There it is, looming large and filling up my January before it's really even begun. Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. This is my required reading but I cannot bring myself to read it (yet). It would be great if someone - actually, several people - would write in and tell me that I'm only a coffee table's length away from reading the most astonishing work of fiction ever.
Thanks in advance.
9 comments:
put off JLC a few days longer, pick up "man gone down"(have you already?)!! i'd love to hear your reactions...
hmm. Not feeling like JLC is the most astonishing work of fiction ever. But then again, it's been a while since I've read it... but then again, I did read it twice, so I should know, right?!! What are some of the other books in that stack, the ones with the hidden spines? I think you need to go to one of those first.
Have not read Man Gone Down - need to do this! I gave my copy away to someone for Christmas, which is why I haven't yet...:)
M, nothing of much interest in the stacks either. Just looked at them and was not very excited by any:
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
The Unvanquished
The Art of Mending - this one might be interesting
Kitchen Confidential- I accidentally read the last chapter already
I may be officially in a rut.
oh no!!! Run run run from _Tess of the D'Urbervilles_. I about decided I hated English when I was forced to read that my sophomore year of high school. Between that and _The Razor's Edge_, it's a miracle I majored in English in college, much less went to grad school.
You've enticed me to respond - I'm confident that you'll love JLC! Our book club read it several years ago, then we went to the movie together. It's a nice story, well written about a very different culture.
Wise words from my aunt above. I started it, and it was not that bad! I am looking forward to it. Kind of reminds me of Snowflower and The Secret Fan, which I LOVED and wish I could teach. But perhaps this one is more teachable. We'll see.
I read JLC when I was in late high school or early college and loved it. The characters were concrete and, as I remember it, reading the book felt effortless. (But, no - still not the most astonishing work ever.) I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts ...
I loathe, loathe, loathe the JLC. It does absolutely nothing for me. What about Woman Warrior instead?
Woman Warrior is a great suggestion and I think I made it to others who felt that it was better for juniors/seniors; tough material for freshmen, maybe? But I haven't read it in forever. My favorite book in this genre is Snowflower in the Secret Fan. I am still lobbying for this one to teach to freshmen, although right now it's in the sophomore queue.
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