The Joy Luck Club & The Valley of Amazement (Amy Tan)

Is it just me or is there something so romantic about Asian history? Maybe it's because their culture is so different from our own - the rich colors and fabrics, the exotic sounds of the language. The honor and integrity, which often seem lacking in our own culture.

I was looking through the books I had on my shelf that I hadn't read yet and The Valley of Amazement grabbed my eye. It's a lesser known novel by Amy Tan but just as highly reviewed as The Joy Luck Club. Immediately after I finished it, I jumped on my iPad and bought the kindle version of The Joy Luck Club. Clearly I can't get enough of Amy Tan's writing!

(Side note: I'm totally a hard-copy book lover, but I'm also super impatient and love being able to start a book the second I decide I want it!)

The Joy Luck Club is a collection of life stories from different points of view: Chinese grandmothers, mothers, half-Chinese daughters living in America. There isn't a plot really, but that's hardly noticeable as you jump from one beautiful tale of growing up to another. The lives of the grandmothers growing up in China are vastly different than those of the girls living in America, and yet the stories always have parallels. Some life lessons are always applicable, no matter where you live.

Amy Tan's Chinese sayings are beautiful - I'm not sure if they are stories she heard growing up or if she came up with them herself but the imagery is amazing. Here's one from The Joy Luck Club -

"A girl is like a young tree," she said. "You must stand tall and listen to your mother standing next to you. That is the only way to grow strong and straight. But if you bend to listen to other people, you will grow crooked and weak. You will fall to the ground with the first strong wind. And then you will be like a weed, growing wild in any direction, running along the ground until someone pulls you out and throws you away."

and this one:

Then she told me why a tiger is gold and black. It has two ways. The gold side leaps with its fierce heart. The black side stands still with cunning, hiding its gold between trees, seeing and not being seen, waiting patiently for things to come...A tiger can make a soft prrrn-prrn noise deep within its chest and make even rabbits feel safe and content.

The Valley of Amazement follows a young girl who grows up with her mother, who lives in and owns a high-class courtesan house in Shanghai. She ends up being separated from her mother before they can leave to go to America together, then finds that she's been sold to a lower class courtesan house...with her virginity up for sale. The Valley of Amazement is a painting in the book that symbolizes the different parts of her life (how she sees it changes as she gets older). It's such a sad and beautiful story; it makes you ache for the heroine to find the life she deserves.

I saw a review where someone was complaining that they didn't need to read about prostitutes and the details of sex...but that is so far off. All of Amy Tan's descriptions are very tasteful and leave MUCH to the imagination. It was extensively researched and she's able to pull you into a world that actually existed, and to feel the pain that real women had to endure. There will always be critics, but I had to defend against this one because it's so off the mark.

Add both of these to your reading list!! Also - share your thoughts with me after you read them.