The Hundred Secret Senses
By (Author) Amy Tan
HarperCollins Publishers
HarperPerennial
27th November 1996
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Contemporary lifestyle fiction
Family life fiction
Metaphysical / philosophical fiction
Fiction: Traditional stories, myths and fairy tales
Religious and spiritual fiction
Narrative theme: Coming of age
Narrative theme: Identity / belonging
813.54
Short-listed for Orange Prize for Fiction 1996
Paperback
352
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 21mm
250g
Stunning reissue of an international bestseller, from the author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's DaughterOlivia Yee is only five years old when Kwan, her older sister from China, comes to live with the family and turns her life upside down, bombarding her day and night with ghostly stories of strange ancestors from the world of Yin. Olivia just wants to lead a normal American life. For the next thirty years, Olivia endures visits from Kwan and her ghosts, who appear in the living world to offer advice on everything from restaurants to Olivia's failed marriage. But just when she cannot bear it any more, the revelations of a tragic family secret finally open her mind to the startling truths hidden in Kwan's unorthodox vision of the world.
'Tan's women sparkle and sing off the page. I longed for even more of Kwan -- a gorgeously feisty portrait of a Chinese-American housewife, chattering as loudly about the mole on her husband's testicles as the price of pickle-turnips. Kwan is a breathtaking creation.' Julie Myerson, Independent on Sunday'The sheer buoyancy of Tan's writing, the gutsy humour and the sheer verve of the narrative as it bounces along, from modern San Francisco to nineteenth-century China, is entrancing.' Iain Finlayson, Financial Times'A wonderful story, told with wit, humour and enormous intelligence. Literary prizes and critical acclaim should be heaped on Amy Tan's head.' Marie Claire
Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan failed her mother's expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She settled on writing fiction. Her novels are The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, and Saving Fish from Drowning, all New York Times bestsellers and the recipient of various awards. She is also the author of a memoir, The Opposite of Fate, two children's books, The Moon Lady and Sagwa, and numerous articles for magazines, including The New Yorker, Harpers Bazar. Her work has been translated into 35 languages, from Spanish, French, and Finnish to Chinese, Arabic, and Hebrew.