Amy Tan
Copyright 2012
I love, love, love book previews. And so I dove into this snippet of Amy Tan's latest novel with reckless abandon. I had no idea what to expect. What I found was somewhat reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha.
Set in 1922, the story centers around Violet, a young courtesan about to make her debut and her mentor, Magic Gourd. Magic Gourd shares her strategies to become a successful "beauty." An Art of War for courtesans, the novella offers advice on how to attract and keep wealthy suitors. It shows the power actually wielded by the "fairer sex."
While I liked the book, I felt like I came in mid-story and found the writing somewhat unimaginative. I want to know how Violet came to this station in her life. The few allusions to her previous education and her mother just seemed out of place. Ms. tan incorrectly labeled this a "long short story" as it was merely an excerpt.
I'm not sure I will read the whole book when it is released. But, I recommend that fans of Tan wait until the full novel is published later in 2012.
****Up next: James A. Michener's Caribbean****
