How much does your culture and traditions determine your choices? This is the question that Amy Tan asks in her novel,
The Valley of Amazement. The novel centers on the lives, loves, and betrayals of two women: Lucia and Violet. Lucia is a madam of Shanghai's most exclusive courtesan house, but that was not meant to be her destiny. Her blind faith and trust in loving the wrong man brought her there. When she falls in love with yet another wrong man, her daughter is kidnapped and sold to another courtesan house while Lucia sets sail for America. Violet cannot accept her fate and insists on her American rights. Her friend Magic Gourd chides her saying, "Only Americans think they have rights. What laws of heaven give you more rights and allow you to keep them? They are words on paper written by men who make them up and claim them. One day they can blow away, just like that."
This is a riveting tale of love, life decisions, culture, and betrayal. Amy Tan is one of my favorite authors and once again she delivers an extremely entertaining and thoughtful tale.
