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Book Review of The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life

The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life
reviewed on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


I have been a fan of Amy Tan ever since The Joy Luck Club came out. For several years I included the book in my American novel class at a small midwestern college. I was also fortunate enough to hear Amy Tan speak and was charmed by her presence, her humor and her frankness. At the end of her program she introduced her audience to her husband and her two little dogs. This book has given me even more insight into her personality and writing technique. It has prompted me to reread The Joy Luck Club and several of her other novels, watch again the movie of the Joy Luck Club and to order via paperback swap The 1999 Best American short stories which she edited. She explained in The Opposite of Fate... her process and criteria for chosing those stories. This kind of memoir could be dry and hard to get through,but Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate:Memories of a Writing Life reveals the lively and endearing personality of the author. I highly recommend it.