I have always enjoyed the works of Amy Tan. In fact, she is one of my favorite authors. Her stories are always exceptionally authentic and historically relevant, including The Bonsetter’s Daughter. I’m now motivated to do further research on Peking Man! A recurring theme in Tan’s books is the intricacy and fragility of the mother-daughter relationship.

The way Tan created a grandmother, mother, and daugher whose experiences were interwoven around the complexities of communication is phenomenal. Each woman was highly skilled at translating for others, but deficient at speaking up for self. Tan expresses this universal problem in the guise of a spooky family curse which needs to finally be broken by the daugher.

I learned that there is an opera/libretto in the works, based on this story. According to www.AmyTan.net, it premiers in San Francisco in September, 2008. I would love to see it!

In the wee hours of this morning (trouble sleeping) I finished The Bonesetter’s Daugther. I read The Joy Luck Club years ago, and have been meaning to read more of Amy Tan’s work for quite some time.The Bonesetter’s Daughter didn’t disappoint. It’s relatively easy reading, with a slowly revealed secret, which makes for compelling reading. I couldn’t help feeling that the resolving of the protaganist’s relationship issues seemed a little over-simplified and ideal (and, of course, all of the problems with the relationships were her own fault, really – which irritates me no end), but otherwise a good read.

You can read my full review of this book at epinions.com by following the link below.

http://www.epinions.com/content_33498631812