February 2018 – JenniElyse

Title: The Joy Luck Club
Author: Amy Tan
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:

My Thoughts

THE JOY LUCK CLUB was a very interesting read. I especially enjoyed reading the mothers’ stories and their hardships in China and how they came to the U.S. I actually wish the book would’ve focused more on them and their time in China because I found it so interesting.

I also enjoyed the nods to Chinese and Chinese-American culture. I learned quite a bit while reading. It was interesting that even though the mothers joined a Christian church upon their arrival in the U.S., they retained some of their Buddhist beliefs throughout their lives.

I also found it interesting to see the differences between the mothers and the daughters. Because of the American culture around the daughters, the daughters couldn’t help but grow up American. Yet, I thought the mothers would’ve taught their children more about their culture. The daughters could understand Chinese, but they couldn’t speak it very well nor could they read or write the characters.

While I found the book interesting, I found the characters to be a little flat. Their voices were similar and the only reason I could tell each of them a part was because each of their stories were different.

Title: A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Series: Time Quintet #1
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Format: Kindle
Pages: 245
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I knew A WRINKLE IN TIME was fantasy and I knew it had to do with darkness and light, but I don’t know what I was expecting because this wasn’t it. I enjoyed the fantasy and science aspect of the story. In fact, that’s probably what I liked most about the story. Well, that and Charles Wallace, the 5-year-old brother of the main character, Meg. I enjoyed reading about wrinkling / tessering. And, I loved the mix of fantasy / science with religion. I thought that was rather unique.

What I didn’t like is Meg. She was so annoying and I had a hard time connecting with her in any way. I also didn’t like how short the book is. Without the introduction, afterword, acknowledgements, etc., the story is only 203 pages. I know it’s meant for children, but I feel like the story could’ve been fleshed out so much more. I also felt like the characters, other than the main three, were very one-dimensional. I have so many unanswered questions that I feel could’ve been answered with a longer book. Who was the Happy Medium? Why was she important? Why couldn’t Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which help Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace on Camazotz? Why did they just give them vague gifts and not tell them what to do or where to go?

Overall, I liked the story and I might continue the series at some point, but I don’t feel like the book lived up to the hype. Honestly, I probably would’ve liked the story better if I had read it when I was younger.