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The Hundred Secret Senses (Hardcover)

by Amy Tan (Author) "My sister Kwan believes she has yin eyes ..." (more)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (162 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; First Edition edition (Jan 1 1999)
ISBN-10: 0261672762
ISBN-13: 978-0261672765
Shipping Weight: 790 g

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (162 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Again grounding her novel in family and the workings of fate, Tan (The Kitchen God's Wife) spins the tale of two sisters, two cultures, and several acts of betrayal. Kwan, who came to San Francisco from China when she was 18, remains culturally disjointed, a good-natured, superstitious peasant with a fierce belief that she has "yin eyes," which enable her to see ghosts. Kwan's younger half-sister Olivia (or Libby-ah, as Kwan calls her) is supremely annoyed by Kwan's habit of conversing with spirits and treats her with disdain. Despite herself, however, Libby is fascinated by the stories Kwan tells of her past lives, during one of which, in the late 1800s, she claims to have befriended an American missionary who was in love with an evil general. Kwan relates this story in installments that alternate with Libby's narration, which stresses her impatience with Kwan's clinging presence. But Kwan's devotion never cools: "She turns all my betrayals into love that needs to be betrayed," Libby muses. When circumstances take Kwan, Libby and Libby's estranged husband, Simon, back to Kwan's native village in China on a magazine assignment, the stories Kwan tells?of magic, violence, love and fate?begin to assume poignant?and dangerous?relevance. In Kwan, Tan has created a character with a strong, indelible voice, whose (often hilarious) pidgin English defines her whole personality. Needy, petulant, skeptical Libby is not as interesting; though she must act as Kwan's foil, demonstrating the dichotomy between imagination and reality, she is less credible and compelling, especially when she undergoes a near-spiritual conversion in the novel's denouement. Indeed, some readers may feel that the ending is less than satisfactory, but no one will deny the pleasure of Tan's seductive prose and the skill with which she unfolds the many-layered narrative. Major ad/promo; BOMC and QPB main selections; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

As in The Joy Luck Club (LJ 2/15/89), Tan unwinds another haunting tale that examines the ties binding Chinese Americans to their ancestors. Nearing divorce from her husband, Simon, Olivia Yee is guided by her elder half-sister, the irrepressible Kwan, into the heart of China. Olivia was five when 18-year-old Kwan first joined her family in the United States, and though always irritated by Kwan's oddities, Olivia was entranced by her eerie dreams of the ghost World of Yin. Only when visiting Kwan's home in Changmian does Olivia realize the dreams are, in Kwan's mind, memories from past lives. Kwan believes she must help Olivia and Simon reunite and thereby fix a broken promise from a previous incarnation. Tan tells a mysterious, believable story and delivers Kwan's clipped, immigrant voice and engaging personality with charming clarity. Highly recommended.
--Sheila Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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My sister Kwan believes she has yin eyes. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

162 Reviews

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (162 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars The 100 Secret Senses, Jun 26 2004

By	smartnurse123 (Slidell, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hundred Secret Senses (Audio Cassette)

This is a mystical Chinese story that tells the life of Olivia Laguni. When Olivia was a young child, her half-sister, Kwan, arrived from China to stay with her family. Because Olivia's mother was preoccupied with her own personal problems, Kwan became Olivia's substitute mother. Kwan was difficult as well as unusual to be around. She continually talked about nonsensical things especially at night since they shared a bedroom together. Kwan reported that she had "Yin" eyes and was able to speak to ghosts.

Later in their lives, when Olivia had trouble with her marriage to Simon, Kwan arranged a trip to China. She reported that it would be a homecoming for all three of them since each had Chinese blood. Through unusual circumstances, Kwan arranged for Olivia and Simon to reunite spiritually as well as physically in their homeland...

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5.0 out of 5 stars Traveling Between Two Worlds, Jun 16 2004

By	Fitzgerald Fan (Royal Oak, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hundred Secret Senses (School & Library Binding)

Once again, Amy Tan has managed to blow my mind. I have read "The Bonesetter's Daughter" and was deeply impressed by how well Tan can weave a multi-dimentional story..."The Hundred Secret Senses" is no different.
The main character is Olivia. She is likeable but extremely self-absorbed. Her half sister Kwan is more than just an annoyance in Olivia's life, but is the one who ultimately shows her what life is about; what's truly important.
The book deals with reincarnation and zigzags between the past life that Kwan recalls in China and her present one in the U.S. This may sound hokey to some who have not read the book but it is done in a wonderful way that makes you want to suspend disbelief as a reader and wonder "what if?"
The text is wonderfully fast moving and the dialect she uses for Kwan is absolutely amusing and touching at the same time (her poor English is absolutely adorable and you can almost hear her talking when you read the book.)
All in all, it is a coming of age story for a very late bloomer (Olivia), who up until now, has forgotten to turn around and notice the rest of the world.
If you've never read Amy Tan, you don't know what you are missing. Her ability to tell a complex story with ease is unparalleled.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Write by Number?, April 22 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hundred Secret Senses (Paperback)

First off, I'd like to assert that Amy Tan is an incredibly successful writer, whose books sell in the millions, and NOBODY can take that away from her. On the enjoyment count, this book (like almost all of Tan's) gets 5 stars, no questions asked. Tan's prose is alternately beautiful and heart rending - even though she is a "popular" writer, the woman CAN turn a good phrase. That said, Tan's novels are SOOOO formulaic, I can't help but be reminded of paint-by-number. The plot runs something like this: Chinese American woman is in conflict with her Chinese roots/heritage/culture, and she is usually brought to this awareness by her still VERY Chinese mother (or in this case, a half sister does the trick). This conflict usually leads to relationship problems with her American partner. Along the way, our protagonist is plunged headon into Chinese folklore and legend, eventually culminating in her confrontation with and acceptance of her Chinese-ness (if you can excuse the made-up word). In order for this to happen, the Chinese American sometimes has to visit mainland China, but in other cases, the deal goes through with an oral or written memoir (detailing life in pre-WW2 China, and her relative's escape from it) of some sort.
Amy Tan has found a formula that works, and I say good for her. So? If you want a book you cannot put down, read Amy Tan. But maybe just the once....

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book Ever
I just love this book. Amy Tan is a genius because she has the ability to write about people and the situations they experience in such a real, candid, and yet witty way. Read more

Published on April 11 2004 by A. Dobry

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Discovery
A truly magical book, it will open your mind as well as your heart.

Published on Mar 23 2004 by Si Ling M. Espinoza

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good
I read this book a few years ago now. I actually picked it up as a "Rock Bottom Remainder" at the local supermarket. I had already read Joy Luck Club. Read more

Published on Feb 18 2004 by James Saunders

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing....
Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" and "The Kitchen God's Wife" are two wonderful, wonderful novels -- I stayed up late into the night reading both of them, and... Read more

Published on Feb 4 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Five Sense
The world is full of many superstitions. Some people believe that breaking a mirror leads to seven years of bad luck. Read more

Published on Dec 8 2003 by Douglass Davis

5.0 out of 5 stars Too bad so many reviewers think they are actual critics...
It's really too bad so many reviewers think they are actual critics, as if critics ever knew trash from treasure. Read more

Published on Dec 1 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating story that will keep you reading
I loved this book because it made me want to solve the mystery of Kwan's yin eyes and how it affects her half sister Olivia. Read more

Published on Nov 8 2003 by Elizabeth

4.0 out of 5 stars Two sisters - one Chinese, one American
Once again exploring the dynamics of family and the clash of Chinese and American culture, Tan introduces two sisters, Olivia, a quintessential Californian and Kwan, who grew up... Read more

Published on Oct 29 2003 by Lynn Harnett

4.0 out of 5 stars Kwan's yin eyes....
THE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES by Amy Tan

THE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES by Amy Tan uses a similar pattern which her previous books seem to follow, in which she starts the story in... Read more

Published on Oct 29 2003 by Ratmammy

4.0 out of 5 stars Hard to top Joy Luck Club
Too bad Tan's first book was so damned good. She's having a hard time rising to that standard again. Read more

Published on Sep 23 2003 by Peggy Vincent