Madre mía que llorera más grande con el emotivo final de este maravilloso libro. Ha sido brutal. Que pena haber postergado tanto la lectura de Amy Tan. Este es de esos libros que te llevan de viaje por diferentes vidas y el recorrido ha sido espectacular.

La historia nos va a narrar la vida de cuatro madres chinas (Anmei, Suyuan, Lindo y Ying-ying) que a raíz de la guerra y la pobreza tuvieron que emigrar a América y de sus cuatros hijas (Rose, Jingmei, Waverly y Lena) ya americanas de nacimiento. El choque de culturas siempre es uno de mis temas favoritos y en este libro resulta aún más interesante ver este choque entre madres e hijas. Madres que luchan por que sus hijas aprendan lo que implica ser china e hijas, que sin entenderlas huyen de todo lo relacionados con China por miedo a no encajar en la sociedad estadounidense.

La cultura asiática tan rica en simbología siempre me flipa. Me parece maravilloso como cada madre tiene un sentido para cada pequeña cosa, de los rasgos de un rostro a el clima o para el día del nacimiento. Me parece super interesante ver que más que fe en dioses y seres sobrenaturales, tienen fe en la naturaleza, en el uso que hagan de esas supersticiones y en sus propia familia.

Me gusta mucho la enseñanza final del valor de una madre, y que muchas veces, cuando lxs hijxs se quieren dar cuenta, ya es tarde. Y es cuando se encuentran con que no conocían realmente a lo más importante que tenían. Y es lo que pasa en esta novela, estas hijas solo entienden a sus madres, y comienzan a valorarlas cuando ya son mayores o cuando falta una de ellas.

En definitiva, una novela familiar, dulce y dura a partes iguales y sobre todo una novela de mujeres fuertes, mujeres dueñas de su destino. Me he enamorado de Amy Tan <3

As satisfying as the first time I read it over twenty years ago and still impressed that this was her first book published. Grateful to the world for her and her works. Helped me to see my mom differently and as her own person after the first time I read it. Until then, I hadn't realized how self-centered I was with her. I guess it's a window of how immature I was in my 30s.

Amy Tan's 'The Joy Luck Club' is a monumental novel about the epic love of Mothers and Daughters (so everyday common that all societies ignore the miracle and beauty of it). These mothers and daughters are connected by their genes, but they are separated by their culture and life experiences despite living under the same roof for decades - however, all are very very very fortunate with the joy and luck of each one growing up loving each other.

To me, this seems to be almost a Great Book, but with much more relationship and family comedy represented and without the width of life present in Great Books (the effects of war were strikingly missing or compressed, as were the more terrible dramas of abuse or starvation). The narrow view of the story focusing on 'female' aspects of life, as well as, perhaps, the genre styling, declare this is a Woman's Great Book. Unfortunately, because it is focused on the typical constrained life of women, as well as being narrowed to parent/child love, I suspect many do not respect it. Thankfully, it was short-listed by many literary organizations. The one thing I did not enjoy myself about this novel was its structure. It is divided into four sets of four short stories per four eras of time from the point of view of each of four sets of mothers/daughters.

Four Chinese women immigrate to America after tough lives of proscribed emotions and lack of personal fulfillment. Three of them marry Chinese-Americans, one marries an American. All of them have American-born children. Each of them has a daughter who never learns the Chinese language beyond a few expressions and nothing of Chinese culture except odd mystifying stories of admonishment and instruction from their mothers.

The Chinese mothers are born and then married to their first husbands in China, for the most part in arranged marriages. But they end up eventually in America with second husbands, except for one mother who has only one marriage. Their daughters are born in America and they grow away from their mothers for a time. The daughters do not understand very much about their Chinese culture or their mothers, even though they observe and obey to a limited degree what their mothers wanted. However, once the daughters marry, sometimes twice, they grow close to their mothers. What I noticed was the Chinese mothers keep learning, changing and growing, too, along with their daughters, but these changes by the mothers were often completely overlooked by the daughters until much later. The progression of their relationships actually sounds like a universal one to me!

The barriers of generational differences were definitely higher between post-war women from China and late 20th-century American women, especially because of cultural expectations and duties. Language affects how the brain works as well.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/0...

http://www.pnas.org/content/105/10/40...

http://ideas.ted.com/5-examples-of-ho...

Some readers thought Tan treated the mothers disrespectfully because she exposes the syncopated and peculiar, at least to the American mind as well as to these Chinese-American daughters, Chinese wisdom tales and country folk-quotes common to Chinese villages in the past. I think, to me as an American, these Chinese sayings and stories are very weird and opaque, but I bet one of the fault-lines of perception is built-in due to the differing constructions and pronouncing of words and sentences between English and Chinese (whether Mandarin or Cantonese). Besides, it is obvious to me these instances of comical miscommunication and fractured understandings in conversations between mother and daughter are not only based on reality, they are one of the bricks which support the loving relationship of daughters for their mothers. Many men, and I guess some women, do not understand love can be deepened by a daughter's feeling that her mother is a cute, even if spiky, supportive darling whose cultural oddities will be recalled with deep affection long after the parent is gone.

The concept of 'Face' and its connection to respect of elders is pure idiocy to me, especially when 'respect' is considered more important than affection. I do NOT think respect is more important than affection! I suspect some of the other reader complaints is based on a perceived lack of respect because of the American author's reveal of the American daughters' reactions to seeing cuteness and comedy in the oddities of the mothers teaching moments in translated vernacular. I saw my hearing cousins have giggly moments with translation peculiarities with their deaf parents; and I also saw their affection and underlying mutual, sometimes belated, recognition of comedic goings on in unintentional operatic emotional gestures of misunderstandings in their flying hands.

There is a lot of universal human depths of love and support between mothers and daughters hidden in these pages, although the focus is on Chinese social mores. However, I could also see that American cultural mores had eroded away parts of the Chinese social prism of the mothers.

I did pick up how much more painful it was for a Chinese mother to love a Chinese daughter in China in the past. In the book and in real life Chinese mothers had to learn for themselves and teach their Chinese daughters in turn to 'eat their pain' from the lack of fulfillment or autonomy in Chinese culture, even to the point of stopping up natural love and affection by showing only harsh cruelty and cold dislike towards their daughters, often necessary for the personal survival of both mother and daughter. These mothers had such a harsh life compared to their American daughters, and the girls never knew until almost too late.

Patriarchal cultures are just plain fucking evil! This novel, as do many other novels and histories, demonstrates how terrible and torturous to women patriarchy is in the China chapters. Modern America has many problems, but at least it does not any longer culturally encourage mothers to kill off their love for daughters because girls are considered almost worthless commodities only men have the right to dispose of as if their daughters were ugly couches. It was thrilling how these immigrant mothers in Tan's novel wasted no time in encouraging their daughters to have careers, despite the daughters' obliviousness to the source of their mothers' often overeager pushing.

I think one day I will return to this book to read it again, but instead of reading it as the book is arranged in flipping between eight character narratives, each chapter a short story by a mother in one part, then each daughter having alternate chapters in the next part, I will stick with one family's narration skipping the other three until the end, then I'll go back to the beginning and read through another mother/daughter linked narrative.

I loved this book! So much joy and luck, indeed!

It kind of says something when I want to bounce ideas about the book I'm reading off my husband, and all I can think to say is, "meh, it's fine." (He's gotten quite used to having me talk about books he hasn't had a chance to read yet, and tends to have amazing insights anyway. And if he doesn't, I at least get to formulate my ideas out loud, which is always how I think best, and he listens patiently.)

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

5 estrellas y porque no puedo ponerle 5000.

This is a story of mothers and daughters, structured around the four women players of a regular game of mahjong. Each of four sections is split into four parts, one for each of the mahjong players, simulating the taking of turns during a game. It starts with the mother’s life in China and proceeds to the daughter’s life in the US.

One of the highlights is the portrayal of the Chinese culture and traditions, and the difficulty of passing them along to a younger generation, especially those immersed in American culture. I think the author does an excellent job of putting the reader into the heads of both generations. We see the older women through the lens of the younger, and vice-versa, so we understand their motivations and also see the disconnects between the generations.

The novel examines the changing roles of women, which becomes more pronounced when compared to the traditions of past generations of Chinese women deferring to men, sacrificing for the family, and suffering in silence. The game of mahjong is not discussed in any detail. I found it a delightful exploration of the value of family, memories, and identity.

This book was pivotal in my experience as a reader. I read it 2 summers ago and still think about it nearly daily, still factor it in to many of my decisions on what to read next. It captures the unique experience of being a Chinese woman. It captures the fragile relationships between immigrants and their American-born children. It is so skillfully told and beautifully interconnected, and I know I will return to it again and again as I grow older and especially if I am one day fortunate enough to have a daughter of my own—I really look forward to sharing this particular book with her.

The settings are gorgeously rendered back and forth between mid-20th-century China, in all its political frenzy and upheaval, and 1980s San Francisco, a city that lends a unique impact particularly to stories of Asian-American immigration and frequently appears in Tan’s work. The characters represent very specific issues and characteristics often discussed in the immigration experience of Chinese women to America, and each brings a special conversation to the table.

Amy Tan is one of my favorite authors, and it’s easy to see why in her most popular and moving read. The Joy Luck Club is considered classic literature for a reason. Highly recommended for you if you’re a human being on this planet—and the movie is incredibly moving and excellent as well!

All I remember is I had to read this book before I entered high school and write a report on it. Needless to say my summer was lost! This book about about four women who mothers bond over mahjong. This book talks about the mothers past and how it has shaped their daughters futures.

That moment when you delay writing a review because you don't think your review will ever be satisfactory for such a piece of art!

Me momentarily:


I started reading the book. Then when I was almost a couple of chapters away from the ending I started watching the movie chapter by chapter. The movie was well directed to suit every single detail in the movie. Yet, nothing can be like the book. Especially when it is well written in such tremendous way!

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
It is a series of interrelated short stores about Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-raised daughters

The novel spans from the 1920s through the 1980s, following two generations of women.
Mothers, born and raised in China, find themselves in San Francisco raising their own daughters.

Both mothers and daughters must navigate diverse worlds, with different languages, cultures, and habits.

It is the story of the mother, and yet the story of the daughter:


Characters:



Suyuan Woo—founder of the Joy Luck Club whose recent death has left a space at the Mah-Jong table.

Jing-mei Woo—daughter born in America who takes her mother’s place at the Mah-Jong table. She has difficulty understanding her mother. She is the protagonist.

Lindo Jong—cleverly opted out of an unfortunate arranged marriage in China. Came to the US on her own, married and had three children.

Waverly Jong—daughter who became a chess champion and an attorney. She has achieved much but still fears her mother’s disapproval.




Lessons to be taught:


Themes:
1- Sacrifices Made for Love.



2- The Relationships between Mothers and Daughters


3- The Immigrant Identity/ Cultural Identity


4- Misunderstandings and Reconciliation



5- Misleading cultures consequences


6- Giving up the least that you deserve


7-Unexplainable axioms:


8- Losing yourself in the process


"Don't be afraid of losing him .. it is you who will be found!"




All I know is, I have borrowed this book and now writing a review and giving it back to the library is such a farewell to a real good friend that I can't bear abandoning.

P.S.: I guess I will be updating this review as soon as I reread and rewatch such masterpiece but, unfortunately, in an epub format this time.

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.

Those of you who read my blog are most likely aware that my relationship with my mother is not all bouncing bunnies and beautiful butterflies. As an American-born son raised with traditionally Asian standards, my childhood has been filled with conflicts resulting in screaming matches and bountiful tears. So reading The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan was quite the vicarious experience - though I am not Chinese nor a daughter, I could connect to several of the themes that ran throughout the novel.

The interweaving vignettes that comprise the book are too intricate to explain completely without writing a long review, but the book is basically about four Chinese women who immigrate to San Francisco. They have all endured great hardship but are each hopeful about their futures as well as their daughters' futures. Through sixteen short stories we are able to view major events in their lives that have shaped their mindsets, their worlds, and their relationships with one another.

Amy Tan's writing is devastatingly simple. Her diction is not all that convoluted, but the drama and tension she manages to create through her choice of words is astounding. After reading certain sentences and phrases I stopped and thought dang. That was deep. Indeed, Tan's deceptively simple writing style is realistic and piercing and poignant all at once.

The theme that struck me the most while reading the novel was the inter-generational loss that afflicted the characters. The misunderstandings that occurred and all the things that were lost in translation were truly tragic - and still are tragic in contemporary society. However, after finishing the book and tearing up at the bittersweet endings, I've come to the conclusion that what really matters is the love one feels for their child and the longing to leave one's legacy with their son or daughter in order for them to succeed.

While I had difficulty discerning the characters from one another while reading the book - I had to constantly reference the front section to keep myself from utter confusion - overall I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a bittersweet story about Chinese culture or the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters.

*cross-posted from my blog, the quiet voice.

There are four mothers and four daughters. The first left China to live in the USA, but would like to pass on what it means to be Chinese to their children. The latter are genuinely American and do not understand their mothers.
But little by little, through the eight women's stories, they understand each other.
This novel initially unsettled me; I got lost among the eight women who were mother/daughter. But these stories were beautiful and touching, even if two families marked me more than the other. The author evokes the search for oneself and one's roots and the difficulty of integrating into another culture. Perhaps this book deserves to be read a second time to understand the links between women better, to see not to read it in order, but family by family. I am curious to discover the film made in the early 1990s to understand these women better.