Tan, Amy The Valley of Amazement ISBN 13: 9781423322412

The Valley of Amazement

9781423322412: The Valley of Amazement
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan brings us her latest novel: a sweeping, evocative epic of two women’s intertwined fates and their search for identity—from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village

Shanghai, 1912. Violet Minturn is the privileged daughter of the American madam of the city’s most exclusive courtesan house. But when the Ching dynasty is overturned, Violet is separated from her mother in a cruel act of chicanery and forced to become a “virgin courtesan.” Half-Chinese and half-American, Violet grapples with her place in the worlds of East and West—until she is able to merge her two halves, empowering her to become a shrewd courtesan who excels in the business of seduction and illusion, though she still struggles to understand who she is.

Back in 1897 San Francisco, Violet’s mother, Lucia, chooses a disastrous course as a sixteen-year-old, when her infatuation with a Chinese painter compels her to leave her home for Shanghai. Shocked by her lover’s adherence to Chinese traditions, she is unable to change him, despite her unending American ingenuity.

Fueled by betrayals, both women refuse to submit to fate and societal expectations, persisting in their quests to recover what was taken from them: respect; a secure future; and, most poignantly, love from their parents, lovers, and children. To reclaim their lives, they take separate journeys—to a backwater hamlet in China, the wealthy environs of the Hudson River Valley, and, ultimately, the unknown areas of their hearts, where they discover what remains after their many failings to love and be loved.

Spanning more than forty years and two continents, The Valley of Amazement transports listeners from the collapse of China’s last imperial dynasty to the beginning of the Republic and recaptures the lost world of old Shanghai through the inner workings of courtesan houses and the lives of the foreigners living in the International Settlement, both erased by World War II. A deeply evocative narrative of the profound 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.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
An Amazon Best Book of the Month, November 2013: For a hefty half of her gorgeous new novel, The Valley of Amazement, Amy Tan instructs us in the finer points of life as a courtesan in early 20th century China: expect and revel in sensual descriptions of the clothes, the customs, even the not-so-niceties of catering to rich men in a very regimented society. Lulu Minturn is a white Californian who’d run away with a Chinese painter, established the best courtesan house in Shanghai and given birth to a beautiful “Eurasian” (in the parlance of the time) daughter, Violet. Soon, either because she was tricked or deceitful, Lulu abandons Violet and flees back to America; history soon is in danger of repeating itself when Violet gives birth to her own daughter. (Eventually, the scene shifts to California, where the family searches for redemption and reconciliation.) Nobody does mother-daughter angst and cross cultural conflict better than Tan, who has been literally writing the book(s) on these topics for years. What makes this novel special is its meticulous language--readers may be struck by the juxtaposition of poetry and Anglosaxon equivalents in descriptions of courtesans’ sex lives--and its elucidation of the cultural upheavals at the time. This is as much a historical novel as it is a family story, at once intimate and sweeping, personal and political. You’ll have learned something by the end--and you’ll probably also be weeping. --Sara Nelson
From the Back Cover:

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.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherBrilliance Audio
  • Publication date2013
  • ISBN 10 142332241X
  • ISBN 13 9781423322412
  • BindingMP3 CD
  • Number of pages2
  • Rating
Buy Used
Condition: Very Good
Learn more about this copy

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to Basket

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780062107312: The Valley of Amazement

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780062107312
Publisher: Ecco, 2013
Hardcover

9780062107329: The Valley of Amazement

Ecco, 2014
Softcover

9780007476480: Valley of Amazement

Harper..., 2014
Softcover

9780007456277: The Valley of Amazement

Ecco, 2013
Hardcover

9780062223388: The Valley of Amazement

Harper..., 2013
Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Tan, Amy
Published by Brilliance Audio (2013)
ISBN 10: 142332241X ISBN 13: 9781423322412
Used Quantity: 1
Seller:
SecondSale
(Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: Very Good. Seller Inventory # 00041072719

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
US$ 12.72
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Tan, Amy
ISBN 10: 142332241X ISBN 13: 9781423322412
Used Quantity: 1
Seller:
The Yard Sale Store
(Narrowsburg, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description MP3_CD. Condition: Very Good. 2 NEW IN THE SHRINK WRAP MP3 CD AUDIO BOOK in MP3 format. You'll receive One MP3 CDs that CONTAINS THE ENTIRE AUDIO PRODUCTION! Just a bit of shelf wear to the covers. A Brand New MP3 CD inside for your listening enjoyment. Seller Inventory # 720042220121406

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
US$ 8.77
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.97
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds