“An absorbing narrative of Winnie Louie` s life, which she tells-or offers-as a gift to her daughter Pearl. Much happens in the telling: long-held secrets are revealed, and a family` s myths are transferred ceremoniously to the next generation…Tan returns to the richly textured world of California` s immigrant Chinese…with its brilliant tapestry of characters and conflicts here and overseas…She is a wonderful writer with a rare power to touch the heart.”