The Bonesetter's Daughter

Tan excels at locating the small, quotidian details of Californian domesticity and works the fissures and rifts between the generations very well. She can also blend hip, pop psychology with inherited Chinese lore to amusing effect. But the narrative starts to hum with energy and drive as the story is told from LuLing's perspective. The story shifts to a small Chinese village known as Immortal Heart, in the thirties, where LuLing's mother learnt her father's skill with a splint and special dragon bones dug out of a cave called Monkey's Jaw. The quality of the writing takes on the charm and compulsion of a fable as Ruth's grandmother's tragic life unfolds. In turn, Ruth uses what she learns of the maternal line of resilience to retrieve her own writing voice and vision: "These are the women who shaped her life, who are in her bones...They taught her to worry...They wanted her to get rid of the curses." As she recognises what her mother wants to remember, she begins to define what she wants for her own life.--Cherry Smyth

Reader Reviews:

Enjoyable, thought provoking and very well written (0/0 people found this helpful)

It has been a while since I've read a novel as well written as The Bonesetter's Daughter. I haven't read Amy Tan before and really got alot out of it. I found the story interesting, believeable and I could relate particularly well to the characters and mother/daughter relationships. I was quite taken aback by the accurate way Amy Tan wrote about Ruth's feelings and realisation of her Mother's Alzheimers - this was extremely moving and I'm guessing the author has some personal knowledge of the subject as it's covered so well. However, this is only one small part of the book - it's about so much more. I did find it hard going in parts but it's certainly worth the effort, especially the middle part of the book - Luling's journal. This was fascinating, you find yourself immersed in beautiful 1930's China wondering what's going to happen to Luling next. There are so many themes to this book it's difficult to sum it up - the best advice i can give is just to read it - you won't regret it.

Beautiful (1/1 people found this helpful)

I really liked this book, I thought it was well written and the characters were very belivable and well developed. It was my first book I have read by this author and it wont be my last. You do feel as though you are in another world but you can also really relate to it, I especially liked Ruth as a character and did feel for her. On the whole, definitly a recommended read, a beautiful well written book.

Great - A Lovely story beautifully told (1/1 people found this helpful)

What a great novel. I'm usually a bit of a snob when it comes to books and was not overly impressed when reading the blurb for this - it sounded like the exploration of a Mother Daughter relationship ad how they cope with her mother's Alzheimer's.

It's not. It does start that way with the bland Art and Ruth fumbling toward everlasting mediocrity until Ruth's mother goes a bit funny, hands her daughter her life story in Chinese, and Ruth finally (as if you'd really leave this stuff lying around) gets it translated and the fun begins.

We are whipped back to pre-war china, a small mountain village with simple residents and an almost dark-ages feel. Here we find the sad and harsh tale of Ruth's mothers childhood, including more twists and turns than spaghetti junction, emotional spikes that will make you laugh then feel desperate in equal measure.

Slowly we fill in the gaps around Ruth, and her understanding of her mother, and when we return to the present Art and Ruth can be seen more sympathetically. We have inadvertently realised how similar Ruth and her mother are, how similar Art is to every other man in history, and that what we often see as domination and criticism can often be symptoms of a repressed passion or pain from the past on the part of those criticising.

Overall a clever, witty and emotionally rich novel. The characters, whilst possessing little energy of their own are imbued with this as we read further, and it's one of those rare novels where you can finish the last page, and not still crave answers and an ending but sigh contentedly, and move on with no sense of tension.

Hard going to start, but worth the effort! (1/1 people found this helpful)

This was my first Amy Tan book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but in the end it was worth the effort.

The first section of the book sets the foundations of the main character Ruth's life, which gives the background to the rest of the story. I found this bit slow, hard-going and nearly gave up. However - persevere! I'm glad I did because as soon as you reach the part where she is reading her Mother's story, it completely changes and is unputdownable.

Fans of Memoirs of a Geisha (like me) will like this book - the gentle pace and tone, the beautiful imagery - you'll find yourself immersed again in another culture, time and place.

Healing Family Connections in a Rich Historical Context (1/1 people found this helpful)

Ms. Tan has written a monumental novel of the 20th century Chinese immigrants' challenges. The book offers many insights into how children can better integrate into their families by understanding their elders' experiences rather than trying to be totally independent of those experiences. The Bonesetter's Daughter also provides rich food for thought about what the relationships should be between women and men, and parents and their children. The book employs a recycling narrative that will remind the reader of opening up nested Russian dolls.

Ruth Young finds that her mother is failing, especially with her memory. Already busy with a life as a ghostwriter and taking care of her boyfriend and his children, Ruth feels overwhelmed.

A few years earlier, her mother had become interested in passing along some of her heritage and had given Ruth a document written in Chinese. Because Ruth does not read Chinese well, she had put the documents aside. As her mother's mental condition deteriorates, she finds her mother's mind disturbed by having forgotten her mother's real name. Looking through some old papers, she finds another document written in Chinese about things her mother does not want to forget. Hoping to help, Ruth arranges for the documents to be translated.

The bulk of the book then recounts her mother's history in China and in the United States. These experiences were rich and varied, and reading about them will fascinate you.

Addressing the issues raised by solving the question of Ruth's grandmother's name causes Ruth to grow and evolve in her own relationships.

The book is filled with rich themes that are explored from many different dimensions. For example, ghosts are real and important to Ruth's mother, LuLing Young. As a young child, LuLing decides that the ghost of her mother resides in Ruth. To appease her mother, Ruth plays along and answers her mother's questions. You will be fascinated and amused by the results of these discussions. Since Ruth is also a ghostwriter, you will get a new perspective on how ideas are expressed and perceived. Who the author is counts, as well as the content. The author adds credibility so that the information is acted on, and the content either provides good or not so good advice. The story validates both the mother's and the daughter's views of ghosts.

If you are unfamiliar with the history of mainland China in the first half of the 20th century, Ms. Tan's book will give you many of the important outlines as they were experienced at the local level. You will encounter the shift away from binding women's feet, the beginnings of education for women, the falling off of the old crafts and beliefs, the effects of drug addiction on families, the influence of Christian missionaries, scientific investigations of human evolution, and the development of new ways for women and men to marry and relate to one another.

You will be fascinated by the many echoes of the experiences that LuLing had with her mother, and those that Ruth had with LuLing. I was reminded by this of how much of our parenting styles we learn from our parents, for good or for ill. So we have a behavioral heritage as well as a genetic one.

The book's story-telling style is gracious and smooth-flowing, not unlike putting your hand in a warm, pristine stream in the mountains. You will feel yourself gently pulled along in a way that you will enjoy. I was reminded of the way my mother would tell me stories when I was a child.

The Bonesetter's Daughter is beautiful, delightful, and enlightening. What more could one ask for from a novel?

After you finish the book, be sure to learn all you can about your ancestors from those who are alive and knew them well. You will probably find many wonderful connections to yourself and your own issues that will help you.

This is an outstanding book for a book club to read. You will find many interesting questions for discussion here. In particular, you won't be able to decide what some of the story means until you discuss those aspects with someone.

The Bonesetter's Daughter

Amy Tan

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