The valley of amazement, by Amy Tan

Amy Tan is especially skillful in exploring the often complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.  This novel spans four generations and is set primarily in Shanghai.  Lucretia Miturn, who will live under several other names over the course of her life, is the free-spirited daughter of bohemian parents in San Francisco around the turn of the 20^th century when she meets the Chinese painter who will become the father of her child, Violet.  Following him to Shanghai, where she finds that as a dutiful Chinese son he will enter into an arranged marriage, she becomes the madam of a very high-class courtesan house.  Ultimately Violet will be taken from her, repeat many of her mistakes, and have her own daughter and similarly lose her.  All the daughters feel abandoned by their mothers, all the mothers have an enduring if complex love for their daughters.  This too-long book is fleshed out (so to speak) with detailed descriptions of the courtesan life, with side trips into the complex business and trade atmosphere of Shanghai, and gives the decided picture, to me, that being a woman in China is a very hard destiny.  Not one of my favorites from this author.  589 pp