Read Women discussion

It's Amy Tan time!

Here we'll discuss books written by American author, Amy Tan, the second of three children born to Chinese immigrants. I'm linking to her Wiki bio because it is chock-full of both the familiar and less familiar facts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Tan

Standalone Novels

The Joy Luck Club (1989)
The Kitchen God's Wife (1991)
The Hundred Secret Senses (1995)
The Bonesetter's Daughter (2001)
Saving Fish from Drowning (2005)
The Valley of Amazement (2013)

Short Stories/Novella

Rules for Virgins (2012)

Children's Books

The Moon Lady (1992)
Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat (1994)

Nonfiction

The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life (2003)
Post Pregnancy Diet: The Secret Recipes for New Mom (2015)
Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir (2017)
The Backyard Bird Chronicles (2024)

I did a double-take at 2015's Post-Pregnancy Diet. I'd love to know what inspired her to pen this so deep into her successful career at post-60 years of age.

What have you read and loved? What's on your Tan TBR for this group discussion?

In high school decades ago, I enjoyed The Joy Luck Club. It's still special to me as my first experience of literature that reflected family that looked more like mine/my mom's. And I love family stories. But it is very long ago, so my recollection of it is foggy at best.
More recently I really enjoyed The Bonesetter's Daughter as audio narrated by Tan herself and the stunning Joan Chen. I love audiobooks best when narrated by the authors and I'm happy to see she's done it a number of times.

For upcoming reads, I have a number of normal length books I'm considering by her. Maybe others' choices will sway me and help me decide.

Oh, and I found this on Libby by searching her name:

Selected Shorts: American Classics
I think it's audio only. It includes a Tan story called "Rules of the Game". On my Libby app, a one-line summary is given for every story. This one is "a strict Chinese mother bedevils her chess prodigy daughter". (There are, BTW, other appealing authors in this collection.)

Jen wrote: "In high school decades ago, I enjoyed The Joy Luck Club. It's still special to me as my first experience of literature that reflected family that looked more like mine/my mom's. And I l..."

I might find that short story first, Jen. When I was poking around, I learned that a one-page short story, Fish Cheeks, is in heavy use in high schools in discussions of the immigrant experience, and I'm now determined to find a copy of it (as inexpensively as possible, naturally).

Carol wrote: "Jen wrote: "In high school decades ago, I enjoyed The Joy Luck Club. It's still special to me as my first experience of literature that reflected family that looked more like mine/my mo..."

Well! That plus the cookbook have me wondering what other under-the-radar writings are floating around by Tan. Hmm... :)

BTW that shorts collection has one of my old high school reads I've wanted to revisit- Alice Walker's Everyday Use, so I'm excited for that, as well as some others. If we both check out the collection, maybe we can compare notes on others in the short story thread :)

I've looked at the short story collection as well. I have a credit available on Libro, so I'll think about using it for that. My plan is to do that one and then the cat children's book. I read the other children's book and really liked the story.

I have read The Joy Luck Club, Saving Fish from Drowning, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Kitchen God's Wife, and The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life as well as the short story Fish Cheeks, and I have loved them all. I have The Hundred Secret Senses and Rules for Virgins that I plan on reading very soon. I love Tan's work.

Misty wrote: "I have read The Joy Luck Club, Saving Fish from Drowning, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Kitchen God's Wife, and [book:The Opposite of Fate: Memori..."

Do you have a favorite, Misty? It might be akin to picking between one's children, but help a newbie out.

I'm interested in watching this PBS American Masters documentary, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, on Netflix, too:

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmast...

This article shares a critical view of the documentary which I think is also helpful. https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews...

Tan became famous when I was in my 20s, and was the sole Chinese-American woman author given any meaningful attention for a couple of decades. I'd heard of Maxine Hong Kingston, but she was a little older than Tan and primarily wrote nonfiction so didn't get the same readership. And then 22 years after The Joy Luck Club was initially published, in 2011, Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother dropped and the picture white people (at least in the eastern US) have of Chinese families and women became entrenched in some combination of Tan's fictional and Chua's nonfictional universes.

I look forward to engaging with Tan's books directly instead of having them ever around me but not explored.

I got maybe 35% of the way through The Backyard Bird Chronicles last year and - if you're interested in the subject matter - I recommend both audio and tangible versions. Her drawings are in the book book and they are stunning, and plentiful. She took up birding and the drawing of birds during the initial COVID year and this is essentially a diary of her observations over many months.

I abandoned it solely because it didn't have a compelling narrative drive (it's very much a diary; and the next day, X; and the next day, Y), and little if any personal content or insights. Nothing drove me as a reader on to the next chapter. Ultimately, it lost the battle for my attention with other books that demanded I explore them. It's me, not the book. But it is charming and again her illustrations are beautiful and amazing for a hobbyist. It's almost intimidating !

I read and loved The Joy Luck Club at the beginning of this year. I have been wanting to read more of her books since!

I have a few audio books of hers checked out of the library, so we'll see which one I get to next. Depends on mood and narrator.

I have enjoyed hearing Amy Tan on assorted podcasts, or reading essays, interviews, articles about her. Of course I don't have any links for those handy at the moment!

I'll have to watch the documentary on Netflix! Thanks for telling us about that, Carol.

Carol wrote: "I'm interested in watching this PBS American Masters documentary, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, on Netflix, too:

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmast......"

I've also been wanting to see that doc, thanks for pointing out it's on Netflix. I hadn't seen it there but will look for it. Thanks for the article on it too.

I read Kingston's The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts in high school too. My teacher who'd assigned Joy Luck for the class had recommended this personally to me for our final project. I really want to revisit this author. I think she her style is more challenging. One sees Tan's work tagged "chick lit" on a site like this. In my experience, it's easy to understand her work, it's very palatable you could say. So makes sense her work is more widespread and has much larger readership.

I had glanced at one review here for the bird book and saw a similar sentiment as you're expressing. I had issues with boredom in my most recent nature read too but I'm determined to find more examples that work for me. But the Tan probably won't be where I look... I'm interested in her Opposite of Fate memoir though.

So I needed to start a new audio and decided to do the Selected Shorts: American Classics. Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game" is the first one. I had book club tonight and laughed all the way there. I haven't finished that one yet, but I can say so far it is delightful.

Carol wrote: "I got maybe 35% of the way through The Backyard Bird Chronicles last year and - if you're interested in the subject matter - I recommend both audio and tangible versions. Her drawi..."

Thanks for your feedback Carol. Sorry you didn't enjoy it. Am not surprised however if you were looking for a "a compelling narrative drive" as you mentioned.

I find nature books to be more quite and observational and let one savour and rest in what nature offers. Some might find is slow with too little action.....but sometimes for a change I enjoy a quiet book with a soft pace that makes me stop and pause at nature's beauty and surroundings. Different choices and I find sometimes timing is everything.

Mj wrote: "Carol wrote: "I got maybe 35% of the way through The Backyard Bird Chronicles last year and - if you're interested in the subject matter - I recommend both audio and tangible versi..."

I wasn’t looking for anything; I had no expectations. I took it as it came. I’d love to hear about your reading experience if you give it a go. Those illustrations will always be lovely - to all readers, I expect.

GailW wrote: "So I needed to start a new audio and decided to do the Selected Shorts: American Classics. Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game" is the first one. I had book club tonight and laughed all th..."

Wow! This is exciting.

After finishing Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game" in Selected Shorts: American Classics, which was fun and insightful, I had to do some research on the next one. Which then of course took me down the black hole of researching them all.

I don't think there any spoilers in here but I'm going to enter them as one anyway. In some cases I had to do some research on the author and/or the actor reading the story and/or the storyline itself. There is only one I will not be reading.

(view spoiler)[A compilation of classic tales by great American writers performed by terrific actors:

• "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan, read by Freda Foh Shen, who is best known for the voice of Fa Li in the 1998 Disney animated film Mulan and its sequel Mulan II. The story centers around the relationship of a young female chess prodigy and her strict Chinese mother. It is funny and insightful.

• "Game" by Donald Barthelme, an American short story writer and novelist known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction; read by David Strathairn, an actor of stage, big screen, and television. The story features a unique scenario of playing "cosmic chicken" in a nuclear bunker.

• "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty, hilarious story of an independent young woman striking out on her own read by Stockard Channing.

• "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe, read by René Auberjonois, known for playing Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Clayton Endicott III on Benson. It is a story about a man who forms a close bond with a cat that later sours, resulting in numerous acts of violence. (I'm going to skip this one.)

• "Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going?" by Joyce Carol Oates, a sly, creepy tale of a teenage girl’s seduction by a dangerous drifter read by Christine Baranski, an American actress known for her role in the movie Mama Mia with Meryl Streep, as Diane Lockhart in the television shows Good Wife and then The Good Fight, and Leonard’s mother in Big Bang Theory.

• "At the Anarchist's Convention" by John Sayles, a laugh-out-loud classic read by the comedian (and father of Ben Stiller), Jerry Stiller. Can anarchists pull off an organized event? Jerry Stiller’s humorous reading leaves no doubts; they can’t.

• "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, read by Carmen de Lavallade, an American actress, choreographer and dancer. In 2017, Carmen was awarded the Kennedy Center honors award but refused to attend the reception at the White House after Trump’s comments about Charlottesville.
The short story, set in the rural South during the 1960s, revolves around a family reunion between a mother and her two daughters, Dee and Maggie, exploring the complex relationship between them, focusing on their differing views on heritage and identity.

• "Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor" by John Cheever, performed by Malachy McCourt, an American-Irish actor, writer and politician, and younger brother of Frank McCourt. It tells the story of Charlie, an elevator operator in a wealthy New York City apartment building, on Christmas Day, exploring the stark contrast between Charlie's poverty and the opulence of the building's residents, as well as the ironic consequences of his attempts to connect with them through exaggeration of his situation. (hide spoiler)]

GailW wrote: "After finishing Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game" in Selected Shorts: American Classics, which was fun and insightful, I had to do some research on the next one. Which then of course to..."

Thank you for these blurbs, Gail! Did you like Where Have You Been...? I'm interested in Everyday Use and the Christmas one. I read Why I Live at the PO last year and was the outlier. Your response tells me, I remain that : ) I'm a fan of The Black Cat, but don't see Poe tales as good fodder for audio, so no miss there.

Carol wrote: "Do you have a favorite, Misty? It might be akin to picking between one's children, but help a newbie out."

I would say to start with The Joy Luck Club. It's so good, and then watch the movie because it is a very good adaptation! After that The Bonesetter's Daughter is probably my favorite. It's such a good story.

Carol wrote: "I read Why I Live at the PO last year and was the outlier. Your response tells me, I remain that : )..."

Ah, but I adore Stockard Channing - and many of the notes came from online reviews since I've only listened to the two so far.

GailW wrote: "Carol wrote: "I read Why I Live at the PO last year and was the outlier. Your response tells me, I remain that : )..."

Ah, but I adore Stockard Channing - and many of the notes came from online re..."

She has a great voice. I agree.

GailW wrote: "Carol wrote: "I read Why I Live at the PO last year and was the outlier. Your response tells me, I remain that : )..."

Ah, but I adore Stockard Channing - and many of the notes came from online re..."

I've been wanting to read more Welty but Stockard Channing is the reason I'm excited for that one too! Six Degrees of Separation is one of my fav movies ❤️

Misty wrote: "Carol wrote: "Do you have a favorite, Misty? It might be akin to picking between one's children, but help a newbie out."

I would say to start with The Joy Luck Club. It's so good, and ..."

Thanks, Misty - I'll take your rec. makes sense.

Carol wrote: ",,,Did you like Where Have You Been...? ..."

OMG. HS! This was extremely unnerving. Baranski performed the reading quite well. I was driving back from an appointment listening to this and was getting creepy chills!

"Black Cat" - I listened to it (the car doesn't give me the title of the chapter, just the track #) until it went just past the first act of violence and thought " yup-nope" and fast forwarded to the next one.

I just finished "At the Anarchist's Convention". I was going through a drive-through and was laughing out loud!

I loved The Joy Luck Club!

Christine wrote: "I loved The Joy Luck Club!"

It's so good!!! I read it in college my first go around (when I was a traditional student!). I loved it. As soon as I was finished, I told my boyfriend (now husband) that we were going to have a movie night that weekend. We watched the movie and ate Chinese takeout, and it's such a lovely memory. I'm going to have to see if it is streaming anywhere......

Apparently The Joy Luck Club is not currently streaming anywhere for free. Boo.

I just finished The Hundred Secret Senses, and it was wildly and delightfully weird. I really enjoyed it. It's the story of a woman, Olivia, (bi-racial - white and Chinese) and her half-sister, Kwan, who comes over from China as an older teenager. Their relationship is the focus of the book told from Olivia's viewpoint, and Kwan's eccentricities often take center stage. Does she actually see ghosts or is she disturbed?

Misty wrote: "Apparently The Joy Luck Club is not currently streaming anywhere for free. Boo.

I just finished The Hundred Secret Senses, and it was wildly and delightfully weird. I really enjoyed..."

Oh this sounds fun. Thanks for refreshing my memory on this one's storyline. This was one of the Tan's at the top of my list.