The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

SPOILERS BE HERE

I was wandering around my new library when I saw this on a shelf and grabbed it on a whim because I love Amy Tan. Sadly, it wasn't my favorite, although I did enjoy it quite a bit. It was overly long, although thinking back on it now, I'm not really sure what could be cut. I suppose just some of the details? There were a lot of them but they helped make the book so rich. I think my main issue with the book was I went in blind. I didn't expect there to be graphic details of a child being forced into the sex trade, so that was pretty shocking and might have deterred me from reading the book. I enjoyed the other parts, but the sex scenes were fairly horrifying to me. And silly me read that part of the book on a plane, so I felt very uncomfortable.

I read this a while ago so can't really remember names, but the main character (Violet?) had such a heartbreaking story. To finally find love and escape from her situation only to have her husband die, child taken away, and have to return to prostitution. And then to get married but her husband is awful. At least she was finally reunited with her mother and daughter in the end. The mother's story was also sad but I do feel like she brought it upon herself. I kind of wish her backstory was longer; it was almost a random aside that could have been removed because it was so short compared to her daughter's story.

Completed: 28 February 2021
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend: Yes, but know the subject matter before starting

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