Synopses & Reviews
Shanghai, 1912. Violet Minturn is the daughter of the American madam of the city's most exclusive courtesan house. When political upheaval separates Violet from her mother, she is forced to become a "virgin courtesan." Half-Chinese, half-American, Violet grapples with her place in the worlds of East and West—until she merges her two identities to become a shrewd courtesan, though privately she still struggles to understand who she is. San Francisco, 1897. Violet's mother chooses a disastrous course as a sixteen-year-old, following a Chinese painter to Shanghai, where she finds herself shocked by her lover's adherence to Chinese traditions.
Fueled by betrayals, both women refuse to submit to fate, persisting in their quests to recover what was taken from them: respect; a secure future; and love, from their parents, husbands, and children. An evocative narrative of the 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.
Review
“This utterly engrossing novel is highly recommended to all readers who appreciate an authors ability to transport them to a new world they will not forget. As a plus, this reviewer sensed the harbinger of a sequel by the last page.” Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“Tan is a skilled storyteller. . . A satisfyingly complete, expertly paced yarn.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Tans prodigious, sumptuously descriptive, historically grounded, sexually candid, and elaborately plotted novel counters violence, exploitation, betrayal, and tragic cultural divides with beauty, wit, and transcendent friendship between women.” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“The author of The Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses can deliver a sweeping family saga like nobody else.” Newsday (Fall Preview)
Review
“Its been a long eight years since Amy Tans last novel, but THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT proves that good things--breathtaking things--come to those who wait. [...] Its wonderful to be back in Amys magical and amazing world.” Lisa See, author of international bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and Shanghai Girls
Review
“Amy Tan is one of our blackest-belted scriveners, and this is her masterwork.” Mary Karr, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Liars' Club, Cherry, and Lit
Review
Fans of Tans previous works (including The Joy Luck Club) will rejoice when they get their hands on this book. Real Simple
Review
“Tans beautiful, seamless prose presents fans with a true sense of time and place, catching them up in the heartbreaking tragedy of the plot… Tans creativity is always a force, and in this epic tale her ability to captivate shines.” Romantic Times
Review
“[Tan] is a gifted storyteller… This is one writers particular idiom and vision of the world - and within that she offers us a rich cast of characters who both repel and compel.” Financial Times
Review
“[Tans] fans will appreciate the books multigenerational narrative and compelling look at a society in which men held the power but women gave each other strength.” More magazine
Review
“Here are strong women struggling to survive all that life has thrown at them, created by a writer skilled at evoking the roil of emotions and made exploits they experience when they follow their hearts.” New York Times Book Review
Review
“Fans will recognize signature Tan themes: mother-daughter relationships, clashes between cultures… threads of hmor and emotional insight make Violets struggle to survive, and ultimately forgive, a journey worth sharing.” People
Review
“[Tan] still sweeps you up in the wildly changing fortunes of a whip-smart courtesan.” Entertainment Weekly
Review
“This is an Amy Tan novel, so its heart is the push-pull of mother-daughter relationships… The journey with Violet, her mother and her daughter is one of separate winding paths, each woman struggling to reach the light.” USA Today
Review
“[A] novel that grabs your soul.” San Francisco Chronicle
Review
“Amy Tans latest novel is an engrossing, multigenerational saga....grounded by Tans ability to bring tragically flawed characters and exotic locales to vivid life.” Parade
Review
“Tan brings to life a world with which few are familiar. And its fascinating. Her descriptions of the countryside, of the houses, of the lifestyle and the customers are well-drawn and multi-layered. Her characters are brought to life as three-dimensional, complicated people.” Associated Press
Review
“With THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT (Ecco), Amy Tan reaffirms her reputation as a master storyteller, creating intriguing settings, unforgettable characters, and twisty plotlines.” O, the Oprah Magazine
Review
“[THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT is] akin to her earlier work, yet more sophisticated, and a fine reminder that Amy Tan is herself a master of illusion, and one of the best storytellers around.” NPR
Review
“Amy tan creates another stunning portrait of mothers and daughters.” St. Paul Pioneer Press
Review
“In her new novel, Tan ditches her magic realist fugues and enters a brutal landscape of Shanghai courtesans, exploring it with new depths of tenderness and pain.” San Francisco Chronicle
Review
“[Tan is] an accomplished storyteller… the underlying appeal of this book is the weave she makes of the three generations of Minturn women…struggling to accept their fate and each other.” New York Daily News
Review
“A feast of a novel… Tan deftly draws the reader along as she explores the nature of identity, the joys and pitfalls of love, the ripple effects of the choices we make and the role of fate in our lives.” Shelf Awareness
Review
“THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT is an engrossing read that effortlessly draws you in and captures both the sweet taste of acceptance and the bitter taste of disappointment and resentment with an almost painful accuracy… a compelling and emotional read.” San Francisco Book Review
Review
“She has created such an enticing portrait of Shanghai that she makes us nostalgic for a city we can never know.” Boston Globe
Review
“Amy Tans new novel THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT is a long and luxurious read, offering riches on almost every page… Tan laces her story with colorful characters… a little comedy, enough tragedy, and plenty of passion and historical detail.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Review
“[THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT] combines vivid historical details and epic sweep across several decades and two continents with intimate portraits of flawed but engaging women whose resourcefulness and courage are sometimes astounding.” Tampa Bay Times
Review
“Vivid, compassionate, and expertly done… Tan has crafted characters so realistic they seem to breathe and a tense world that will keep readers on the edge of their seats for all 589 pages.” Bustle
Review
“Tan hasnt written a new novel in eight years but THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT was worth the wait.” Miami Herald
Review
“Tan has created a vivid work of literature, full of deftly drawn and colorful characters, exploring the idea that in a world of grief and cruelty, where a womans fate is not hers - or her mothers - to determine, what she can keep is her self.” Seattle Times
Review
“The deeply evocative narrative about the profound connections between mothers and daughters will return readers to the compelling territory of Tans The Joy Luck Club. Tans characteristic insight and humor conjures a story of “inherited trauma, desire and deception, and the power and stubbornness of love.” Northwest Asian Weekly
Review
“Fans whove waited eight years for a new novel by Tan (The Joy Luck Club) can look forward to a lengthy, decades-long soak in Violets sentimental and erotic education.” Good Housekeeping (online)
Review
“Those who have been waiting for Tans novel, her first in eight years, will not be disappointed.” International Examiner
Synopsis
Amy Tans
The Valley of Amazement is a sweeping, evocative epic of two womens intertwined fates and their search for identity, that moves from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village.
Spanning more than forty years and two continents, The Valley of Amazement resurrects pivotal episodes in history: from the collapse of Chinas last imperial dynasty, to the rise of the Republic, the explosive growth of lucrative foreign trade and anti-foreign sentiment, to the inner workings of courtesan houses and the lives of the foreign “Shanghailanders” living in the International Settlement, both erased by World War II.
A deeply evocative narrative about the profound connections between mothers and daughters, The Valley of Amazement returns readers to the compelling territory of Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club. With her characteristic insight and humor, she conjures a story of inherited trauma, desire and deception, and the power and stubbornness of love.
About the Author
Amy Tan is the author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life, Saving Fish from Drowning, and two children's books, The Moon Lady and The Chinese Siamese Cat, which was adapted into a PBS television series. Tan was also a coproducer and coscreenwriter of the film version of The Joy Luck Club. Her essays and stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, and her work has been translated into thirty-five languages. She lives with her husband in San Francisco and New York.