The Bonesetter's Daughter

By: Amy Tan

Narrated by: Amy Tan

Ruth Young and her widowed mother, LuLing, have always had a tumultuous relationship. Now, before she succumbs to forgetfulness, LuLing gives Ruth some of her writings, which reveal a side of LuLing that Ruth has never known....

Set in contemporary San Francisco and in a Chinese village where Peking Man is being unearthed, The Bonesetter's Daughter is an excavation of the human spirit — revealing deep wounds and profound hopes. Over the course of one fog-shrouded year — between one season of falling stars and the next — mother and daughter find what they share in their bones through heredity, history, and inexpressible qualities of love.

Read by the author, Amy Tan, and actress Joan Chen (The Last Emperor), this story conjures the pain of broken dreams, the power of myths, and the strength of love that enables us to recover in memory what we have lost in grief.

©2001 Amy Tan (P)2001 Phoenix Books, Inc.

Mediocre

I have read many Asian inspired novels, and this one hardly measures up to the standard I'm accustomed to receiving. Since Joy Luck Club, I have not been attracted to Amy Tan's writings because they seem to end up the same way...old world meets new world. I thought this one might be different based on the story line, and although I liked a few of the characters, it ended up the same as the others - present day back to the past and back to the present again. The bone collecting portions of the narration are a little confusing at times, and I didn't have the patience with the writer who appears to assume the audience is constantly up to speed on this kind of tradition. Needless to say, the listen didn't keep me captivated enough to want to go back and review some of the puzzling rituals for clarity. There are much better books available for the money.

Good book but narration a struggle

The storyline of this book is definitely interesting and author Amy Tan keeps the audience engaged to the end. She truly has a beautiful way with words.

I cannot say the same for the person who narrated this audio book! Her voice was pleasant, kind of like your grandma reading a book …but when she is tired. She would run paragraphs into each other which confused scene changes…and there are many. When she attempted various ethnic accents she would vacillate in and out of them, especially during extended dialogue. It was annoying. She lost the distinguishing essence of many a character. For these reasons I am glad I was both listening to and reading this book at the same time. It helped provide a road map through an amateur book read.

I recommend the book but sincerely hope Audible uses a reader with more refined talents for Amy Tan’s other work.

Great story, excellent narration

An insightful and original storyline. Tan brilliantly weaves together historical non-fiction, Chinese superstitions, and contemporary life- from China to America. The narration is outstanding, the plot intriguing, and the characters complex and interesting. Highly recommend!

Beautifully narrated

This was a pleasure to listen to. The story was moving and wonderful. I will definitely be listing to more Amy Tan

Riveting!

This is the 3rd Amy Tan book I've read and I was not disappointed. I am amazed that a person can write a book so interesting, with so many lessons to be learned, and which evokes so much emotion. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed the voices of the narrators as well