It was amazing, exceeded my expectations--and they were high, this being Amy Tan. I liked the main character, Violet, more than I expected to. She was sulky yet I could completely empathize with her. And incredibly I could also empathize with the mother whom she felt showed her little affection. The novel is cleverly structured to draw you into the courtesan's world. At first, through the eyes of innocent, curious Violet, we see it from the outside as appearing to be a sensual, privileged role. Then later we learn how courtesans actually felt about their work and how they ended up in it.There are so many events here that seem on the verge of unbelievable, yet somehow I can perfectly accept them. There are so many surprises it's hard to say anything without giving out spoilers. So I will conclude as I began. It was amazing. An interesting read but certainly not Amy Tan's best. I enjoyed reading about the courtesan life and didn't find the details offensive. This is what being a courtesan was all about. Their entire lives revolved around, in fact depended on, their living and breathing how to please men. What a hard life it must have been and this was clearly conveyed in this book.Where I feel the book fails is in making me care about the characters. Whether they are weak, evil or unlucky, I found I didn't really care. I should have felt more when Violet was left behind in Shanghai, even though it was totally predictable. I also felt very little when she lost her baby, also thoroughly predictable.All in all, a good yarn with no surprises and totally forgettable characters
What do You think about The Valley Of Amazement (2013)?
loved the beginning of this book, the end was predictable and kind of lost its zing.
—Morgan
This is a struggle. I'm on the verge of bagging it.
—ash
