The Valley of Amazement

Description

An expansive, heartbreaking novel from the internationally bestselling author of 'The Joy Luck Club'. Shanghai, 1905. Violet Minturn is the young daughter of the American mistress of the city's most exclusive courtesan house. But when revolution arrives in the city, she is separated from her mother in a cruel act of chicanery and forced to become a 'virgin courtesan'. Half-Chinese and half-American, Violet moves effortlessly between the cultural worlds of East and West, quickly becoming a shrewd businesswoman who deals in seduction and illusion. But her successes belie her private struggle to understand who she really is and her search for a home in the world. Lucia, Violet's mother, nurses wounds of her own, first sustained when, as a teenager, she fell blindly in love with a Chinese painter and followed him from San Francisco to Shanghai, only to be confronted with the shocking reality of the vast cultural differences between them. Violet's need for answers will propel both her and her mother on separate quests of discovery: journeys to make sense of their lives, of the men - fathers, lovers, sons - who have shaped them, and of the ways we fail one another and our children despite our best attempts to love and be loved. Spanning fifty years and two continents, 'The Valley of Amazement' resurrects lost worlds: from the moment when China's imperial dynasty collapsed, a Republic arose, and foreign trade became the lifeblood of Shanghai, to the inner workings of courtesan houses and the lives of the foreign 'Shanghailanders' living in the International Settlement, both erased by World War II. It is also a deeply evocative narrative of family secrets, the legacy of trauma, and the profound connections between mothers and daughters, which returns readers to the compelling territory so expertly mapped in 'The Joy Luck Club'. With her characteristic wisdom, grace and humour, Amy Tan conjures a story of the inheritance of love, its mysteries and betrayals, and its illusions and truths.

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, Harper's Bazar. Her work has been translated into 35 languages, from Spanish, French, and Finnish to Chinese, Arabic, and Hebrew.

Praise for 'The Valley of Amazement': 'Tan explores, sensitively, the edges of some thorny topics ... Chinese-Americans are among the most dynamic, and socially cohesive, ethnic groups in the US ... Tan is one of their leading voices ... Tan's fiction is, as always, hugely readable.' Sunday Times 'Tan, who was born in the US to Chinese immigrant parents, is a gifted storyteller ... Just as Violet is a complex character beyond her Asian and white ethnic roots, Tan's large-hearted, florid and ragged tale goes beyond casual stereotypes. This is one writer's particular idiom and vision of the world - and within that she offers us a rich cast of characters who both repel and compel.' Financial Times 'Admirers of Amy Tan will love her latest blockbuster ... a warm, expansive story, examining the subtle bonds between mothers and daughters.' Mail on Sunday 'The characters are wonderful. You can't help but fall in love with people who are named Cracked Egg or Magic Cloud ...For fans of historical fiction, 'The Valley of Amazement' offers a fascinating insight into a hidden world belonging to a bygone era, as it flits from harrowing to humorous.' Stylist Magazine 'Expansive, poised and, at times, heartbreaking, this delicately-spun tale, which has the grace of a courtly dance and the subtleties of a thousand chess moves, will be loved by fans of Tan's bestseller "The Joy Luck Club".' Sunday Express 'She has surpassed herself ... She has by no means exhausted her supply of fictional women who pass to each other, through the generations, a determination not to be broken, no matter what.' Independent on Sunday 'Packs enough drama to keep readers going till the end.' Guardian 'Historic sweep mixes with erotic candour in a heady mix, brought to an excellent bake by the skillful Amy Tan.' Daily Mail 'A lush historical epic.' Vogue 'A vivid portrait of life in 19th Century China, with some rather saucy Fifty Shades-style sex scenes thrown in.' Good Housekeeping