The Bonesetter's Daughter Audiobook By Amy Tan cover art

The Bonesetter's Daughter

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The Bonesetter's Daughter

By: Amy Tan
Narrated by: Amy Tan
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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. Historical Fiction United States World Literature Fiction China Heartfelt Inspiring
Intergenerational Storytelling • Rich Historical Context • Excellent Narration • Complex Relationships • Emotional Depth
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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.

Mediocre

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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.

Good book but narration a struggle

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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!

Great story, excellent narration

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

Beautifully narrated

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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

Riveting!

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Beautifully written and beautifully read.
Especially interesting if you have a parent in the beginning throws of dementia.
I seem to gravitate toward books about the different Asian cultures and I found this one, as it jumped from present day to past day very inspiring and informative. The ancient Chinese culture is so steeped in mysterious ways and superstitions. It was a wonderful book.

Lovely & Heartwarming

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Wonderful insights into relationships, cultures and the human condition. Very well read. I enjoyed it throughout.

Fabulous Story

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Any additional comments?

I was drawn to read this book because Joy Luck Club was so good. This one is good too, but it covers a lot of the same territory: ABC struggling to resolve her conflicts with her mother and her Chinese heritage. Joy Luck Club had multiple story lines to lend interest. Here, we have a multifamily story line but the focus is narrower. For some people this may add depth to the exploration. I found the specific story to be a little less than enthralling. Those working through their own similar problems may enjoy it more than I did. Amy Tan is several notches about chic lit, so I can still recommend this book.

A pretty good Amy Tan novel

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Although the main narrator does an excellent job with the Asian accents, the rest of her narration is very monotone, dull and lacking a sharpness that's necessary when telling a story. The story itself is a little dull as well. I think it would be a better read than it is a listen.

A little bland and a little sad

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I love this book. It starts out very slow but becomes important to the story.

Started slow but adds to the story

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