Book Description:
At the beginning of Amy Tan's fourth novel, two packets of papers written in Chinese calligraphy fall into the hands of Ruth Young. One bundle is titled Things I Know Are True and the other, Things I Must Not Forget. The author? That would be the protagonist's mother, LuLing, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In these documents the elderly matriarch, born in China in 1916, has set down a record of her birth and family history, determined to keep the facts from vanishing as her mind deteriorates. A San Francisco career woman who makes her living by ghostwriting self-help books, Ruth has little idea of her mother's past or true identity. What's more, their relationship has tended to be an angry one. Framed at either end by Ruth's chapters, the central portion of The Bonesetter's Daughter takes place in China in the remote, mountainous region where anthropologists discovered Peking Man in the 1920s. Here superstition and tradition rule over a succession of tiny villages. And here LuLing grows up under the watchful eye of her hideously scarred nursemaid, Precious Auntie. Along the way, familial squabbles erupt around every corner, particularly among mothers, daughters, and sisters. And as she did in her earlier The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan uses these conflicts to explore the intricate dynamic that exists between first-generation Americans and their immigrant elders.

I had no idea what this book was about when I started it. The ending was very anticlimactic for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the story.

BOOKRING ORDER:

1. brewster13 - CAN *
2. PaigeTurner124 - USA *
3. cisco - USA *
4. sabeena29 - USA
5. ladilee24 - USA *

It's home now!

I just got this in the mail, and will begin reading right away!! Thanks ASKmama!


Update Sept 6 -- I'm still reading this one, pretty good so far. I'm on page 176 of 400, so it'll be a couple more weeks :-)

I too found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, but I did enjoy the rest of the story. My favourite was reading about LuLing's life, which maybe didn't quite completely explain why she was such a crotchety old bag, but gave us a glimpse into how she got started down that path :-) A nice story, I hope the rest of the folks on the ring enjoy it too.

I've PM'd cosmic-gin, and will mail (surface) when I hear back from them. Will change status to release when mailed. Brew

Mailed to PaigeTurner Oct 12 -- my apologies for the delay, it got 'forgotten' in preparation for holiday plans, so didn't hit the mail until I returned.
But it is on the way now :-) Enjoy ... Brew

I received this book today. I had forgotten all about signing up for this, so it was a pleasant surprise. I'm currently reading another book ring book, but nearing the end, so I should be starting on this one shortly. Thanks for the ring!

I too, had no idea what this book was supposed to be about. The beginning and the end weren't too exciting for me, but I did enjoy the main part of the story when it talked about her mother's background. It will be going out to Cisco today.

Received Bonesetter's Daughter today. Will report again after reading!

It took a while for me to connect with this story, and it was worth it. Thanks so much for sharing.

Sabeena29 was next on the ring and determined that she already has a copy. I sent a PM to Ladilee24 asking for mailing instructions, since she is next on the list.

This just arrived today form cisco. I am looking forward to reading it, and should get started later this week.

Just finished this book yesterday. I really enjoyed Tan's language, as she chronicled the life of LuLing in China. The central portion of the book, LuLing's narrative of growing up in and later escaping a remote area of China really fascinated me, and made her daughter Ruth seem somewhat pale and uninteresting in comparison. I've read one other book by Tan, and find her theme of mothers and daughters and family relations very similar from book to book. However, this was well written, if familiar, and the two narraives in this book blended quite well. An enjoyable read, and I thank ASKmama for setting up the ring!

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I'll be sending this back to ASKmama the beginning of this week.

Arrived home a while ago, but just getting around to journalling it now. Thanks to all who participated in the ring!