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A review by alexajsbookshelf
The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan
3.0
I loved The Joy Luck Club, and I love historical fiction, so I thought I would really enjoy this book. Instead, I just thought it was okay. Below are some of my thoughts (with spoilers):
Things I liked:
- the settings were so detailed that I felt like I was right there with Violet
- Violet, as a character, was realistic and compelling
- the relationships (especially those between mothers and daughters) were nuanced and beautiful
Things I did not like:
- the pacing in this book was, in my opinion, horrible. The middle dragged, and then there was SO much crammed into the last 100 or so pages. I would have liked more of Lulu’s story or even Flora’s story throughout because I almost DNF around 400/600 pages.
- THE ENDING!!!! Screw Loyalty! Violet should have gotten on the boat! It would have made the story a perfect circle, and instead I sat the book in my lap and thought “why did I even read that?” In all honesty, I would probably give this book 2.5 stars, but I rounded up to 3.
Things I liked:
- the settings were so detailed that I felt like I was right there with Violet
- Violet, as a character, was realistic and compelling
- the relationships (especially those between mothers and daughters) were nuanced and beautiful
Things I did not like:
- the pacing in this book was, in my opinion, horrible. The middle dragged, and then there was SO much crammed into the last 100 or so pages. I would have liked more of Lulu’s story or even Flora’s story throughout because I almost DNF around 400/600 pages.
- THE ENDING!!!! Screw Loyalty! Violet should have gotten on the boat! It would have made the story a perfect circle, and instead I sat the book in my lap and thought “why did I even read that?” In all honesty, I would probably give this book 2.5 stars, but I rounded up to 3.