The Hundred Secret Senses

A reviewer

Since The Joy Luck Club is Amy Tan's most popular work, when I disliked it I figured I wouldn't enjoy this either. However, it was recommended to me by a friend who also disliked The Joy Luck Club. I enjoyed this book so much I'm surpirsed it's by the same author(as are some others, apparently).

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

beautiful and optimistic

While Amy Tan is an amazingly talented writer with a lot of great books under her belt, she is arguably most well known as the author of The Joy Luck Club, which I have yet to read. I did, however, read The Hundred Secret Senses (originally published in 1996) not once but twice. I almost never do that because the second reading just feels boring. However, that wasn't the case with this book because it was so enjoyable and rich that rereading felt more like visiting old friends than rehashing something I already knew.

While on the subject of this novel's freshness, it bears mention that some reviewers suggested The Hundred Secret Senses was little more than a rehash of previous, very similar, plots from her earlier books. Obviously, I can't speak for The Joy Luck Club but I did read The Kitchen God's Wife which had a similar theme but in my view an entirely different plot. I also happened to think this novel was the markedly better of the two.

Olivia's mother is American, her father Chinese. She comes from a "traditional American family." At least for the most part. At the age of eighteen, Kwan entered the lives of Olivia (then four) and her family from her native China. Nothing about Kwan is American from her accent to her belief that she has yin eyes to see "those who have died and now dwell in the World of Yin, ghosts who leave the mists just to visit her kitchen on Balboa Street in San Francisco."

These ghosts are not only a fundamental part of the story but one of the main reasons Olivia can never truly get along with her older sister.

For a while, it seems like Olivia will be able to ignore Kwan's eccentricities and lead her own, American, life. But the more Olivia hears, the more Kwan's old ghosts stories intrigue her. Their enticement grows when Olivia unexpectedly finds herself traveling to China with her husband, Simon, and Kwan for a magazine assignment. As the three navigate Kwan's childhood stomping grounds, surprising connections are made between the threesome and, amazingly, with one of Kwan's ghost stories.

The novel chronicles Olivia's relationship with Kwan as well as her early courtship and eventual estrangement from Simon. At the same time, in alternating chapters, The Hundred Secret Senses tells the story of one of Kwan's past lives in China during the 1800s--a dramatic love story closely tied to Kwan's (and Olivia's) present lives.

Tan's prose here is conversational and enticing, feeling like a friend telling a particularly juicy story at dinner or over the phone. The connections between past, present and the very distant past is seamless creating a tight narrative that, by the end of the book, weaves all aspects of the story together in a neat package.

At the same time, The Hundred Secret Senses offers an interesting commentary on assimilation and multi-cultuarism with both Olivia and Simon being half-white and half-Chinese. Although Olivia might be too old to say she comes of age in this novel, it would be fair to say she learns to accept her own identity by the novel's completion.

While all of that makes for a dynamo on its own, my favorite aspect of this book is the way in which it deals with family relations both romantically (with Olivia and Simon) and otherwise (with Olivia and Kwan). The story ends with an optimism that suggests, if you are willing to see them, loved ones are never very far away.

Enjoyable, heart-wrenching, thoughtful

Really enjoyed this book. At some points I was so frustrated by Libby-yas analysis and logic to things, especially her big fights with Simon, but they at the same time felt real. Some people deal with situations like this. In all, the ending was sad but a beautiful ending. I wish i had a Kwan figure in my life.

Introduces tolerance between 2 different people

This book was a little slow and confusing at the beginning. But once you get to know the two main characters: Kwan and Olivia. They are half sisters, who get to know eachother after Kwan is brought to America from China. Two different women, however they share a special bond. This is a great book for book clubs or something to read on a rainy day. Kwan speaks with a thick accent, so it is a little hard to follow at times. However, Tan describes the characters very vividly and you will get a perfect picture of the two women.

An exhilarating story!

I had so much fun reading this book. It was the first Amy Tan novel I have read. I loved Kwan's character so bubbly and always trying to please and help Libby-ah who was always searching for something more and going about it in a negative way. I also enjoyed Amy Tan's sense of humor. Every so often I would find myself laughing out loud. The ending was sad though Kwan disappearing. It was a great read!

A reviewer

Like the most of Amy Tan¿s books, The Hundred Secret Senses evolves around two distinctive characters, one being a Chinese-American who does not understand the Chinese culture and custom and the other being a Chinese from China with great pride in being a Chinese. Through out the book, Tan illustrates how these two characters influence each other and how these characters bring alterations in each other¿s belief and personality. In the beginning the book seems lame because one of the main characters claims that she can see and talk to ghosts. The meaning behind this claim is revealed later in the novel as the readers discover the author¿s message of the novel. The book is long, but it¿s easy to read. However if I had free time to read this book again, I will definitely not read it because they only books that I can read over and over is the Harry Potter series, and The Hundred Secret Senses is not amusing as the Harry Potter series. If you liked The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, you will be able to enjoy this book, but I personally like The Joy Luck Club better because it has various stories about different characters that are told from different perspectives. If you are reading this book for Mrs. Kadletz class, just note that the devices for the journal are easy to find, but they are not easy to analyze. You have to think and think in order to analyze them in A.P. level analysis.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Utterly confusing

Unfortuantely, I did not enjoy this book. After 50+ pages, I gave up and stopped reading. The book started out well, with explaining how her 'yin eyed' sister became part of her family. The childhood stuff was nice to read. However, switching between the present and all those boring dream sequences, left me confused and frustrated.

my favorite book

I am a faithful reader of Amy Tan and I must say that this is her best work to date! Once you pick it up you can't seem to put it down as you are pulled into the story more and more. This is an excellent read and won't disappoint!

Insightfully Written

Amy Tan's 'The Hundred Secret Senses' is amazing in its ability to convey the distress between this mother and daughter relationship. It shoes the progression of their bond through life, its faults and its triumphs. Overall, this book is destined to be a classic.

ghosts ain't never looked like this

This book carefully delves into the world of ghosts. In her former life, Kwan was Nunumu, a girl who lost her eye and now only has one. She went to church. She once knew a Yiban Johnson,a half Engish and half Chinese man who is the interpreter for a conquerer named Cape, and Miss Banner. Olivia thinks she is living in the shadow of her husband Simon's former lover who died in an avalanche. Kwan was their matchmaker. She said she saw the former lover in the world of yin. The lover says to forget her--or so Olivia hears Kwan say. Seventeen years later, when they are about to divorce, Fate's tickets take them to China, where Kwan plants herself. This is where Olivia has to decide if her half-sister's stories are true or not and in the process, find if her love with Simon is real. I've just got to say this book was TIGHT!!!

A review, Belinda

Overall I loved the story. The chinses accent mades the sory seem even more realistic. Tan's style of writing allows for the reader to have a deeper understnading of the characters, though the ending was somewhat disappointing. What happens to Kwan?

WONDERFULLY WRITTEN

Wow! Of all of Amy Tan's books, this has to be my favorite! Such a meaningful lesson and moral in this story. I would reccomend this to anyone.

Beautiful story that stays with the reader.

I love Amy Tan's style and this book does not dissappoint. Beautifully written, this story will envelope you in another world far away...yet with enough connections to our world to make the reader question the reality of certain spiritual issues. It will leave you feeling good and the characters stay with you after you are done reading. I hope Ms. Tan will write a second part to this one!

you HAVE to read this book!

this story makes us realize that things DO happen for a reason and that we should know that even though we might try to change our future, we can never really change fate, cant change love, or anything that serious. I really enjoyed reading this book and i hope you do as well

Great book, except for the disappointing ending!

This book was a gripping, entertaining read. Amy Tan was able to make great transitions between past and present, flesh out her characters, and keep the plot moving. However the ending was incredibly cheesy, disappointing, and it seemed as though Tan tried to wrap up the book in a nice little package with a sugary sweet happy ending. The ending did not fit with the rest of the novel, and I was disappointed that the ending was not of the caliber of the rest of the book.

AN OKAY BOOK

I loved the author's writing style and the characters. But I had trouble with the past life stuff. I will recommend this one however.

one of my faves!

this is yet another great amy tan book...

Wonderful and beautiful

The Hundred Secret Senses is absolutely a fabulous novel that delves into the relationship between 2 Chinese sisters that have completely different thoughts,different origins,different mothers and these concepts agitate our minds relentlessly. It tells us stories that we couldn't possibly imagine - surreal village tales,ghosts stories,etc.All other novels of hers are about mothers and daughters but this one proves that Amy Tan has galvanized her skill of writing,her fine senses and she delivers the freshest materials. Tan will make you feel alert when you find the word 'hundred','secret' or 'sense' in the novel.It will keep you wondering of the true meaning of the hundred secret senses until the end - it's only revealed on the very last page. This novel marks the revolution on Amy Tan as an author.Be prepared to be amazed by this pleasantly piquant novel that shines with meaning,faith and most importantly,love.

Incredible ghost story

I agree, this book is incredible! The story is easier to follow than _Joy Luck Club_, which I had trouble with, since so many stories were being told. In _Hundred Secret Senses_ there are only two stories, the present-day, and a previous lifetime, about 1864. The narrator is a dull & skeptical young woman with a neglectful mother whose life changes when her Chinese half-sister comes to live with them. Kwan, the sister, has 'yin eyes,' which means she can communicate with dead people. But this is not a scary story. Instead, it turns into a fantastical tale of reincarnation and loyalty through eternity. I could not stop reading. Especially once the characters reach China, the book is a page turner! The descriptions of their walks through Chinese landscape are eery! I strongly recommend this novel.

Beautifully told story

I must say that I didn't expect to be so enchanted by this novel. There's no way you can skip this book if you're a fan of Amy Tan's work or anything that incorporates the Chinese culture past and present. It's been weeks since I read it and it's still in my head. The way Tan describes everything makes it so you believe you're seeing every little thing that happens in the story. Also, there is no way you cannot fall in love with Kwan, she has to be the most adorable, entertaining character I've ever read about.