God's Wife" takes as a starting point this lack of understanding between mother and daughter, and charts the path to follow so that they can meet on the way.

As Winnie tells us her story, the reader can gradually discover a lot about the historical context of China at that time. Winnie's story spans from the early 1920s in a modern and rich Shanghai, where Winnie was born into a comfortable family, to the late 1940s. During these years, China witnesses many changes, the Japanese invade China and everything is turned upside down, but the years pass and the Japanese will not be the only danger to China, as the battle between the Kuomintang and the Communists has been gradually brewing. China experiences year after year of great imbalances, wars, famines and poverty, and under all this context we will witness Winnie's life.

Winnie is forced to marry Wen Fu, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that he has become one of the most repulsive characters I have ever read in my life. Repulsive to the point where I would have liked to get into the book and tear his head off. However, I really like the construction of the character and how Amy Tan knows how to present him as a tender and attentive gentleman, a great conqueror, who only reveals his true personality when he has his prey trapped. A very accurate portrayal of the abuser figure. I also hated Pearl's Western husband, already in the present of the novel (the 1990s), because he constantly ridicules the culture of his mother-in-law, making it less, while his daughter allows it. On the other hand, I really liked Winnie herself, who despite having had a hard life, is a character who recovers and moves forward with an inexhaustible strength.

I think that "The Kitchen God's Wife" is one of those books that teach a lot, not only in terms of historical context, but also culturally speaking, in terms of traditions and customs specific to daily life, and about how people relate to each other. I really enjoyed the relationship between Helen and Winnie, that friendship that always hung by a thread, but that managed to stay afloat based on those deeply ingrained customs about how to treat or please the other. It has also impressed me a lot how her characters tend to relativize great misfortunes, never allowing themselves to fall before the pain of the death of any loved one. This is something I have found a lot in Chinese literature, and I imagine it is the result of all that imbalance that the country has experienced in the last century, of continuous wars, where moving forward was the only possibility, no matter what happened.

It is a hard and crude book, that although it does not wallow in very explicit traumatic scenes, it does show them without fear and that sometimes tears a little. It had been a long time since I had read Amy Tan, but it has been a pleasure to meet her again. I find in her stories, despite the drama that characterizes them, a safe place, of stories about strong women, of learning and of denunciation. They arouse in me the same feelings as the work of Lisa See. I hope our next encounter does not take long to arrive.

“You see yourself only in a mirror. But I see you the way you can never see yourself, all the pure things, neither good nor bad.” This profound statement makes us realize that our self-perception is often limited by the reflection in the mirror. We may only see the surface, but there are aspects of ourselves that others can perceive more clearly.

Amy Tan never does me wrong. This was heartbreaking and hopeful. Her words have the power to touch our hearts and evoke a range of emotions. They can make us feel the pain and suffering, but also give us hope and inspiration.

“I have told you about the early days of my marriage so you can understand why I became weak and strong at the same time. Maybe, according to your American mind, you cannot be both, that would be a contradiction. But according to my life, I had to be both, that was the only way I could live.” This passage highlights the complexity of human nature and the different perspectives that exist. In some cultures, being weak and strong simultaneously may be seen as a contradiction, but in others, it is a necessary part of life.

Pearl Brandt's relationship with her mother, Winnie, is indeed a complex and challenging one.

Pearl deeply dislikes her mother's constant petty criticisms, overbearing bossiness, superstitious rituals meant to fend off bad luck, and her generally negative outlook on life. As a result, it is quite natural that she is extremely reluctant to disclose her diagnosis of MS to her mother.

However, the situation takes a turn when her Aunt Helen, believing she is dying from a brain tumor, firmly insists that Pearl come clean with her mother about her illness. Additionally, Helen also pressures Winnie into revealing the truth about her past to her daughter.

This leads to the commencement of Winnie's story. We learn about her upbringing as a young girl in China, her entry into an abusive marriage, the heart-wrenching loss of three babies, and her harrowing experiences during World War 2, including the horrors and privations she endured.

We discover how she met Pearl's father and how, shortly after the war, she came to live in America, where she endeavored to build a new life while carefully concealing her past.

This story is truly a captivating exploration of the relationships between friends, mothers, and daughters, as well as a vivid portrayal of life in prewar and wartime China. Although it may start off a bit slowly at the beginning, once the narrative of Winnie's past begins to unfold, it becomes an irresistibly engaging book that is difficult to put down.

Make it stop!

The first quarter of the book was okay, to be honest. I was patiently waiting for something to truly capture my attention and make me care deeply about the story. It was initially presented as a narrative about family, secrets, and the intricate web of interactions within a family unit. However, then something strange happened. The smooth flow of the story was disrupted, and without any proper transition, a woman suddenly began talking about her history. She delved into the abuse she had endured, the horrors of war, and the tragic reality of infant mortality.

It was extremely unclear what was going on. Was she having some sort of 'episode'? Was she talking to someone in particular? Or was this just a random outpouring of her tortured memories? I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated and disenchanted with the book.

I resorted to forwarding through random (and rather long) chunks of the text in a desperate attempt to get past this depressing and, so far, seemingly pointless meander down the lane of unhappy memories. But it felt like it would never end! Even past the halfway point of the (abridged) book, I finally reached my breaking point. I had simply had enough.

I'm sure that there are some people out there who might find this kind of story enlightening, enriching, or empowering. But for me, it was anything but. It failed to engage me on any meaningful level and left me feeling disappointed and unfulfilled.

Beautiful and poignant. Loved it.

This simple yet powerful statement encapsulates the essence of something truly remarkable. It could refer to a piece of art, a story, a moment in time, or perhaps a relationship.

The beauty lies in the details, the elegance, the charm that captures our attention and makes our hearts skip a beat. It is that which appeals to our senses and touches our souls.

The poignancy, on the other hand, adds a layer of depth and emotion. It may be a hint of sadness, a touch of longing, or a realization of the fragility of life. It is what makes us reflect, feel, and remember.

Together, beauty and poignancy create a unique and unforgettable experience. They have the power to move us, inspire us, and change us. And when we encounter something that is both beautiful and poignant, we cannot help but be in awe and love it with all our hearts.