Annette S. (annette-s) reviewed on + 49 more book reviews
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan is as captivating as any of Amy Tan's works including The Kitchen God's Wife and The Bonesetter's Daughter.
Kwan enters Olivia's life in an unexpected way when Olivia's father dies and his daughter from his first marriage comes to live with them in America. Five-year-old Olivia would have preferred a new turtle or a doll; instead she got an older half-sister. Seeing Kwan at the airport Olivia thought she looked like a chubby old lady with braids dressed in pajamas bellowing a loud "Hall-ooo!" Kwan is a built-in embarrassment. She's awkwardly unfamiliar with American culture. She's tactless, loud, talkative, and annoyingly upbeat. She's the crazy relative you don't want anyone to know about. But she's also very tolerant and kind with the more self-absorbed Olivia. In her endless prattle, Kwan tells Olivia about Chinese superstitions and ghost stories. She explains to Libby (Kwan can't pronounce her name right, so calls her Libby-ah) that she has "yin eyes" and can see ghosts.
As an adult, Olivia has listened to Kwan's tales all her life and she's tired of them. She has very little patience for Kwan and acknowledges that she never does anything with Kwan unless it's out of guilt. Besides, she has her own worries with her marriage unraveling. But Kwan is ever eager to help in her own way. In an effort to bring the two back together, Kwan plans a trip for the three of them to China. There the "ghost stories" come to life in tales that alternate between past and present.
Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
Kwan enters Olivia's life in an unexpected way when Olivia's father dies and his daughter from his first marriage comes to live with them in America. Five-year-old Olivia would have preferred a new turtle or a doll; instead she got an older half-sister. Seeing Kwan at the airport Olivia thought she looked like a chubby old lady with braids dressed in pajamas bellowing a loud "Hall-ooo!" Kwan is a built-in embarrassment. She's awkwardly unfamiliar with American culture. She's tactless, loud, talkative, and annoyingly upbeat. She's the crazy relative you don't want anyone to know about. But she's also very tolerant and kind with the more self-absorbed Olivia. In her endless prattle, Kwan tells Olivia about Chinese superstitions and ghost stories. She explains to Libby (Kwan can't pronounce her name right, so calls her Libby-ah) that she has "yin eyes" and can see ghosts.
As an adult, Olivia has listened to Kwan's tales all her life and she's tired of them. She has very little patience for Kwan and acknowledges that she never does anything with Kwan unless it's out of guilt. Besides, she has her own worries with her marriage unraveling. But Kwan is ever eager to help in her own way. In an effort to bring the two back together, Kwan plans a trip for the three of them to China. There the "ghost stories" come to life in tales that alternate between past and present.
Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
