I love Amy Tan, but this was not one of my favorite books of hers. The story centers around Violet, being raised by an American mother in a courtesan house in Shanghai. Violet yearns to know more about her father, but when she finally does it is devastating to her. The story follows Violet through tragedies, hardships, betrayals, and loss - from her childhood to being a grown woman with an adult child of her own. This never-ending parade of horrible events got wearying as I read and read. "Surely," I would think, "things will look up for Violet." Although they did, briefly during the story, I began to feel a bit shell shocked by her experiences.
The reader will learn all about courtesan houses and life in the cities and the rural areas of China. (Here's a hint - always opt to be a city girl.) Many interesting characters appear throughout the novel, but their motivations and backstories are so unclear, that they make little impression. Amy Tan's novels are always sweeping, but I felt this one swept a bit too much.
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