Wow. I purchased this book at our library used book sale for one dollar and it gave me such pleasure to read it. Amy Tan's pages are filled with quirky people, exotic adventures, nail-biting suspense. She seems fascinated by the clash of cultures in the hinterlands of Asia. We follow a group of American travelers from China to Burma where they fall into a cultural abyss that takes them back a century in time. Initially the Americans are concerned with their creature comforts - what is for dinner, will the accommodations be adequate. They are oblivious to hardship, want, and need of the local tribespeople. Military and civilian authorities of Burma have committed murderous acts that reverberate through its victims lives for generations, and introduce the tourists to a new reality. Our narrator has an omniscient view of the entire sphere of activity and a lively sense of humor. She adds spice to the story.

this was wild!! and amy tan really convinced me that bibi chen was real and these 11 idiot tourists actually went missing

While a definite-and somewhat welcome- departure from Amy Tan's usual fare and themes, this novel, though ambitious in its social and political commentary and large cast of characters, does not deliver either the thoughtfulness or memorability of her other work. This is largely due to the fact that the book spends a lot of time talking about how characters are feeling, rather than showing, and characters are developed in random spurts rather than linearly, the story moving in a rather disjointed fashion. All in all though, it's an interesting work, sometimes verging on magical realism, that is narrated by a ghost and details both the human rights abuses in Burma and the brokenness- and eventual healing- of eleven unique characters after they are, unknown to themselves, kidnapped by well meaning extremists in the jungle. Despite the awkward pacing and poor development, it's still worth reading, if only for the cultural commentary, or to see Tan explore material that's slightly different than her usual fare.

I've read several reviews of this book and people seem to either love it or hate it
I loved it
The characters are full and believable - I feel as if I have known them all for years
Ms. Tan chooses as her storyteller the ghost of Bibi Chen,a wealthy art patron, who has just met an untimely and violent death. Bibi had already organized an art and culture tour for a number of her longtime friends that had planned to follow the fabled Burma Road from Lijiang in southwestern China (claimed by some to be the inspiration for Shangri-La) across the closed border into Myanmar. Despite Bibi's death, her friends decide to follow her itinerary with a new (and unbeknown to them, a completely inexperienced guide, Bennie.
A series of misadventures and misunderstandings plague their trip, most of which the omniscient Bibi-ghost is powerless to prevent, but the group eventually crosses the border with Bibi's mysterious help. Once in Myanmar, more misunderstandings occur and the twelve travelers find themselves unknowingly involved with members of a Burmese minority group called the Karen. All but one of Bibi's group disappear into the deep jungle on what they believe is a Christmas surprise part of their tour, but the rest of the world believes they have either been lost, killed, or kidnapped by anti-government insurgents.
I won't tell the rest or it would spoil the story for you

Kind of convoluted and kept losing my interest here and there. Liked the descriptions of Burma/Myanmar. Just okay overall.

I have waited awhile to post about this book because I like Amy Tan so much that I was hoping that the story would continue to resonate and lead me to learn that I liked the book more than I thought I had...no such luck.

There are many smart devices in the book and I continue to like and enjoy Amy Tan's voice - but I never got to the point where I cared so much about many of the characters in this book - although some were memorable.

I did discover while I was waiting that my visual image of Bibi Chen matched nearly exactly that of Edna Mode - the SuperHero clothes designer in "The Incredibles". Bibi is a great character and I am glad that the mystery of her demise was tidied up by the end of the book.

I was also amused by the series of miracles that occured at the "Lajamee" camp - and liked the manipulation of the American tourists (those who believe that if you wish to make a difference - you can) It is a wonderful American quality that I hope I subscribe to myself - but it can lead to a lot of naivete as well.

I did have to check into whether Bibi and the 11 missing tourists existed ("I'm fairly tuned into world news - wouldn't I remember?"). NPR set me straight.

This was an intelligently written first novel. The characters were strange and plus several of the characters you could not get a sense for until the end. The journey described was full of various adventures which left the reader wondering what is going on. But, the writing was superb.

Life Lesson: We all must find our place in life for God to take over.

Ik heb al veel gelezen van Amy Tan, maar dit boek is anders dan de vorige. Enerzijds een persiflage op georganiseerde groepsreizen naar exotische landen, anderzijds een spannend verhaal van een groep Amerikanen die ontvoerd worden in Myanmar door een onderdrukte stam, omdat zij geloven dat een van de toeristen hun verlossende god is. Uiteindelijk blijkt hun bijgeloof niet zo anders dan de goedgelovigheid van de toeristen. Fijn om te lezen, grappig, spitsvondig... Tegelijkertijd geeft het boek een goed beeld van Myanmar onder de dictatuur, maar ook van de lokale gebruiken in een toch weinig gekend land.

This book was very different to Tan's usual works in tone - I didn't expect that much satire from her, which this book clearly is, not despite its serious undertones and the heart she at times seems to have for her characters, but all the more because of it.
Written earlier, this book can still be read as an antidote to books like "Eat, Pray, Love" - in the end, the travellers will have found a lot for, or found out a lot about themselves, but the people they met were mostly "Fish Saved From Drowning", and left with all the more trouble, demise, or just dissapointment. In a literary world were the natives whose hardships travelling literary heroes and heroines get to share, are all too often the living background for others' self discovery it is good to see this picked up in such a sardonic way. Like all relevant satire, this book has a deeply moral chore, and gives food for thought. I "take one star away" because the tone isn't always exactly fluid - at some times we are supposed to care for the main characters, then again they are so over the top that it doesn't work anymore, not even in a satire - the whole thing comes across as a bit undecided (do we want character development and inner monologues, or do we want extreme stereotyping? Doing both at ones doesn't always work, at least not here). Still.... I'd recommend it as a read.

From the book jacket Twelve American tourists join an art expedition that begins in the Himalayan foothills of China and heads south into the jungles of Burma. But after the mysterious death of their tour leader, the carefully laid plans fall apart and disharmony breaks out among the pleasure-seekers as they come to discover that the Burma Road is paved with less-than-honorable intentions, questionable food, and tribal curses. And then, on Christmas morning, eleven of the travelers boat across a misty lake for a sunrise cruise – and disappear.

My reactions
I like Tan’s writing. She has the ability to plop me right into the middle of a completely different culture. This story, narrated by the ghost of Bibi Chen (the group’s recently deceased tour guide), has some elements of magical realism. Tan deftly explores the ways in which American tourists make “innocent” mistakes that have significant consequences.

Some of the characters were irritating because of their know-it-all attitude; others (especially the two youngsters) were petulant and bored. They ignored advice and warnings, made little effort to truly understand the culture, and took unnecessary risks. Their unreasonable expectations drove me crazy and made me cringe for the impression they left on the locals they encountered. And yet … by the end they seemed genuinely moved by the generosity and kindness of the people, and were eager to help (if misguided in their efforts).

At 474 pages, this is longer than it needs to be. I got the point long before the tourists did, and I think a good editor might have helped Tan trim about 100 pages. Still, I enjoyed it and was entertained throughout.

Tan narrates the audio version herself. She really personified Bibi, and I felt as though I were hearing a tall tale directly from the character. A few of her attempts at Australian or Swiss/German or British accents went rather awry, but, again, it was as if Bibi Chen were telling the story and trying to add color to the tale so I forgave Tan.

Picked this book up at a grocery store's Bargain Books bin. The price was right. It took me a long time to get past the first few chapters, but once I did I discovered a truly interesting little book. A narrative about a group of people carrying out a planned trip through Burma, even though their tour guide from the States had suddenly passed away;it became a delightful read - almost like a travel book. The geoup members have adventures and misadventures and come face to face with the culture of the area, sometimes in a comic and, yes uncomfortable way. Told through the eyes of the deceased tour guide, whose untimely death is later revealed, it gives a glimpse of the culture of the country. Others have commented that this is not a good book to 'discover' the writing of Amy Tan. On the contrary, I feel it is a perfect way to dip ones toes in the body of Amy Tan's work. From this book I went on to read the Joy Luck Club and I am anxious to get started on the Kitchen God's Wife.

An author is accessed by the recently deceased to produce a novel through automatic writing whilst eleven American tourists go missing in Myanmar. A very dark and incredibly funny, romance/murder mystery/thriller/romance/picaresque epic.