Amy Tan Books

This is a really awesome idea. There are truly so many gems out there. Most of them you will remember reading too. I would like to see an even more indepth version with more children's books. But, what an awesome start. This could start the next great "Chicken Soup..." or "...for Dummies" movement in books.

this is a book to treasure. Ms. Gash has done a remarkable job compiling it. I've purchased this book for at least a dozen of my male friends, and they're not even gay. Don't let this one fall between the cracks. The lessons are inspirational on many levels; Gash's selections, geared to adults, from the greatest children's books are consistently entertaining and thought-provoking, no small feat in these crazy, meaning-challenged times. I can't say enough about this unique, compelling book, unless I already have.

A good concept & a nice little book. I'd like to see this idea expanded into a larger work, with more children's books used as sources, & with subject & title indices. It'd be even better then!

Yes, you can go back home. Most of these quotes come from books that either I remember reading as a young girl or that I read to my sons when they were growing up. As an adult/grown-up they have an entirely new meaning and perception that is heartrendering at times and at others very up lifting. I liked it and have purchased another to pass along.

I just happened upon this book in my local bookstore, and I feel lucky really. It's a gem. Filled with wonderfully witty and wise quotations from childrens books through the ages. The quotations brought back lovely memories of my own childhood and my own childhood reading. They also reminded me of how beautiful and eloquent and wise the simple thoughts are from great children's literature. Thank you, Amy Gash, for putting together such a thoughtful and moving collection. I plan to buy many as gifts for friends and for my own children's teachers. There's a lot to learn from children's literature--wisdom and perspective and, perhaps most of all, a sense humor. I can't think of a better introduction to the world of children's literature--and what it has to offer to grown ups too--than What The Dormouse Said.

I agree that it is a little difficult to keep up with the characters, but it begins to get better in the second half. It is a good book, focusing on mother daughter relationships that I'm sure most can relate to. I recommend!

The book was good, although sometimes difficult to keep the four main characters straight along with their daughters. I had seen the movie and wanted to read the book also. I like to read about other cultures and this book give an insight into the Asian way of life, their patterns of thinking and traditions.

I bought this book because I loved the movie so much and the book is almost always even better. Something that didn't stand out in the movie, is the author's great method of dialogue. In the movie you don't realize it, because it is cast with
actress(es) who's characters are obviously Chinese-American, English-as-2nd language, so you don't recognize the detail that went into forming the dialogue to make it sound legit because you have the visual aide. However, the book, with no visual aide, is so obviously a Chinese woman living in America, speaking English as her 2nd language just based on her dialogue and the way she tells the story. This is an impressive skill in dialogue. Outstanding! If you don't read it for the story itself, which is wonderful and well worth reading, than read it for Amy Tan's writing (story telling, dialogue) skills which are admirable.

Hi I am a Korean and I am ninth grader in San Domenico upper school. I read "The Joy Luck Club" because of class book club. When I first read this book I didn't like it because this book was complicated to read. Finally, I finished this book and I really liked it. I thought of my mother and family. I realized what every mother hope, such as hoping their children grow better than themselves is the same. The first chapter is about four mothers' past story and chapter two and three is about four daughters' past and present story. The last chapter is about four mother' present story. The four mothers and four daughters always have conflicts but they love and understand each other. I recommend this book to teenager and adults. If they read this book they can understand each other and realize family's important.

While the main reason I bought this book was to add to my Stephen King colection, I enjoyed the other essays about the experence. It's well written and entertaining and there were suprising stories of how the experence changed the various authors lives.

Although I vaguely noted the news stories when this band of idiots went on the road in 1993, I only ran across this book by chance three days ago. I read it in less than two. Although the whole idea of authors forming a rock band and doing a tour sounds pretty stupid and self-indulgent, the results were not only good for them, but surprisingly moving and inspiring for anyone who might read this book. I'm sure I enjoyed it no less than the two previous reviewers, but I'm a tough grader, so I gave it four stars.

I always knew Stephen King and Dave Barry were regular guys I would just love to meet and have a beer with, but what a shock to find out about the lovely, funny, human sides of Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, Al Kooper (the musical director of this motley crew), Dave Marsh (rock critic and editor) and others!

I laughed 'til I cried over Barry's chapter. Everyone has his or her funny moments, but the chapters by Tan, Kingsolver, and Marsh are refreshingly touching and vulnerable, too.

Best quotes:

--King calls himself "a kind of Norman Rockwell version of Freddy Krueger"

--Kooper: "The mere fact that you're reading this right now is a testimony to the selfishness of twenty-three bored people."

--Roy Blount, Jr.: being on stage in a rock and roll band is "like being inside a forest fire that you're helping, however modestly, to spread"

--music critic Joel Selvin: "Most people seem to think critics are as useful as tits on a priest."

--Barry: "Our groupie budget is kinda low, so we're not getting top quality -- at times, they get a little angry at us and throw their walkers at us and stuff like that."

--Barry again: "...you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered Buddy Holly. Here was a guy who had glasses at least as flagrant as mine; a guy who did NOT look like a teen heartthrob, but more like the president of the Audiovisual Club, the kid who always ran the projector for educational films with titles like _The Story of Meat_."

--Tabitha King: "Greil Marcus informed me Southerners think the (...) they call coffee is coffee."

--Kingsolver: "...we all knew no amount of rehearsal could ever make us into a first-rate, or even cut-rate, or irate, or reprobate, rock and roll band."

There are tons of photos, black and white AND color (the ones of Tan in her black leather, chains, and whip for "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" and of Marsh in a white prom dress, spattered with ketchup and armed with a plastic knife to attack Stephen King during his showstopping rendition of "Teen Angel" are priceless), all shot by Tabitha King.

The book ends on a weak note: Ms. King is neither the writer nor the humorist that the others are, and Michael Dorris's fable-like reverie just kind of makes you go "huh?"

I'm kicking myself repeatedly for not buying the Rock Bottom Remainders video I saw in a cheapo rack at a Fred Meyer supermarket in Coos Bay, Oregon some years ago....

What did you think the book was? The title is in Spanish!!

I don't know why the Amazon website doesn't state that this is a Spanish translation of The Joy Luck Club. I was going to order it, thinking that it was a new book from Amy Tan. Thank goodness I googled the title and found out it's actually not a new book. In any case, I have not read the Spanish translation, so I can't speak to the quality of it, but I really enjoyed the original English version.

The Joy Luck Club, written by Amy Tan is a very unique novel that I would recommend anyone to read. Amy Tan uses a clever style of writing throughout this novel. It consists of many mini-stories that are combined into one.
In the beginning of each story, the page has a name above the title. This represents either the mother or daughter involved in the story. On the second page of contents there are two separate lists. One is a list of the four mothers, Suyuan Woo, An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, and Ying-ying St. Clair. Also there is a list of the four daughters, Jing-mei "June" Woo, Rose Hsu Jordan, Waverly Jong, and Lena St. Clair.
Even though at first it is a little tough to understand her style of writing, Amy Tan has a connection between all of the mothers and daughters that are in the individual stories. Amy Tan discusses the Chinese culture and mother/daughter relationships. Every mini-story is connected to each other, in that way.
The author's style of writing drew me into this novel because I was curious to figure out how she would tie everything together.
The Joy Luck Club is a novel that is basically centered on mother/daughter relationships.
All together there are four mothers and four daughters. Each mother wants their daughters to grow up in America and have opportunities, but also retain their Chinese values and customs.
"I am to replace my mother, whose seat at the mah jong table has been empty since she died two months ago." This quote is stated at the very beginning of the novel by the daughter Jing-mei Woo. Even though she isn't very happy about "replacing" her mother, the rest of her family assumes she will carry on the tradition and she feels obligated to do so.
"I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix?" stated Lindo on page 289. Lindo and her daughter, Waverly, have a troubled relationship. Lindo wanted to be liker her own mother as she was growing up, and she is hurt as she sees Waverly doesn't want to be like her mother at all.
In a Chinese society, women were taught that it was an honor to become like their mother. However, in an American society, the goal is to become our own person.
What exactly is the Joy Luck Club? It's a club initially created by four Chinese women, who were recent immigrants to San Francisco that became united to share unspeakable losses and dreams.
The four women, in the city of Kweilin, took shelter from the Japanese raid. They wanted and needed to raise the spirits of one another. "What was worse, we asked among ourselves, to sit and wait for our own deaths, with proper somber faces? Or to choose our own happiness?"
"We feasted, we laughed, we played games, lost and won, we told the best stories. And each week, we could hope to be lucky. That hoe was our only joy. And that's how we came to call our little parties Joy Luck."
Those women were often terrified of what to expect from the raid, but it never showed on their faces.
Amy Tan, the author of the Joy Luck club, that was placed nine months on the New York Times Bestseller List, established a powerful and mesmerizing novel.

I read this book a little over a year ago for my ap english 2 class. I really
liked how it displayed the Chinese culture and values. It is basically a book of mother-daughter relationships. There are four mothers and four daughters. The mothers are Chinese women who immigrated in the United States. The daughters are Chinese-American. It shows how people (like those in the United
States) tend to take their heritage for granted and just label themselves as Americans. When in reality your heritage will always be there and when you finally except wonderful relationships and things can come out of it.

thank you for your time,
Loran

I am a high school freshman in the United States. I was assigned to choose one of five novels and read it throughout this semester. This novel, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan was my first choice because the story is about Chinese culture plus Mandarin is my native language. I believed that I would enjoy reading something that relates to my culture and actually I did. It is different from other novels since the whole story is separated into different little stories and put in different orders. Each little story represents a mother and daughter's marriage or family conflict.
In my opinion, the conflicts are caused because of mothers' and daughters' generation gaps and growing backgrounds. The mothers grow up in China where has many traditions and rules to follow. However, the daughters who grow up in San Francisco can choose their lives and want to be what they want to be. This makes the mothers think their daughters have lacks of consideration about their own lives. Therefore, the mothers want to control their daughters' lives since they used to follow those rules which tell them to do all the things considerable.
This novel has magic because every time I read this novel I would compare the way mothers treat their daughter in the book and the way my mother treats me. I would also ask questions to my self by saying "Does this mother use the same way to treat her daughter as the way my mom treats me?" The answer can be varied. Some of them are yes and some of them are absolutely no. For example, the way Suyuan's mother tells her that it's too late to change the reality that she is her mother makes me think it can be the way my mother tells me. For the reasons that, this statement makes sense that it's impossible to change the reality of a blood relationship so I would also accept this very logical sense. However, Lindo's mother left her in a rich family in order to gain some respects back makes me think it is not the way my mother would ever done to me. Since my mother sacrifices a lot in order to raise me up and lets me receive the best education, she wouldn't want to destroy the bitter that she has eaten and pave that she has built for me. Therefore, I recommend this book for teenagers to read because it is an inspired book that can make adolescences to think about their lives and observe their surroundings

The Joy Luck Club had stayed with me all these years even when I examine my own personal life in the current time. I had read the book when I was in the seventh grade and had a remarkable teacher. She was Mrs. Lattimer (and yes, she was white), a Harvard graduate teaching at an impoverished neighborhood from where I used to grow up. Sometimes, I wondered why she never taught at one of the more prestige middle schools even right now. Still, it was a book that we middle school students had to read and analyze. The class was actually an advance seminar class. Even to this day, I am surprised that we middle school students got a chance to watch a rated "R" movie. It was a "never" to watch a rated "R" movie. The only movies that I can remember watching that were rated "R" were movies in my former AP english literature class-Othello (which actually contained nudity). It's funny because from what I recall, I had couple of friends from the regular classes and they have never seen a rated "R" movie shown in an educational setting. Perhaps being in a gifted class really did come with all the special privileges(even though I was never identified as "gifted"; I was recommended). It just seemed that every book my classmates and I read in AP english could never resist incorporating some kind of sexual element. Indeed, the literary works were very great. And of course, sex is also shown in this movie.

Besides the entertainment value of the movie and the book, as well as the complex relationships between the mothers and the daughters, it was certainly a movie about survival. Presently, as I sit in my comfortable room, I could only relate to the need to survive and live a fulfilling life, a life that is so wonderful and full of bliss. Life is about survival. The word "survival" will always vibrate and echoe inside my ears and in my mind. It is a word that summarizes the very essence of life. When you're child or an adolescent, it is about surviving through school. Once you graduate from high school, a new level of survival comes into play; and that is to make a living. Let's face it. Life really does center around making a living. We all need and want to live a life free from having to live a low standard of living like poverty and shortages of healthy food and crapy material possessions. Virtually everyone desires to have a career and be financially stable. In times where the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer, insecure feelings arise and stays in tact somewhere in our minds. The desire to be married to wonderful wife or husband, the desire to feel safe living in a dream home, the desire to not feel frieghtened when you are heavily sick, the desire to give your children and your grandchildren the best possible life, and the list can go on forever...-Indeed, let's face it, MONEY MAY NOT BE EVERYTHING, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE ALL STRIVE TO OBTAIN IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS. Money does have its value contrary to the popular belief that you hear about how money isn't everything or how money can't buy love. Like the feather of the swan-This feather may look like any other feather and seem worthless, but "it comes from a far away distance and contains all of my good intentions."

My first Amy Tan book and probably my last. Joy Luck Club is mostly fluff. This book offers little to the reader.

Writing style is not particularly good.
No interesting insights into Chinese Americans.
Nothing educational about China, the old country.
Not particaularly well researched.

There are lots of better books to read if you are interested in any of the above areas. Ha Jin, a Chinese American is an outstanding writer. You will learn a lot about China and be entertained. "Wild Swans" is an very educational non-fiction that reads like fiction. I recommend skipping this one and going for the better quality books.

This story seamlessly meshes past and present--three generation's worth--into a beautiful, nearly flawless, piece of work. Tan connects the past and present through a manuscript written by her main character's mother. Whole chapters are devoted to her mother's childhood and young adult memories, as are entire chapters devoted to the main character's childhood and present-day adult life. I am amazed that while reading this generation-spanning novel, never did I lose track of the novel's setting or time.
Amy Tan's novel provokes empathy, joy, sorrow, laughter, and a host of other emotions. This is her novel's strength.

This book is quite well written and worth reading but not quite good enough to get a 5 star rating from me. I did however give it 4 stars. It was an interesting story line but sometimes strayed from the storyline. All in all however worth buying.

When Ruth Young was growing up she'd often been embarrassed by the strange ways her mother acted. Mother believed in ghosts, bad luck and curses. She wanted her mother to be more modern like her Auntie Gal. Mother and daughter were often at odds, often had serious arguments. As time moves on Ruth's mother gets even more eccentric, so she takes her to the doctor and finds out she has dementia.

There had been many secret between mother and daughter and when her mother finds out that she's losing her memory she decides to write down everything about her past, but she shows Ruth only the first part of what she's written, the part she knows is true.

This is much more in this wonderful novel that is about not only the tense relationship between mother and daughter, but about their reconciliation as well and a lot about forgiveness. I loved this book and I think you will too.

I almost feel bad criticizing this book for being overly formulaic when I actually enjoyed parts of it so much. Yes, this is typical Amy Tan fare, which includes mother-daughter angst, immigrant culture, and old Chinese family secrets dusted off and gradually exposed through some engrossing storytelling. The story shifts between present-day San Francisco where we follow Ruth Young and her struggles with her Chinese-born mother, LuLing, and pre-WW2 rural China where we are treated to sumptious descriptions of old customs and superstitions surrounding LuLing's family origins. As with Tan's other books, it is when she takes the reader back in time to China that the story really shines. When the plot returns to America, it almost feels like a complete let-down.

In present time, Ruth's mother, LuLing, suffers from dementia, and as a result she has written down her life story in Chinese for her daughter to read. Ruth, who is not fluent in written Mandarin, hires someone to translate the story, and it is through this translation we are treated to the memoirs of LuLing. The bonesetter is her grandfather, and the daughter actually refers to LuLing's real mother - or Precious Auntie as she is called. This tragic title character is at the center of the story both before and after her death, and the injustices done to her by her adversaries as well as her own family are heartwrenching. The dynamic between LuLing and her "sister" GaoLing is also well portrayed, and the sisterly jealousies as well as loyalties are well characterized. The family business aspects, caligraphy descriptions and the ink-producing process are fascinating to read.
All the superstitions and ghosts that envelope every character in China, however, are the most satisfying parts.

There are numerous subplots and transitory characters, both in China and in San Fransisco. There are the two American missionaries along with Sister Yu, who run the orphanage where LuLing spends several years both as student and teacher. There are the British mother and daughter and their talking parrot in Hong Kong where LiuLing as a maid learns English. There are the archeologists who are excavating the Peking Man - and the one who wins LuLing's heart. The subplot involving Dottie and Lance from Ruth's childhood, however, albeit interesting, seemed to fizzle out without a proper conclusion.
Finally, the main male characters in the story were quite one-dimensional (saintly or evil) - but this is rather typical in Tan's writing.

The end is too contrived in its desperate attempt to provide some sort of closure between everyone. Also, the translator's role becomes a bit too sentimental. You leave the book wishing to read more about China, which is actually a good feeling.


All in all, this is a comforting hammock read that entertains, engrosses and ultimately fades gently away.

NOTE: I just had to edit this review a bit because I just saw Ms Tan in a lecture where she talked quite extensively about her own life history as well as those of her mother and grandmother. It startled me to find out that so much of her books are based on real-life scenarioes including events in The Bonesetter's Daughter. One of the things in the book that I quite frankly thought was a bit over-the-top is the mysterious sandbox, in which the superstitious mother makes Ruth write messages because she believes Ruth is some sort of medium for her deceased mother. Furthermore, this ultimately leads the mother to ask about stock options and which investments to make, and although the daughter just pretends to write these messages, it quite predictably turns out to amass a small fortune in the end. Ms Tan told the audience that her mother was similarly obsessed with the quijja board during Ms Tan's childhood, and Ms Tan made the board move by her own whimsy. However, the same investment inquires (and thus Tan's "recommendations") also led her mother to invest in some lucrative deals in real life! It made me appreciate the story a bit more - just knowing that such a peculiar notion as the sandbox was inspired by real-life events...

This is my favorite Amy Tan novel... The story begins with Ruth, an American born Chinese, who has struggles with her aging mother Lu Ling. As Lu Ling's mind begins to fail, truthful memories from the past come out and begin to intrigue Ruth. At the same time, she hires someone to translate a packet of Chinese notes that reveal her mother's background. The story of Precious Auntie and the upbringing of Lu Ling in a poor town in China are simply fascinating. The reader will easily get drawn into the story. As Ruth discovers the true spirit of her mother, she is able to make peace with some of the quirks and and superstitions that caused pain during her childhood.

The Kitchen God's Wife reminded me of The Bonesetter's Daughter in that it was much about mothers, daughters, secrets, and life in China before immigrating to America.

The book tells the story of Winnie, a young girl who survives a harrowing childhood and then a disastrous marriage in war-torn China. Winnie eventually immigrates to America and then keeps her life in China a secret from her daughter, Pearl. The course of the novel follows Winnie as she tells her daughter all of her secrets and the two become closer.

While I enjoyed The Kitchen God's Wife, and I think it is worth reading, it was difficult to absorb at times. For one, Winnie's first marriage, to an abusive coward named Wen Fu, was frustrating at times. I understand that a woman's place in 1940s China was very limited, but I couldn't help feeling that Winnie was so worried about shame and being impolite that she wouldn't do what was necessary to save herself and her children. In many ways, I felt that she allowed herself to be taken advantage of, and it was difficult to read about that.

Secondly, I wouldn't recommend reading this novel in close proximity to The Bonesetter's Daughter. The two stories are too similar. Of the two, I think I liked The Bonesetter's Daughter better, because I felt the female characters were a bit stronger.

My wife and I will often read a novel to each other if it has plenty of drama, and tells a great story. The Kitchen God's Wife is such a story! The novel starts off slow but interesting, and as the end nears it becomes harder and harder to put down.

Most of the narrative is anchored around Winnie Louie's revelation of her secret and tumultuous family history to her daughter, Pearl Louis Brandt. Pearl has a secret too - she has MS and doesn't want to tell her mother. The two open up after prodding from Helen, who becomes concerned about taking secrets to the grave after being diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. But, the biggest secret of all isn't revealed until the very end of the book... and I don't want to spoil the ending.

Winnie describes a childhood of rejection - first by her mother and father and then aunts and uncles. After that she endures a brutal marriage to a man named Wen Fu, and eventually escapes to a new life in the USA. Through it all Winnie's spirit and determination survive intact. Also woven into the story are insights into Chinese culture and history, so the novel is at once educational, inspiring, and riveting.

Tan's second book is The Kitchen God's Wife. Like the Joy Luck Club, the storyline revolves around issues of mother-daughter relationships, family obligations, immigrant life, and a dark and meaningful secret's power to shaped lives. Tan says that this book was an attempt to write her mother's "true story," although in a fictionalized way. Apparently in the Joy Luck Club, she was only testing the waters. Now we are onto some really powerful stuff.

As cousin Bao-Bao's wedding draws near, Winnie realizes she must let the family skeletons out of the closet for Pearl's benefit, before family friend Helen does it for her. Not only does Winnie and Helen's shared past contain powerful information that is most appropriately given from mother to daughter, Winnie fears the ways in which Helen has remembered the events differently.

Winnie is tired of the old secrets and lies that have become reality. No longer worried that she will be deported and sent back to a horrible fate in the homeland, Winnie tells Pearl her story. As Amy Tan said during the Shanghai Literary Festival, "things that have the power to destroy also have the power to heal." As the secrets unfold, this tale becomes a highly engaging, intricate web of beautifully written stories within a story.

I tried to read it as slowly as possible so I could savor every nuance of this wonderful book!

I absolutely loved Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club". As an Asian-American myself, I found it to be a beautiful and genuine telling of cultural and familial challenges faced by immigrants. Therefore, I started "Kitchen God's Wife" with high hopes.

Many things are similar between the two novels. Both are filled to bursting with rich, lyric writing. You can taste the sweetness of the rice cakes and frown at the smell of industrial smoke in Amy Tan's China and America. Both introduce compelling family stories of wrestling with cultural differences and the damages of war.

However, that's where the similarities end. "Kitchen God's Wife" takes the wry cynicism in "Joy Luck Club" and fills the whole story with a sense of constant depression populated with utterly uninspiring characters. The main female character begins the story in the dark about her daughter's secrets and spends the rest of her flashback describing how lost and helpless she always felt. Male character #1 begins the story pompous and irritating and descends into monstrous over the course of 200 pages. Male character #2 is unbelievably perfect and never deviates from his predictable course of knight in shining armor.

The story has no development, no climax, and no resolution. I know nothing about the characters at the end of the story that I didn't know 50 pages in. Unfortunately, this made even the female character's most heartbreaking experiences feel boring and predictable.

This story had a lot of potential, and I was sad that it fell so short of expectations.

I've read "The Kitchen God's Wife" three times, once as a newly married woman, once as a new mother, and now after having recently lost my father. Every time I read it, I see something new in it, something that mirrors my own life.

The theme of Tan's that always mirrors my life and to which I have such connection is that of Pearl's relationship with her mother. I so completely and painfully understand the resentments, the feeling of having to walk on eggshells every time she talks to her mother, trying to help my children understand my mother's heritage and dealing with my mother's hurt when they don't want to understand.

Many say that "The Joy Luck Club" is the best of Amy Tan's books, but I think it's "The Kitchen God's Wife." JLC is a masterpiece but TKGW for me has even more depth to it.

If you're looking for a book about digital fashion photography this is NOT the book. If you're looking for a book about the fashion photography business this IS the book. I was so disappointed when I received this. The book is filled with beautiful fashion shots but not a single word about how any of these photographs were achieved. If you want to learn to be a fashion photographer I'd suggest Jennifer Bidner & Eric Bean's "The Lighting Cookbook for Fashion and Beauty Photography," Cathy Joseph's " Outdoor Lighting: Fashion & Glamour," or Roger Hicks & Frances Shultz's "Photographing People: Portraits, Fashion, Glamour."

it was a good book but I would have liked more it if they told you how to photograph men as well women and not just women.

Finally, a book containing actual fashion compaigns shot in the right decade and not a single lighting diagram in sight! This book appears to have polarised reviewers -- some love it because it allows advanced photographers to tune their techniques toward fashion and doesn't assume the reader is a beginner, and others hate it because they are beginners and need a lot more handholding. The whole premise of the book is to describe the basics and then practice and experiment. Some reviewers ask for more detail but if the authors described every image, the book would be 1000 pages long.

Overall, if you can't work out what F5.6 at 10 feet, ISO100 with two Elinchroms with Octadomes and a ring flash with a soft diffuser mean, or worse, you can't afford at least a Canon 1Ds Mark II or Nikon D2x and the aforementioned lighting, then buy another book.

Ken Tan's discussion in this book is also useful for photographers who want to know how to break in to the business by building relationships with clients, models and a team of stylists. The author at the start of the book clearly flags that actually being able to take good photos is only a fraction of the digital fashion photography game.

And for all non-male and non-middle aged readers, Dan Howel's shots in the book are actually quite tacky and barely qualify as fashion photographs. Perhaps the authors should consider doing a separate book for "glamour".

This book is not worth the paper printed on. It did not feature diagrams to lighting setups. was very broad and too simplistic.Beautiful photographs, but no analyzation or break down on how the photos were done. Lacking in description of technique and know how. If you want to look at beautiful photographs and have a another coffee table book of photographs...buy this. other wise don't throw good hard earned money away.

This is a goregeous book. There are pages and pages of full page pics of scantilly or seductively clad models.

On the other hand the rest of the "technical" info could have fit on about 20 pages -- the rest are pics showing off the author's portfolio and to seduce the --probably-- most male reader.

The authors does show some of his camera toys, but says little about setting things up or exposure info etc.

Amy Tan is a magnificent writer, telling us stories that translate across cultures, nationalities and even ages. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

The stories of four Chinese women and their American-born daughters, The Joy Luck Club was a very intriguing and interesting examination into the Chinese culture as well as a reminder that love, loyalty, friendship and compassion know no cultural boundaries or constraints. Author Amy Tan did a remarkable job of telling the stories of these fascinating women - shadows in their own culture, but yet dynamic and captivating on paper. Tan told the stories of struggle and hardship, but each journey also had its victories and success along the way. While four daughters grew in their understanding and appreciation for their mothers, I also grew in my own understanding and appreciation for the Chinese culture and for those immigrants who have made the difficult transition from one culture to my own here in America.

As a Christian, I was intrigued how the book dealt with the universal issues of family, love, purpose and meaning. I found the book honest about the hardships created by a culture shaped without an appreciation for the equality of women - the pain is real even if it is not allowed to be expressed or shown publicly. I loved how the book valued the role and influence of the family and also showed the difference between the Chinese and American concepts of this institution. I also appreciated how this book dealt honestly with disappointment and disillusionment - especially from a lack of understanding between generations and cultures. It's hard to imagine the hardships faced by Chinese women seeking to pass on their rich cultural traditions to their daughters here in the US - Tan did a great job showing the tug of war waged between old and new, Chinese and American in the lives of her characters.

In the book "The Joy Luck Club" written by Amy Tan, there are tons of Chinese cultured explored and different peoples relationships that you get to read through. Amy Tan takes you on a journey through 8 different peoples lives and the stories they told. Each story is a little different from one another.
"The Joy Luck Club" is a very challenging read. Amy Tans writing style is very difficult to follow. Each chapter is a different story. If you pay really close attention to each story and kind of take notes they all come together in the end. It is a really good read but challenging. If you have a hard time following book this may not be a good read for you or you can just take notes to follow along.
Throughout the book you get to learn a little bit about the Chinese culture. For example in one of the chapters a character is getting married and it is an arranged marriage, the girl does not want to marry this man. Unfortunately the mother of the groom had told the bride that if the candle that is lit on both sides that represents if there marriage will last, if one of the sides blow out throughout the day of the marriage they will not last together. That is a myth that is told in Chinese culture. While I was reading this book I was sort of comparing and contrasting between American culture and Chinese culture and how much they are different. In this book Chinese mothers and American mothers all want the same thing in their daughters. They all want them to grow up and be successful. In China it is a honor to take after your mother as you grow up. I feel the bad thing in Chinese culture is they have arranged marriages, I don't agree with them. I feel that everyone should get to choose the one they love and want to spend the rest of their life with and not have someone in their family pick for you. If you end up not loving them and you are stuck with them for the rest of your life, you will not live a happy life that you would have if you got to choose the one you loved and wanted to marry.
Challenging but very good is a good way to describe this book. I recommend this book to people who don't mind having a challenge. It is an excellent read.

Reviewer: Brittany Modreski

Generally, I am drawn to stories that expose me to cultures unlike my own. From that perspective alone, I found Tan's novel to be intriguing and genuine; the individual stories are rich in culture and language. I believe I would have enjoyed it more had the book been presented as a collection of short stories instead. The lack of continuity from chapter to chapter is what kept me from really connecting with this book.

I spent much of my reading time flipping back to earlier chapters to remind myself which daughter was born of which mother so that I could see how the mother's experiences and upbringing had an effect on her daughter's life. There were also a few mother/daughter story lines that I felt could have been explored more in depth and that's why I think presenting them as short stories would have been more effective.

This is the first of Tan's books that I have read, but I do intend to try another one!

This is another excellent book by Amy Tan. I had heard about it for years, but had never read it. I finally read it because I thought her book, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, was one of the best books I have ever read. I was not disappointed by this book. It inspired me to read another of her books, Dragon Bones, which I am currently reading.

I am impressed with the details that Amy Tan includes in her books, which make them better stories and more enjoyable to read. In this respect, she brings to mind Ha Jin and his book, Waiting, which is such a compelling novel that I read it twice in the same month. The little details about Chinese culture and emotions awaken the mind to another world, but one in which we find there are people just like ourselves.

As I wAs ReAdInG tHiS bOoK, I rEaLiZeD hOw MuCh I wAs GeTtInG iNtO iT...iT's AlMoSt As If YoU aRe ThErE eXpErIeNcInG wHaT tHeY wErE. I sTaRtEd ThInKiNg AbOuT mY gRaNdMa WhO wAs AlSo In A wAr, aNd It ReAlLy GoT mE tHiNkInG...So, I wOuLd ReCoMmEnD tHiS bOoK tO eVeRyOnE...

I had to read this book for school this year and I was one of the only people in the class that really enjoyed it. It is hard to understand the different stories, but if you just take out a piece of paper and chart what is happening with each person, you can really enjoy the book without becoming confused. DON'T BUY THE CLIFFS NOTES becuase you really won't get the experience that you would with the real book! Just take some effort and read the book, and take time to chart the stories and I guarantee that you will LOVE it as well!

Although the book was somewhat confusing to follow, the excellent stories and the manner in which they were told were very real. I really enjoyed relating to each character because I too am a minority woman and I know how important it is to hold on to tradition, yet learn new ways of living. I recommend this book to any woman who is curious about the Chinese-American woman.

The Joy Luck Club has its moments of excellent drama, where you become so entranced in its interpretation of human nature that you almost can't put it down. However, Amy Tan could have excluded some of the characters. Although they all complimented the novel in different ways, they essentially provided the same theme, and only made the book very confusing to follow. I had to go over the chapters several times and I even rented the movie before I was finally able to envision the novel as a whole. I am not one who can concentrate very well with such in-depth books, and I only recommend it for those people. Too bad, though, it was an excellent concept overall.

The four winds may change direction, and histories may shift at any given moment, but Amy Tan's, `The Joy Luck Club' remains a captivating tale about four mothers and their four daughters.
The Chinese game Mah-jong works to join the mother's together as they form the club and share the secrets and tragedies of their lives as well as their hopes and dreams for their daughters. The women in this novel struggle to bestow their daughters with the virtues of Chinese traditions and at points seem to go too far-pitting their daughters against each other and sadly living their lives through them.
Tan writes both honestly and sensitively examining the generation gap between mothers and their daughters as well as the struggles migrants face when joining other countries. `The Joy Luck Club' belongs to a genre which can only be described as realistic with characters which are both three dimensional and relatable.
The story is written through defined chapters-each dedicated to either a mother or a daughter; as they weave their histories and spin their stories.
The novel, through this chapter fragmentation allows each character to develop, with an emphasis on the main narrative- the death of one of the members of the club. The death of Suyuan Woo results in the incorporation of her daughter Jung Mei `June' Woo into the group. June realises her mother- who died suddenly of a cerebral aneurysm - had unfinished business which leads June to face one of the biggest tragedies in her mother's life. `The Joy Luck Club' is an inspiring novel which is moving both moving and courageous-a definite pleasure to read.