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.

Beautiful story, rich imagery

Amy Tan takes the reader to Shanghai in another wonderful novel. I laughed, worried & cried, empathizng with the mothers and their daughters. Loved this book!

Spellbinding epic

Amy Tan has created an epic that spans the lives of fascinating characters who have lives intertwined. Forbidden love between America and Chinese as well as the generations following, give us a unique look into traditional Chinese courtesan houses. With vivid detail, readers see the larger purpose they played in Chinese power, and wealth of Shanghai.
Nicely told by several characters in non linear form, we get to then reexamine the past. Ripe for a sequel. Good story, well narrated.

Beautiful, tragic, wonderful!

I love Amy Tan's books. This book makes you laugh, cry, get angry, and wait in breathless anticipation for what is to come.

Highly recommended.

Excellent, a tad graphic at times

Thank you for using several different women to read this book. The differing voices added to the story. Nothing worse than listening to a man try to pull off a female voice. The story was wonderful. Although a bit graphic at times. I couldn't listen to it when my kids were around.

Very enjoyable listen

Any additional comments?

Amy Tan continues to explore the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship. Set in early twentieth century San Francisco and Shanghai, The Valley of Amazement provides a rich cultural and historical context for posing some universal questions about parental love and how we perceive it. The narration is wonderful. I highly recommend this book.

Amazeing Writing! Wonderul

What did you love best about The Valley of Amazement?

The story of Violet, I felt as if I was always with her...

What did you like best about this story?

The whole story, and the ending was as it should be...

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but they were all great

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Some laughs but some crying also..

Any additional comments?

Great listen, the story was wonderful you were in 19th century China, and what it was like for some women at that time... Definitely recommend it.!!

The Valley of Amazement: Courtesans in Shanghai

Amy Tan's novels always hook me from the start and her characters stay with me long after I finish. The Valley of Amazement was no exception. I rated it four stars instead of five for only one reason: it rambles on and on in the last third of the book and I felt there were a few chapters that were unnecessary. But the story overall is captivating and the characters memorable. It was interesting to catch a glimpse of Shanghai at the turn of the last century.

Didn't catch my attention

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I've read Amy Tan's books before, but this one didn't light my fire. Didn't finish listening to it.

Loved it!

I enjoy all of Amy Tan's books, especially this one, where a complex story is slowly revealed. Tan gives us a peek into another culture at another time.

Disappointing

I enjoyed the information about the Chinese culture, but it was very redundant and I was glad to get to the end. I just kept wondering how many more bad decisions these women could make. I understood that they had very little choice, but they kept taking the worst path.