“A rollicking, adventure-filled story . . . packed [with] the human capacity for love.”—USA Today
“A superbly executed, good-hearted farce that is part romance and part mystery . . . With Tan’s many talents on display, it’s her idiosyncratic wit and sly observations . . . that make this book pure pleasure.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Amy Tan is among our great storytellers.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Amy Tan has created an almost magical adventure that, page by page, becomes a metaphor for human relationships.”—Isabel Allende
“With humor, ruthlessness, and wild imagination, Tan has reaped a book like the Burmese jungle of its setting, where nameless plants bloom in the most exotic colors and shapes, yet at every side lie unknown dangers waiting to strike. . . . Tan weaves, with fascinating facts and masterful fabrications, a fantastic tale of human longings and (of course) their consequences.”—Elle
“A book that’s easy to read and hard to forget.”—Newsweek
“Tan delivers another highly entertaining novel . . . exploring her signature questions of fate, connection, identity and family.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Tan, marvelously liberated, attains new heights with her piquant humor and ship-of-fools cast of charmingly cranky characters. Writing with stinging irony about oppression, genocide, culture clashes, religion, media spin, and corruption, she slyly considers the unintended consequences of everything from a thwarted seduction to a war based on lies.”—Booklist
“Tan has admirably tackled the unique challenge of building a novel based on a real-life incident and turning the resulting tale into a commentary on the ironies of modern life.”—Library Journal
“A flavorful concoction of sweet and sour. Read it and have a few good laughs. Read it and weep.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Tan’s imagination and ingenuity are apparent throughout the book, which is chockablock with bright ideas, clever observations, entertaining characters and strong feelings.”—San Jose Mercury News
“An entertaining, fast-moving read. Amy Tan . . . is an adept writer, and this time she gets us to think about cultures, language, love, ambition and spirituality.”—The Washington Times
“Tan is an excellent tour guide, translating not only cultural differences but cultural intent as well . . . When she writes, something is added to the translation, rather than lost.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune
“Amy Tan is among our great storytellers.”—The New York Times
