The Kitchen God's Wife

Riveting and intense, another brilliant read from Amy Tan

I adore the way Amy Tan intertwines more than one story line into her books, at first glance it seems that the tale centers on Pearl, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant, who has morphed into the modern American culture and who finds her mother annoying and old fashioned at times. Once the reader gets familiar with Pearl the story then turns back to her mother, Winnie and her childhood friend Helen. Winnie's story is sad and beautiful at the same time, her suffering and struggles to overcome an abusive husband who's been keeping her from freedom half her life are intense and emotionally moving. Tan's rich, descriptive writing has deep meanings hidden in words. I found myself laughing quite often, which was a surprise because the story is pretty intense. As usual the author supplies us with deep insight into the ugly reality of life, one of my favorite lines was on page 352, "The society is like bright pain applied on top of a rotten wood" which made me stop and think, digest and absorb her wise words, Tan is a master of writing tales with imperfect characters, so many of them have so called rotten bases, and their struggle to improve and move on make the tale even more vivid and intense. In this case it was the way of life for Pearl in wartime China, the harsh reality was that she didn't have much of a saying; all the older men and women in her house seemed to run her life, and the male dominated culture didn't help when the girl was going through hardship, if anything it made her life more hellish, and at times it was hard to read but I continued, good books aren't always pretty.

This was a good and potent read, I must warn readers that they might get angry at the bad men in Pearl's life, but her struggles never diminished her personality and her big heart, which she has to this day. I feel that Tan's books not only entertain but also teach a lot, not to mention show us how life in the past was so much harsher, and remind us of individual struggles that women still have to go through, whether they are someone's wife or daughter or best friend, and that deep down we are strong, and our stories are beautiful, and that life might never be fair, but we try our best to fight for it.

- Kasia S.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Transformation of a Chinese Woman

By telling the story from the past, many moral lessons were presented through life experiences. Winnie, came to America after she already experienced both the worst and best moment in China. She transformed from an innocent young girl to a stronger woman through the reality from life. Winnie and her daughter have a distant relationship since her daughter is an Americanized girl, which she does not agree on her mother's traditional idea. However, after communicating through life stories, they became closer, maybe her daughter cannot imagine the difficulties Winnie had gone through. Various lessons were presented differently throughout the novel. Although aspects of life may be challenging, however, Winnie had proved that an individual can be both strong and weak at the same time. While surviving through numerous hardships and sufferings, Winnie showed that she is no longer the girl that hides behind people, now she is able to stand up for herself. Great courage is shown as the plot develops. The Kitchen God's Wife is a story that can help the readers understand about different cultures, something that may be a miracle and totally familiar about. Although it is not published for a very long time, but it successfully transported this multicultural society deeper into the knowledge of Chinese traditional aspects towards life.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Better than joy luck club!

This book is phenomenal and you don't want to put it down. I thought nothing could ever compare to Tan's first book, Joy Luck Club, but this one is actually better!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A BOOK THAT HAS STAYED IN MY MEMORY ALL THESE YEARS. I recently

A BOOK THAT HAS STAYED IN MY MEMORY ALL THESE YEARS.
I recently purchased the Nook HD+ and along with it several books. After finishing the third book, I found my mind wondering to what had been my most favorite book and there was only one answer "The Kitchen Gods Wife". I read this book many years ago and to this very day the charactors, the settings, and the wonderful story that unfolded before me with each page has stayed in my mind. I could feel the written words to the depths of my soul. It brought tears to my eyes and conjured up every other possible emotion I had inside. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to experience the wonderful writing of Amy Tan. I know you will enjoy it.

HELP!!!

Summary did not make sense . Good or not?

Amy Tan

I enjoy her books

A Quick Read

All of Amy Tan's books have the same formula: Chinese women who have moved to America and tell their American born daughters about their lives in China. This book was very short and the audio was horrible. The book is about Winnie, who decides to tell her daughter Pearl about the secret she has been carrying for 50 years. Before marrying Pearls father, Winnie was trapped in a marriage to an abusive husband. After suffering the loss of many children and going to jail. She is finally able to escape and get out of China. The most interesting things about Tan's books are the cultural practices and superstitions of the Chinese. This book was good but not amazing.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Story OK if a little slow

I bought this as a book on CD and have to say that it was the worst sound quality I have ever heard on a commercial product. It probably colored my opinion of the story as I had to have the sound turned completely up and still had a hard time understanding the reader (the author). I would definitely NOT buy this book on CD again.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Poor Audio Quality

I love Amy Tan's books, but trying to listen to this audio was impossible. It sounded as if she'd recorded it over a telephone. The quality was so poor I gave up trying to listen to it. Get the book, instead.

Not the best of Amy Tan

I have read several of Amy Tan's novels and have enjoyed them very much. I thought The Kitchen God's Wife was not quite as good as the others.

amazing

This is the absolute best book I have ever read hands down. It captures and describes emotions, experiences and thoughts that everyone can understand and relate to whether they are Chinese or not. When I read The Kitchen God's Wife I laughed I cried I was angry and a whole lot of other emotions came to me. I thank Amy Tan for writing this book it helped me to see that we are all the same the world over. My only disappointment was that Winnie's first husband took so long to die. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a wholesome and moving reading experience.

A reviewer

The Kitchen God¿s Wife by Amy Tan is more than just a book it¿s a tale of growing up and learning from the past and its mistakes. Told through the narratives of Winnie and her daughter Pearl, this novel explores Winnie¿s life during World War II and how she immigrated to America. Does the plot sound familiar to The Joy Luck Club? Well, this book is more interesting and appealing as it is filled with more Americanized Chinese-isms, puns, and is extremely true to the current Chinese American culture. Both mother and daughter become to understand their heritage, on different levels- Winnie¿s Americanized life and Pearl¿s traditional Chinese past. Instances of their misunderstandings heighten the rift between Winnie, a Traditional Chinese woman, and Pearl, the Chinese-American child. As a fifth generation Chinese-American myself, I¿ve come to appreciate the risks and strife my ancestors endured in order to come to America, like Winnie, as I relate to the emotions and misunderstandings that Pearl expresses in this book. I am normally a very picky reader, but I¿m glad I chose this book because I appreciate Tan¿s insight into the history of China as well as follow the life of Winnie- which is similar to my ancestors who emigrated from China to America during World War II.

Amazing!

Amy Tan did it again! This book made the tears flow and yet gave me such a feeling of joy because of the strength within the characters!

Sure Pleaser

This is the 1st Amy Tan book I have ever read. I first became interested in her work when I saw the film The Joy Luck Club. I couldn't put the book down. Tan was able to make me laugh, ire, and surprise me with every sentence. Tan wonderfully develops the characters and their stories in such a way that I felt as if I was member of the family. This book is truly wonderful and Amy has a new fan me.

Brilliant

Amy tan is a fabulous writer.The kitchen God's Wife is one of the best novels i've ever read. It portrays a vivid image of the entire novel.

Book Review

The Kitchen God¡¯s Wife is a remarkable story of intertwined strength and hope that crosses the cultural boarders from old Chinese traditions to new cultural hopes. Amy Tan is able to weave the past influences of Winnie Louie¡¯s harsh life, describing her as an insecure little girl to become a strong minded woman. The past experiences which Winnie Louie encountered convey the message that the paradoxical nature of strength and hope could prompt one to do both good and evil. Winnie¡¯s past was built on layers of hardships and painful memories. The absence of a close family resulting from a prearranged marriage contributed to Winnie¡¯s initial insecurities however, they made her stronger than ever. Married to a cruel and a non loving husband, Winnie struggles to restrain herself from an unhappy life. Living during the Japanese-Chinese War furthered her endurance and determination for a better future it also led to a romantic encounter and an eventual marriage with Jimmy Louie. Their love for each other provided her with a new hope for what destiny may have in store for her. Winnie¡¯s willingness to conceal and eventually confess the truth of her daughter¡¯s real father paralleled to her daughter¡¯s confession of her own kept secrets. The Kitchen God¡¯s Wife is an influential book because it encourages one to consider the importance of family relationships and the honesty between the loved ones.

wonderfully written

This book is about a distant mother daughter relationship and how one story brought them closer together. Winnie¿s story created a better understanding of her hardships to America and that she fully remembers all the events in her life. She encountered one bad fate after another and had the courage to leave her bad marriage and go to America. Most of the book is about her story and she shares the secrets with her daughter Pearl. The book contains a lot about Chinese culture and the lifestyle in China. The story starts off showing the relationship between the mother and daughter. As the story progresses, Winnie finally tells her secret because of her friend Helen, who threaten to tell Pearl. Winnie encountered war, married a bad husband, and lost her children through many sad events. She lived through so much pain and suffering. Because of the secret, the mother and daughter relationship became closer and they understood each other more. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more of the Chinese culture. Amy Tan¿s novels are very outstanding. After reading this novel, you just want to read more.

Fabulous

This is the first book I ever read by Amy Tan and it's still my favorite out of all her other books. It's beautiful, lyrical text explores the life of a traditional chinese woman who has had a rough life and a good share of life's bad luck and sadness. I find it outstanding and would recommend all to read it. It flings out life's lessons while giving an entertaining story that is deep and will touch your heart.

It Deserves 10 Stars

Winnie, is a remarkable character who is able to staunchly move forward with all the struggles and turmoil in her life. She is a tangible lifelike character and when done with the book you want to read it again and again and again.

decent book

this was a interesting book in my opion.it showed a good lesson about courage and self-determination. it makes you think about how lucky we are not to be in that type of situation. it even changes narrators throughout the story and that was very interestiong to me. it showes hard and difficult times for the mother and some things that happen to her still happen today. this book also had a lot about chinese culture and things that they do in their household. all in all i thought this book was pretty good, i learned a lot more than i thought i would while reading this book. I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes to read about different cultures.