The Hundred Secret Senses

What’s wrong with a little spiritual woo woo. Sure works for me! Others can go to into non existence after their death if it pleases them. . Each to their own.

THE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES by Amy TanTHE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES by Amy Tan uses a similar pattern which her previous books seem to follow, in which she starts the story in America with characters that are full- or part Chinese, and have a relative or two that tells them stories of the old country. In Tan's most creative book, she introduces the reader to Olivia Laguni, whose father was Chinese and mother was white. Laguni is her stepfather, her father having died when she was only a toddler. Obviously, Laguni at one point adopts her and her brothers, giving them a new name and in essence wiping out her ties to her Chinese family.Then, along comes Kwan. From that point on, Olivia feels tormented by this half sister. By this time, Olivia's father has been gone for years now. But Kwan comes to America from China to become part of their family forever. A much older sister, Kwan brings to Olivia stories of the old country, for Kwan is the product of Olivia's father and his first wife, all of whom were living in China. Although Olivia considers herself Chinese, her ties are with her birth country of America, and she finds it very hard to relate to her older sister who seems to be more mother than sister as Olivia grows into adulthood. Kwan is there to take care of her while her mother is somewhat absent from Olivia's life. And part of Kwan's mothering is telling Olivia stories about a strange world - where she sees and talks to ghosts.Kwan's impact on Olivia is obvious, in ways that Olivia could never admit. But as the reader sees, Olivia's relationship with Kwan grows in strength as they grow older, and especially when they make a trip to China, along with Olivia's estranged husband Simon. After years of listening to Kwan's stories of a previous life in 1800's China, this world comes to life as they explore this land that is Olivia's heritage.THE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES was not my favorite Amy Tan book. There were a lot of elements that made it difficult to fully enjoy this story, including the paranormal facets that were part of Kwan's character. Having said this, I ended the book understanding what Tan's message was in this story and I felt very satisfied. It is not a book I highly recommend to all readers, but I feel that if one is patient enough to get through the stories that Kwan tells about her past life, one will be rewarded at the very end.

I have been following Amy Tan since for almost three decades. This book talks about a lot of values. Value of Love, Value of Protection, Value of Security and Value of Sisterhood. Never fails to make me cry. This is the third time I have read this book and I learn more things as I finish each chapter. Here’s to more books!

I have read all MS Tan's books and have really enjoyed then but I must admit this one took me a little longer to get into.I am not one for writing a review about the story line but I will say I wished she would have clued us in on Dad's last name.In the end this story does make a point about the stories we build in our minds about our lives.

Amy Tan loves to write about relationships: mothers and daughters, friends, spouses, and in this book, step-sister to step-sister.The book is set in real and distant time past. The heroine, Olivia, acquires a step-sister who arrives from rural China when Olivia is very young. The step-sister, Kwan, speaks her own version of English and is forever less polished and sophisticated than San Francisco-born, educated and privileged Olivia. Kwan also has the ability to go back in time and talk to dead people, a skill that Olivia alternately feels is either a figment of Kwan's imagination or a symptom of mental illness.Olivia can only see Kwan as something less than a real sister and a person who is more of an embarrassment to her than a family asset. Kwan, on the other hand, loves and admires Olivia from day one and never wavers in her sisterly devotion to her. The story is about Olivia's transition from resistance to acceptance of Kwan for who she is and gradually recognizing her great value as a human being and loving relative..The reader will experience great humor, sorrow, entertainment , acquired knowledge, and empathy as the story of Olivia and Kwan unfolds along with that of many other characters in this book. Amy Tan's books are always a wonderful reading experience and this one is no exception.

Amy Tan is a genius at opening the door to the grief of disappointments, betrayals, and seemingly unbreachable ruptures created by generational and cultural differences. She leads you right to the edge of the divide without letting you see that is where she is taking you so that suddenly, you see the gulf stretched out between her characters and you despair for them. You feel their pain as they struggle to understand and to love one another across the divide of differences between them, knowing that it is only through love and understanding that they will find a way to build the necessary bridges.Tan’s familiar themes are here but while the divides she often writes about are between Chinese mothers and their American born daughters, here the breach is between two half-sisters thrown together by fate and circumstance.Six-year-old Olivia never asked for a sister but it is her father’s dying wish that Olivia’s mother bring to America his daughter from a previous marriage, who he abandoned in China. To Olivia’s dismay, the sister who arrives from China is not the shy, waif-like, young girl that Olivia imagined; Kwan is a stoutly built, young woman with a full-on, in-your-face personality. Worse, Olivia has to share her room with her and Kwan keeps her awake at night, telling stories from the past and telling Olivia about the dead people who Kwan sees and speaks with. Kwan has ying-eyes, a rare gift which means she can see and speak to people who have died.Kwan swears Olivia to secrecy but Olivia betrays her secret. Kwan is sent away for a while, to be treated for madness (society is just as guilty of the inability to understand and respect the beliefs of different cultures). The guilt Olivia feels on discovering that Kwan was subjected to electric shock treatments while away only serves to fuel Olivia’s resentment at having this sister she never asked for thrust on her.Consequently, even when she grows up, Olivia does not come to appreciate Kwan for who she is; the most loveable, loving, unique, and generous sister any could wish to have.There is a scene in the book which demonstrates the great skill of Amy Tan’s writing- the ability to portray oceans of meaning in a gesture. This one scene reveals the essence of Olivia’s relationship with Kwan; it takes place on Kwan’s fiftieth birthday. Olivia ‘forgets’ until the last moment, guaranteeing she will turn up late and without a suitable gift. She roots around in the bottoms of drawers and lands upon a cheap soap dish she’d bought years ago and never used. Thus, she lets Kwan know that no thought or love went into the gift. She manages to wholly reject Kwan’s importance in her life while telling herself it was no more than forgetfulness on her part. The gesture epitomises Olivia’s attitude towards Kwan.The significance of Kwan’s importance in Olivia’s life becomes more apparent as the story unfolds. Olivia has to cross continents (on a trip to China with Kwan) before she understands who Kwan really is and how deeply their fates are linked.In this novel, Amy Tan not only succeeds in bridging the divide between cultures but also the spiritual and physical world. It may be a bridge too far for some but I found it utterly convincing, deeply moving and inspiring.

I love this book and have read it several times. I have even bought it several times. But it's so good I end up giving my copy away to someone because it's so good I want to share! I was very happy to get a decent used copy on Amazon at a great price. Reading it once again and loving it once again. Amazing story that is beyond belief, yet feels so wonderfully true that you end up believing it. In my opinion this is Amy Tan's best book. As all of her books are, it is a wonderful blend of Chinese folk history and culture, through the eyes and experiences of Americans. Don't miss this one!

This is a book thaat kept me wondering. Amy Tan displayed the art of telling a story that one cannot work out whether parts of it are dreams or true. The main characters, Kwan, Olivia and Simon are all well developed. Throughout it is difficulkt to know, just as Olivia finds it difficult to know if Kwan is dreaming or remembering. There is plenty of tension in parts that kept me wanting to continue reading although there were jobs I should get on with. A most enjoyable book that I shall reccomend to my friends.

Love reading Amy Tan s books her stories are so vivid and you feel yourself in another world this is just a great story mixing the old with the new and making you stop to wonder. This book really keeps you guessing full of twists but that's great because when you reach the end makes you just wonder really good book.

Don't know why it was recommended