The Valley of Amazement

By: Amy Tan

Narrated by: Nancy Wu, Joyce Bean, Amy Tan

Length: 24 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan brings us her latest novel: a sweeping, evocative epic of two women's intertwined fates and their search for identity - from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village

Shanghai, 1912. Violet Minturn is the privileged daughter of the American madam of the city's most exclusive courtesan house. But when the Ching dynasty is overturned, Violet is separated from her mother in a cruel act of chicanery and forced to become a "virgin courtesan." Half-Chinese and half-American, Violet grapples with her place in the worlds of East and West - until she is able to merge her two halves, empowering her to become a shrewd courtesan who excels in the business of seduction and illusion, though she still struggles to understand who she is.

Back in 1897 San Francisco, Violet's mother, Lucia, chooses a disastrous course as a sixteen-year-old, when her infatuation with a Chinese painter compels her to leave her home for Shanghai. Shocked by her lover's adherence to Chinese traditions, she is unable to change him, despite her unending American ingenuity.

Fueled by betrayals, both women refuse to submit to fate and societal expectations, persisting in their quests to recover what was taken from them: respect; a secure future; and, most poignantly, love from their parents, lovers, and children. To reclaim their lives, they take separate journeys - to a backwater hamlet in China, the wealthy environs of the Hudson River Valley, and, ultimately, the unknown areas of their hearts, where they discover what remains after their many failings to love and be loved. Spanning more than forty years and two continents, The Valley of Amazement transports listeners from the collapse of China's last imperial dynasty to the beginning of the Republic and recaptures the lost world of old Shanghai through the inner workings of courtesan houses and the lives of the foreigners living in the International Settlement, both erased by World War II. A deeply evocative narrative of the profound connections between mothers and daughters, imbued with Tan's characteristic insight and humor, The Valley of Amazement conjures a story of inherited trauma, desire and deception, and the power and obstinacy of love.

©2013 Amy Tan (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

A close look at Shanghai in the late 1800's

Where does The Valley of Amazement rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Amy Tan's books are always beautifully written and well researched. This book is one of her best.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Violet - the narrator - because you get to see her change and grow, deal with the bad cards life has dealt her and how she wrestles with her dual race heritage.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Again Violet - because the narrator gives her a life and voice that also changes as she grows.

Any additional comments?

Getting to see a side of Shanghai society that is often not written or even talked about is very interesting. This is a cultural history.

Took 15 minutes of listening before I was rapt

What made the experience of listening to The Valley of Amazement the most enjoyable?

The voice characterizations were spot on.

Any additional comments?

I love Amy Tan's stories. She has a fabulous way of delivering the reader (listener) to the time and place of the story with descriptions that do not get in the way of the story.

A slow beginning to a great book

When I first started this book I had to force myself to listen to each chapter. I even listened to the first Harry Potter while procrastinating from this book. It slowly got better and I became more invested. I'm glad I stuck with it.

Loved it!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The audio narration added to the story, especially that of Magic Gourd.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Valley of Amazement?

See below

Which scene was your favorite?

Favorite scene is when Magic Gourd sticks up and tries to protect Violet as she is beaten by Perpetual.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

not for the weak

Any additional comments?

Loved it!

not Amy Tan's best, but still enjoyable

if you're a fan of stories like Vanity Fair, give this a go. long, meandering, but beautiful language

I miss Amy Tan!

There were some sparks of her older writing, but this was a little different. Maybe too much "Shades of Jade," if you know what I mean! ;)

Another interesting story of family histories, love and pain.

It made me laugh, cry, filled with astonishment, and a myriad of feelings. There were a few places where I felt it reiterated some memories (again), but cast it off as the characteristics of the character and the storytelling, not a fault of the writer.

One of my all time favorites!

Absolutely loved it. Such a sweeping story, covering years and generations, not to mention all that I learned about the world of courtesans.

A tad too long family saga

I did like the start: "When I was seven, I knew exactly who I was.", but the book did not hold the promise. It's too long, going at times to unnecessary detailed descriptions, especially when it comes to the courtesan life related chapters, while suddenly a years in life of the main person could pass in a sentence or two. I also think there are unnecessary holes in the plot: When a child is abducted, person(s) make relatively small grudges stand in the way of taking to all resources for retrieving the child. Relatively small to losing a child, that is.
That being said, the book is interesting, following a mothers and daughters over two continents and half a century, and taking up the (still very much touchy) subject of being of mixed descendance.
Towards the end of the book I stared actively disliking the reading. Here's the situation: We have American speaking Chinese, Americans speaking English, Chinese speaking Chinese, and Chinese speaking English. Yet somehow, parts of the dialogues spoken by Americans always sounded perfectly fine, no matter which language they spoke, while Chinese parts were often read in a heavily accented English, even when they spoke Chinese, as if they couldn't properly speak even their own language.

Loved it

Got lost in the story from the beginning and stayed there! I had never read any of her books before but now I am glad that I have a new author to explore!