A mother and daughter find what they share in their bones in this compelling novel from the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir.Ruth Young and her widowed mother have always had a difficult relationship. But when she discovers writings that vividly describe her mother’s tumultuous life growing up in China, Ruth discovers a side of LuLing that she … discovers a side of LuLing that she never knew existed.
Transported to a backwoods village known as Immortal Heart, Ruth learns of secrets passed along by a mute nursemaid, Precious Auntie; of a cave where dragon bones are mined; of the crumbling ravine known as the End of the World; and of the curse that LuLing believes she released through betrayal. Within the calligraphied pages awaits the truth about a mother’s heart, secrets she cannot tell her daughter, yet hopes she will never forget…
Conjuring the pain of broken dreams and the power of myths, The Bonesetter’s Daughter is an excavation of the human spirit: the past, its deepest wounds, its most profound hopes.
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One of my favorite authors!
Really enjoyed this story.
What an enriching journey of an unfamiliar and intriguing culture! That alone was a treat for my imagination! But, it’s also a mother-daughter story that spans three generations. Imagine growing up with a rather dark eccentric mother who speaks of ghosts, curses, superstitions, and suicide. I suppose that could happen to someone who grows up around a cave where dragon bones are collected.
In the focal point of the book, LuLing tells of her life as a girl in the village of Mortal Heart, China, near Peking, where the multi-generation family lives as a clan. The women are ink makers while the men collect dragon bones from a cave discovered by an ancestor during the Sung Dynasty; bones crushed and sold to be used to heal bones. How fascinating is that?! The characters in young LuLing’s life are her father, a respected bone doctor, her mother, sister and mute nursemaid referred to as Precious Auntie. Precious Auntie had a secret whereby she attempted to end her life by drinking hot ink. She ended up mute after it deformed her face and mouth. But Precious Auntie does soon die, and LuLing learns who she really is. This sets the scene for LuLing as she lives out her life into womanhood, motherhood and eventually into dementia, trying to come to terms with her past. During this time, she chronicles her life in Chinese calligraphy for her daughter. Eventually the stories merge, and the personalities and eccentricities become more understandable.
I loved the part of the book set in China between 1915 and 1950. The description of the people, the culture, the history, including Peking Man, was rich and fascinating. To think that those bones were being excavated for hundreds of years and used in Chinese healing methods before the scientists arrived is mind-boggling. I also loved the hidden past of LuLing and how it molded her personality. And for as little as women were cherished in cultures such as LuLing’s, and for as much damage as a mother can unintentionally rain upon her child, I absolutely loved the phrase: “A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”
This is a wonderful book taking you into the world of women in another culture–but not so different from our own really. Amy Tan captures it like nobody else.
Well written and deeply moving.
A Fantastic read. Spell-binding and mystical. Heart-wrenching and such honest characters. One of my favorite authors and this is one of her best.
This is an amazing book that I did not want to put down. Amy Tan took me along for a wonderful ride as this multigenerational story unfolded. I was hooked from page 1. Loved it.
I love Amy Tan’s stories. She never fails to grab my attention and to stay interested to the end. I felt compassion for the struggle of mother daughter relationships world wide. It shows daughter’s resist the one person that loves us the most.
I enjoyed this book more than Joy Luck Club. It is a more coherent story involving fewer main characters, so you become more interested in the lives of each person. Like Joy Luck Club, Bonesetter’s Daughter involves the cultural differences facing a woman born in one culture and raising a daughter in a very different culture.
Not as good as Joy Luck Club but entertaining nonetheless.
Love the author and love exploring a different culture and time Very enjoyable read.
Amy Tan’s language is perfect: descriptive, original, lyrical, stark all rolled into one haunting story of survival and endurance, dedication and sacrifice in the name of family, love, country, and culture. It is a memorable story.
Amy Tan cannot write a less than wonderful book..there is a lot of enjoyment discovering the cultures and lifestyles for which I haven’t had the pleasure of ever having been there. Her writing talent is one of my favorites authors I feel drawn to read all the books.
The main character is not compelling. I gave up on this book and can’t recommend it.
I always enjoy Amy Tan’s writing. I learn so much of different cultures and I love that. This book was no different. Her stories flow effortlessly and characters come to life. You can’t put her books diwn!
I wanted to read this book because I have liked the author’s previous books and tho I did not find this as exciting it was interesting subject which I am interested. I would recomend it to readers. It is not a book I would read twice but a good read.
I have read most of what Amy Tan has written. This one was different. It was just not up to her usual level. I was rather disappointed.
Amy Tan never disappoints!
As always with Amy Tan and excellent read!
I really enjoyed this book