a sweeping evocative epic of two womens intertwined fates and their search for identity that moves from the lavish parlors of shanghai courtesans to the fogshrouded mountains of a remote chinese villagespanning more than forty years and two continents the valley of amazement resurrects pivotal episodes in history from the collapse of chinas last imperial dynasty to the rise of the republic the explosive growth of lucrative foreign trade and antiforeign sentiment 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 a deeply evocative narrative about the profound connections between mothers and daughters the valley of amazement returns readers to the compelling territory of amy tans the joy luck club with her characteristic insight and humor she conjures a story of inherited trauma desire and deception and the power and stubbornness of love