The Bonesetter's Daughter has a number of compelling sequences, but overall I found it a disappointment.

The first and last sections of the novel take place in the modern day and look at the life of a Chinese American woman living in San Francisco and working as a ghost writer. The middle section of the novel tells the story of her mother and her mother's life in China before she immigrates to the United States. I found the middle of this novel by far the most successful, although perhaps that is because I don't have enough personal knowledge of China in the late 1930s and 1940s to detect flaws in fact and tone.

The chapters depicting life in the present felt like well-trodden ground and gave few new insights into the modern world. They made good sense within the narrative structure of the novel, but the relationship issues seemed warmed over and the work conflicts weren't compelling to me.

I'm giving The Bonesetter's Daughter two and a half stars rather than two (or even one and a half) because I appreciate author Amy Tan's willingness to take on difficult subjects close to her own life. But if you are interested in exploring Tan's work, don't start with this novel. ( )

This is the third of Tan's books I've read, and follows a similar pattern to the other two (Joy Luck Club, Kitchen God's Wife): rebellious American daughter of misunderstood Chinese mother, culture clashes combined with generational differences, mother's secret childhood in China eventually is revealed to daughter, understanding ensues. Luckily, Tan's lyrical prose helps the formula remain fresh. The ending was unfortunately not as tight as it could have been; things were too tidy to be realistic, as if Tan were rushed to get the story out the door. I kind of think that if it were only the mother's story it would have been good as it stands, without mentioning the daughter at all. But it was still a good read - up until the end. ( )

Another beautiful mother/daughter story from Amy Tan. The Bonesetter's Daughter is told in two voices--Ruth Young, a ghostwriter who has a hard time communicating with the people she loves, and her mother, LuLing, a Chinese immigrant suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

As Ruth reads her mother's amazing journals, she is finally able to understand her and their relationship. ( )

Amy Tan's, The Bonesetter's Daughter, is a wonderful book that will make you want to read it again. It tells the story of a mother and her daughter, fighting to understand one another and live peacefully. A curse seems to be upon them but it is Ruth's job to find out if it's true. Ruth reads about her mother's(LuLing) life in China and how she came to know the Bonesetter's Daughter, or her nursemaid, also known as Precious Auntie. LuLing struggles to maintain her memories of her past and remember her mother's name. I liked this book because it was a great story about mothers and daughters. Also, I enjoyed the culturistic aspect of the book. ( )

Amy Tan has a gift of writing about the mother and daughter experience. One that transcends race or culture. The Bonesetter's Daughter is about the experience of a daughter coming to terms with her mother's illness and past. Just like the characters in The Joy Luck Club Ruth and her mother LuLing have a difficult relationship. Mostly do to the fact that the mother grow up in China and her daughter was raised in America. It is also a story of a daughter learning to appreciate her mother and culture a little more.

The Bonesetter's Daughter is a lot like The Joy Luck Club. It has fewer main characters. But Ruth and LuLing's relationship is almost exactly like that between the mothers and daughters featured in The Joy Luck Club. There is friction because Ruth does not understand her mother. Her mother is from China and after moving to America held on to a lot of her Chinese Culture. LuLing has been in the United States for almost 50 years yet doesn't speak or understand English that well. LuLing is also secretive of her past. All these situations lead to a very strained relationship that leave both Ruth and LuLing feeling unappreciated and misunderstood by one another.

The story is told from two points of view. The first person point of view is told by LuLing when she is describing her experience in China. The third person point of view in current times. It is the first person point of view that is the most catching. LuLing voice is powerful. The imagery and language that Tan uses to describe what she (LuLing) went through was fantastic. It expressed not only what the character was going through but the myths and beliefs that are part of Chinese culture. The strength in the story lies in the first person narrative of LuLings story.

The one major draw back with the story is that there are a lot of similarities between The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's Daughter. Ruth and LuLing's characters and circumstances could have been switched with any of the mother-daughter pairs in The Joy Luck Club and they would not have been out of place. It makes theme and relationship between them appear recycled and therefore the outcome is not a surprise.

Also, there has been criticism online that Tan has a tendency to use stereotypes in her writing. I noticed that in this novel but that could be because I was looking for it.

Pros: Imagery, Storyline, Characters
Cons: Formula, Stereotypes, Predictable

Overall Recommendation:

Highly recommended with a precaution: If you have read The Joy Luck Club (or maybe any of her others works) the style and formula are easy noticeable and takes away some of the impact of the story. ( )