The Opposite of Fate

The Opposite of Fate Reader’s Guide

---

Observer review: The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan | Books | The Guardian

At book signings, fans press their life stories into Tan's hands. Want to write about me? You can see the problem. People persist in seeing Tan's novels as documentary. Many elements are autobiographical - the tensions of familial bonds between women, the death of a year-old brother and father from brain tumours, a grandmother who committed suicide by eating opium, a mother diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

But what's interesting is how Tan transforms this material into fiction. Made up of essays written over the past 10 years, The Opposite of Fate is a mixed bag. I'll never forget her account of the murder of her best friend, Peter which he saw in a dream before he died. Both books appeared on The New York Times bestseller list.

She is the editor for the edition of Best American Short Stories. How would you define it?

Can you personally relate somehow to the ways that various individuals in this collection confronted fate? Why do you think that with all of the adventures, trials and plights the author faced, she chose to end the book with a discussion on her battle with Lyme disease? How does this particular piece encapsulate the major themes discussed in the book? Which piece of writing in The Opposite of Fate did you find to be most enjoyable — i.

Share your thoughts with the group. How do they manifest themselves in the various pieces in The Opposite of Fate? What role do dreams and the subconscious play in a discussion of fate? Do you think that her particular ancestry lends itself more readily to an appreciation of fate?

See a Problem?

Why or why not? Throughout this compilation, the notions of loss and inexplicable tragedy are ever-present. What had started as subterfuge on my part grew into an epiphany. I began to so see how much I actually knew about my mother and myself. She was losing her mind, yes, but I was losing defenses built up and fortified from childhood. It had been so simple to make my mother happy.

All I had to do was say I appreciated her as my mother. So this book of Amy Tan 's own memories even further illuminates what I already felt with her first novel -- I'm not alone in how I grew up. Amy speaks of her maternal grandmother, who died when her mother was just nine years old, as an ever-present ghost who serves as a muse of sorts.

And I totally get it. I do believe that a strength of personality can survive death and distance and become a motivating force in one's life. Obviously, this is but a small part of this book of memories, but it's the part that informs her writing the most. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

READERS GUIDE

After reading her memoir and finding out that so much in her books was based on her life, I empathized with Tan even more. I especially loved the stories about her mother's dementia, as it shows the true connection between mother and daughter. The answer to "When will you be home? I love the story where Tan was 14 and crushing on the minister's son, whose family her dad invited over to dinner. Not only did Tan's mother serve the most Asian, weird-looking foods, but her family also belched loudly and said that this was the Chinese custom to show that you are satisfied. Only later did Tan learn the moral behind the dinner: Amy Tan was a dreamer, just like me.

Being chosen, and not neglected. Glamorous and not ungainly. And then in , when she joined a rockand roll band with some other authors like Barbara Kingsolver and Stephen King, she got to be a real rockstar. I would use Amy Tan's famous essay, "Fish Cheeks," from this book. I would have students read this essay prior to reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian because of the similar themes they have of the importance of family, where you come from, and cultural differences.

Since "Fish Cheeks" is quite short, yet still very invoking, it would be a great introduction of Sherman Alexie's novel since it will get students thinking about these big, and often times difficult, ideas of how o I would use Amy Tan's famous essay, "Fish Cheeks," from this book. Students will see similarities between the characters of Amy in "Fish Cheeks" and Junior in "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" as they define themselves as both American and their family's culture; for Amy, this is their Chinese culture and for Junior, this is their Native American culture living on a reservation.

A great follow-up to reading both of these texts would be the Comparing ABC's activity, where students would write in two different colors to compare and contrast the cultural challenges Amy and Junior faced. May 18, Nicole rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Tan fans, folks with a burgeoning interest in writing.

THE OPPOSITE OF FATE: A Book of Musings

Recommended to Nicole by: The Dusty Bookshelf, Lawrence, Kansas. This is less a memoir and more an exploration by Tan of her own and others' writing. She discusses her reasons for writing and her inspirations. Tan also examines one of the main themes that put her on the literary map: The relationship between mother and daughter. To some, this might get tiresome or even trivial. However, I foun This is less a memoir and more an exploration by Tan of her own and others' writing.

However, I found Tan's writing on this subject in The Opposite of Fate to be very compelling because it is human nature and curiosity to want to understand our origins and the persons who brought us into the world and helped shaped our thinking. Tan shows how important, complex, and even humorous this relationship can be. Apr 19, Katey rated it really liked it Shelves: It was if she had turned on a celestial faucet and goodness kept pouring out. She said it was faith that kept all these good things coming our way, only I thought she said 'fate,' because she couldn't pronounce that 'th' sound in 'faith.

I was just saying, if there is a choice, dear God or whatever you are, here's where the odds should be placed. Buku ini lebih pas dibaca oleh orang yang sudah pernah membaca karya-karya Amy Tan. Aku sudah membaca 3 buku Amy, and love all of it. Karena buku ini adalah karya nonfiksi pertama Amy tentang perjalanan hidup yang membentuk dirinya sebagai manusia dan sebagai penulis. Bagaimana ia melepaskan diri dari masa lalu dan menggapai takdirnya sendiri. Buku yang ditulis Amy terinspirasi dari kehidupan Amy dan keluarganya, terutama ibu dan neneknya.

Membaca buku ini, seolah-olah mendengarkan Amy bercerita Buku ini lebih pas dibaca oleh orang yang sudah pernah membaca karya-karya Amy Tan. Membaca buku ini, seolah-olah mendengarkan Amy bercerita tentang dirinya seperti layaknya seorang teman. Buku ini semacam memoir, tapi dengan bahasa yang mengalir, tidak dilebih-lebihkan atau diindah-indahkan, layaknya percakapan yang mengasyikkan. Dec 31, Cheryl rated it it was amazing Recommended to Cheryl by: Friends of the Library.

Thoroughly enjoyed this interesting collection collection of memories from Amy Tan's life. I enjoyed what Ms. Tan shared and she is someone I probably would enjoy meeting.

Because of the book, I'd go out of my way to hear her speak. Rating and writing a review of a living person's memoir is difficult because it is too easy to make the leap into rating a life and that's certainly not the original purpose of Goodreads. Aug 29, Michelle rated it really liked it Shelves: I read the Joy Luck Club many years ago and absolutely loved it, but have never read anything else from her. I loved seeing how her real life was intertwined into her novels, making memories into literature. We've had this book for years and I only just got to it before ended.

It was sitting on the shelf with me thinking "I read enough Amy Tan, they're all similar books". Glad I finally read it. This one was definitely different.

Death as a source of life

Maybe it's a good time to reread her books and see how I feel about them now. Read by Amy Tan herself, this cd has been thoroughly entertaining.

Tan read the voice of her mother was worse the price of admission in itself. May 10, Hannah rated it really liked it. I think I may have found a new favourite author to influence my reading choices over the next few months. Refreshingly honest and beautifully written. I feel like I've been listening to the reminiscing of an old friend. It's nice to know where she got her inspirations. Aug 16, Kaye rated it it was amazing. One of the most stunning memoirs I've ever read. The pieces aren't written as though intended to be a cohesive book, but true to her own form, Amy Tan weaves each selection to let you see the life behind her stories.

Mar 13, Claire rated it it was amazing. Funny and insightful and full of charm. Mar 16, Rebekah rated it really liked it Shelves: I really loved the essays in this book and her thoughts on writing. I am also now irrationally terrified of Lyme disease. Feb 01, Jeanette "Astute Crabbist" rated it liked it Shelves: I actually found this easier to read and more enjoyable than her novels, which are good but sometimes drag a bit.

May 11, E.

The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings

Why is Amy Tan's writing so great? Tan is one of my very favorite contemporary writers, and so this was a question I kept posing to myself as I read this collection of autobiographical essays on topics varying from Tan's childhood to the time she was almost swept away in a flash flood while vacationing in Tahoe. Included are musings on life, fate, faith, ghosts, and creative inspiration. While the writings collected here vary in length and quality, they still retain that special Tan spark. So wh Why is Amy Tan's writing so great? So what is it? Maybe it's Tan's understanding that tragedy and comedy are inextricably intertwined.

• Doubters of Biblical Proportion: I Believe, Help My Unbelief
• Raked Over (A Lily Raffenport Mystery Book 1)
• Kip (The Aaron Travis Erotic Library Book 8)
• Pleasure Factory
• Kill Maker