The Opposite of Fate & The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan July 12, 2006

Many years ago, I read The Joy Luck Club, and seem to remember that I quite liked it. But I wasn't highly motivated to read any more of Tan's books. Luckily, there were two of her books that I received from my aunt Betty's collection. The first is The Opposite of Fate," which is a collection of stories, essays, and articles that Amy Tan wrote, mostly dealing with her life and memories. She is incredibly funny and has a fantastic talent. I love the story about the term "invisible strength", used in The Joy Luck Club, how critics and professors have interpreted it and what it really means. I laughed out loud. You will have to read the book. My favorite chapter is "Retreat to Reality" about her cabin and the squirrels who visit. Hilarious. The book also gives great insight into Tan and her writing. I recommend you read it before reading any of her other books. Here is one of many great lines from her book, "Memory feeds the imagination, and my imagination is glutted with a Thanksgiving of nightmares. "
Rating: 5
The second book is The Hundred Secret Senses. Again, Tan's sense of humor shines through. Her characters are quirky but believable. By the end of the book, I loved the sister, Kwan, who has a connection to the Yin world, people who have died. The main character, the sister, Olivia, is also an interesting, complex woman. This is just a great story, actually a few stories within a story. The trip to China is wonderful and so interesting. Again, I enjoyed Tan's writing, her descriptions, the use of words, and her humor.
Rating 4.5

Comments:

booklogged said...
I put the audio version of The Opposite of Fate on hold at the library, hoping we could listen to it on our trip. It didn't come in time, but was waiting for me the day I returned, wouldn't you know? It's funny the library had the audio catalogued under fiction. I told them I was quite sure it wasn't. The librarian kept looking to see if there was another copy. There was a book. It was back in the nonfiction! Go figure!
12:00 PM

Framed said...
I haven't been to the library for months. Now I can see why. I was looking forward to hearing about the audio version. I would hope that Tan does the narration unless she has a really irritating, screechy voice. Otherwise, I bet it would be fun.
8:25 PM