Saving Fish from Drowning - (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by Amy Tan (Paperback)

About the Book

On an ill-fated art expedition into Burma, 11 Americans leave their Floating Island Resort for a Christmas-morning tour--and disappear. Through twists of fate, they encounter a tribe awaiting the return of a leader and the mythical book of wisdom that will protect them from the ravages of the Myanmar military regime.

Book Synopsis

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles and The Joy Luck Club comes "a rollicking, adventure-filled story . . . packed [with] the human capacity for love" (USA Today).

"Amy Tan has created an almost magical adventure that, page by page, becomes a metaphor for human relationships."--Isabel Allende

A SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

San Francisco art patron Bibi Chen has planned a journey of the senses along the famed Burma Road for eleven lucky friends. But after her mysterious death, Bibi watches aghast from her ghostly perch as the travelers veer off her itinerary and get bogged down by cultural gaffes, tribal curses, and romantic desires. On Christmas morning, the tourists cruise across a misty lake and disappear.

With a façade of Buddhist illusions, magician's tricks, and light comedy, even as the absurd and picaresque spiral into a gripping morality tale, Saving Fish from Drowning deftly explores the consequences of intentions--both good and bad--and the shared responsibility that individuals must accept for the actions of others.

Review Quotes

"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

About the Author

Amy Tan is the author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, and two children's books, The Moon Lady and The Chinese Siamese Cat, which has been adapted as Sagwa, a PBS series for children. Tan was also the coproducer and co-screenwriter of the film version of The Joy Luck Club, and her essays and stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Her work has been translated into more than 25 languages. Tan, who has a master's degree in linguistics from San Jose University, has worked as a language specialist to programs serving children with developmental disabilities. She lives with her husband in San Francisco and New York.