Rules for Virgins by Amy Tan

Rules for Virgins Reviews

• 
  Mimi

  Having read Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Bonesetter’s Daughter and A Hundred Secret Senses, I can honestly say that I am a die-hard Amy Tan fan! So I was so excited when I saw that she had written Rules for Virgins, a short novella spoken in the voice of an aging courtesan who is providing advice and “on-the-job” training to a virgin courtesan in China on the proverbial “eve” of her deflowering.
  
  Like Ms. Tan’s other stories, the main theme revolves around traditional female roles in Chinese culture, but this time it addresses the role that the courtesan played in this society. Through this first-person advice session, the reader both learns the intricate technicalities of successful courtesanship, while also empathizing with the likes of young Violet, who is destined to have her heart broken and suffer a lonely, loveless life.
  
  I am happy that Ms. Tan is working on a new full-length novel, The Valley of Amazement, to be released in Fall 2012. Welcome Back, Amy!
  
• 
  Riley

  Not really a STORY, which bothered me. I'm a big Amy Tan fan, but this didn't have any of the traits that I usually admire in her work. The writing was fine, but empty. There was no emotion, no character development, no... movement. It was essentially a bunch of research presented as a monologue. Interesting/informative? Sure. But I expect more from Amy Tan than just that.
  
  HOWEVER. If you look at this story simply as setup for Valley of Amazement -- the characters, the setting, the frame of mind -- then it at least accomplishes something, because I am interested in seeing an actual STORY blossom from this seed.
• 
  Jennifer

  In 1912 Shanghai, being a courtesan is more than a career, it's a chance at independence. A smart girl can leverage a few years of seduction into a lifetime of security. Fortunately for new girl Violet, she's got famous former courtesan Magic Gourd to guide her. It's not just about pleasing rich men, it's about making alliances and planning for the long term. Violet has the youth and beauty, and Magic Gourd has the experience and a strategic mind any general would envy.
  
  This is a beautiful piece of work. Perhaps not what you've come to expect from Amy Tan, but that's in no way a bad thing. This is what a military campaign would look like if you dressed it up in silk and set it loose on society. Think of those genteel southern ladies with a core of steel - they'll crush you underfoot while you apologize for making them get up - and you'll understand the tone here.
  
  Magic Gourd lays out a manual for success through seduction - she's got plans, strategic retreats, and second strikes organized and ready to go. Fans of Memoirs Of A Geisha and A Geisha's Life will recognize the businesslike approach, but be warned, Magic Gourd is not one to worry about Violet's delicate sensibilities. They're selling sex, and the only thing that matters is putting it in a package that will net them the highest price.
  
  Ultimately this is a tale of women's liberation. You use what you have, give men what they want, and charge them for the privilege. Youth and beauty don't last, but if you play your cards right you'll have enough to live the rest of your life on your own terms, and that is something you can't put a price on.
• 
  Melissa

  I picked up this short story on sale for kindle awhile ago, and I’m trying to prioritize my own books (so hard)! It’s an experienced and aging courtesan giving advice to her newest charge, the young virgin added to the house. It isn’t for everyone, but boy can Amy Tan write! It makes me want to re-read The Joy Luck Club, because it reminded me of how well Tan writes about women throughout Chinese history.
• 
  Rebecca Huston

  A lovely, bawdy, novella that is set as a series of lessons given to a young courtesan by her older companion of the perils and advantages of working as a courtesan to Shanghai's elite in the early 20th century. Some might be disturbed by the content, but most should enjoy this one. Tan's first fiction in more than six years; it's very good to see that she hasn't lost her touch.
• 
  Ayshim

  I will accompany you on the zither until your warbled notes don’t sound like two cats screeching over the same dead mouse.
  
  Mosquito press
  
  You are too young to know yet what nostalgia truly means. It takes time to become sentimental. But for the sake of your success, you must quickly learn. When you touch a man’s nostalgia, he is yours.
  
  They make men think all flowers are pickpockets of the heart. You won’t find any courtesans like that in this house, so don’t you become one.
  
  Here, we don’t go back and forth on the price. It is three dollars for a party, and it does not include riding on the stem. No argument.
  
  Some of my clients reached the heights through eyes alone. You think that’s victory? Ha. Once the stem shrinks to normal, the man is no longer urgent. He’s content to go home.
  
  We all thought he should have had his stem cut off and fed to the dogs, and the madam of the house thought so, too. She hired gangsters to track him down, and let’s just say that they fed that dog much more than his stem.
  
  There is a type who thinks he can order up any kind of sex, like dishes on a menu.
  
  Whatever any man requests, you should never degrade him for his desires, nor should you accept being degraded. If he’s drunk and pisses on you, ring the chimes and I will come and remove him from your room. Don’t accept extra money to let him do these things. You know what happens to a woman who lets herself be degraded? She winds up with a pimp and lies on the floor of a chophouse, where rickshaw pullers and laborers fuck her, one after another, a hundred a day. She never has a chance to close her legs or her mouth until she’s pounded into raw meat and dies. I’ve always wondered why those women don’t kill themselves. Maybe they think it’s their fate and if they endure it they will have a better life in the next. I would rather kill myself and return as a fly.
  
  Just remember there is a difference between giving a man a glimpse and letting him examine the goods in detail.
  
  Tomorrow, Vermillion’s maid will come with her threads and remove all the hair from your pudendum, armpits, and upper lip. A virgin must be pure white. And right now you are as hairy as a man. Curly hair on the pudendum is unattractive, like seaweed, not at all silky.
  
  You might be with a man who seems quite virile at the party but is ashamed later that his warrior was more of a foot soldier.
• 
  George

  MUCH BETTER THAN ‘SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING’.
  
  “…you must know all the arts of enticement and master the balance of anticipation and reticence.”—page 5
  
  Reading a bit like a big bag of fortune cookies, the message of Amy Tan’s latest, Byliner Publication (Great writers. Great stories. Readable in a single sitting.), ‘Rules for Virgins,’ seems to be that performance art will always be improved by good management, good training, and attention to detail. There is, however, a subtle, lyrical and gentle, tongue-in-cheek quality to this short story that is all original Amy Tan—and that is refreshing.
  
  Recommendation: I don’t know if $3.00 is a reasonable price for a less than thirty-six page short story, but I’ll still recommend ‘Rules for Virgins’ as an entertaining, very quick, read. And, where ‘Saving Fish from Drowning’ had me swearing off Miss Tan’s writing forever, ‘Rules for Virgins’ has me looking forward in happy anticipation to reading her forthcoming novel, ‘The Valley of Amazement’.
  
  “You must be attentive to filling the half-empty cup.”—page 6
  
  A Barnes and Noble NOOKbook, 36 pages
  
• 
  Marieke

  When i first started reading this i was doubtful i'd like it. but i changed my mind fast. it was fun, interesting, and...odd? i'm not sure how to describe it. i learned a new word i should be ashamed to type here so i'll just say it kind of sounds like pendulum but doesn't mean anything like pendulum. if you want to know what i'm talking about, you'll just have to read this. haha.
  
  also, i think i saw somewhere that this story is either part of or the foundation or something of a novel. i hope that is true and that i didn't dream it/make it up. i can definitely see how it could work that way and i am actually looking forward to finding out what happens with Violet (i hope she doesn't get burned with the potions of other jealous courtesans! or hang from a chandelier and break her arm! or god forbid turn into a common streetwalker!). This was very different from either
  The Kitchen God's Wife or
  The Joy Luck Club, which at first felt strange, but like i said above, i really liked it.
• 
  Angel (jurassicreads)

  This is an eye-opening novella about the literal rules for virgins in 1912 Shanghai. I didn't know what to expect when I first bought this ebook well over a year ago, however, I was pleasantly surprised.
  
  I would definitely not recommend this novella for all ages, but maybe rated R audiences. It has moments of an extremely detailed sexual nature, and although I am an adult myself, I was a bit taken aback by how brazen and descriptive this was.
  
  As novellas go, this was a relatively quick read that I finished between 2 sittings. It is told from the first person point of view from a well-traveled concubine to her predecessor, a younger girl who has not yet been introduced into the society yet. I would liken this to "Memoirs of a Geisha" in that way, however, it is far more detailed and at times a little too dirty!
  
  I would re-read this novella again because it is short and precise, however I was not over the moon about it in some ways. I wish it had been longer and more than simply a dictation of the dos-and-donts of the world. If this were to be drawn out into a full novel, I would be extremely excited and impressed.
• 
  Blake Charlton

  a monolog delivered from an older shanghai courtesan to a younger one. no so much a narrative as the outline of one, rich with research of the culture and history of the early 1900s. again, there is no plot, but one senses the great, seductive novel that shines behind this monologue (and perhaps may one day see light?) however, in it's present incarnation, 'rules,' boiled down to its essence, is well-written, soft-core, historical porn.
  
  meaning, that yes, if your still reading this review, you would most likely enjoy it.
• 
  Julie

  Yuuuuuck. Did Amy Tan just wake up one morning and decide she wanted to write this? Did she get bored? It's basically instructions to a new courtesan. Like reading Memoirs of a Geisha, but set in China and possibly more explicit. Meh. I probably would have given up on it but I think I paid 2 or 3 bucks for this story.
  
  ***edited to add***
  
  Ok, this makes more sense now that I know it's an excerpt from a forthcoming novel. It still seems like an odd bit to just yank out as a short story (pretty explicit) but I'm glad to know that Violet and Magic Gourd have some actual PLOT coming.
• 
  Onka

  I have to admit that this one was quite surprising! I know the title says “Rules for Virgins” but I definitely didn’t expect it to be this list of rules. However, it doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it! I love Amy Tan’s writing and I love to learn more about foreign cultures and traditions (especially Eastern) and this was, well, educational! And also quite graphic so I would not recommend it to younger readers.
• 
  Becca Mac

  I enjoyed this story. I thought it was well-written and I liked the narrator's dry sense of humor. The characters could be more developed, but I feel that as short story/excerpt it works.
• 
  Olivia Moe

  Vivid, fascinating, and a seductive course in the ways of a concubine, Amy Tan's "Rules for Virgins..." was an audio book that made my cheeks blush, my mind intrigued, and my inner historian who seeks out the hidden gems of time, captured.
  
  One of my mother's favorite authors, but not a book she is familiar with, I think even a daughter can recommend the book to a parent...with tact, maturity, and consideration of course.
  
  It was a timely book to consume, considering I am also reading one on the last madam of the city of New Orleans around the same time period (and 1,000s of miles away). Both stories have similarities, but their unique differences are enticing.
  
  It might not be the first of Tan's books to begin with, but her connection to her grandmother and her possible life as an escort, it is a personal one that she takes pride in as a woman, and as a granddaughter.
• 
  Janyne

  Rules for Virgins is a vignette written from the point of view of an assistant giving advice to the 17-year-old Violet about her newly acquired role of courtesan in Shanghai circa 1912. I gave it four stars because it is tightly written. Once again, Amy Tan shows us that she is a great wordsmith.
• 
  Julie Ehlers

  This was interesting in more than one way. I need to read Valley of Amazement, stat.
• 
  Jeffrey Matthews

  It was very interesting. It had many aspects of Dictionary of Mutual Understanding (had to have help remembering the exact title). I liked this book.
• 
  Fabrianna

  Quick & unedited review (hope it makes sense!) ... I love historical fiction & this novella explores a niche I’ve not yet read about in this kind of detail. Tan handles the explicit sexual content with some humor and it’s the briefness is the format feels fitting - almost like the virgin sneaking a peek but not looking for too long. It’s fascinating to reflect on this lifestyle having been a social status quo compared to the society’s current view of sex & morality. In the current world of slut shaming, it’s also interesting to think about the rising movement to empower and remove the stigma of sex workers today in contrast to a time when many some women used sex work to obtain financial independence (in a society & time where women had even fewer rights and perceived value). Without getting to heavy, she reminds the reader of the hazards of the work and the social constructs that made this work the only viable option for some (young) women and girls. The personal history that motivated Tan to research and write this story is also interesting. I appreciate her imagination in making the general historical events come alive with these two particular main characters. Both light & weighty at once; I’m between 3-4 stars on this one.
• 
  Brooke

  This wasn't a story. It was just a monologue. Yes, it's informative about it's topic, but there's no character development, no climax, no description. It's just one woman talking the entire time. I guess it's possible I didn't get anything out of it because it just wasn't particularly interesting to me.
  
  I gave it two stars because the author did elicit a little sympathy from me, though I'm not even sure that was her purpose. I felt sad to be reading about a girl who was only 14 and she's being told she'll live the rest of her life never finding real love. But since I also found it boring, I was just in a hurry to finish it, which was no problem considering it's only 43 pages long.
  
  This is the first thing I've read by Amy Tan. I hope her other works aren't as bland as this one.
• 
  Anushree

  This is a short read, mostly a teaser for Amy Tan's book The Valley of Amazement. In this Violet, a young girl who finds herself in a house of courtesan. In this narrative, an older courtesan, Magic gourd is instructing Violet about what to expect in life as a courtesan, what should she do, not do, the skills she must, how she must manipulate and not get conned or ruined by negligence or puppy love. Magic gourds draws upon her own experiences and failures to both warn and motivate Violet. It reminded me of Memoirs of Geisha. However, the narrative is essentially a monotonous rant that feels for most part instructive and insipid. A total skip unless you have free time and wish to read up Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan later.
• 
  Gail Sacharski

  I've only read one other Amy Tan book, The Kitchen God's Wife, & I liked that. This is a short novella & is interesting as a peek into the ancient culture of the courtesan. It is written as an older courtesan who is now an attendant to a young virgin & is responsible for explaining & teaching her the rules for her to be successful. There is advice on knowing who the serious patrons are & avoiding cheapskates & con men & poor men masquerading as rich ones, on how to please a patron & make him feel virile & powerful so he wants to present many gifts. There are fashion tips, how to get the best jewelry offered, how to deal with the many situations that may arise, how to have happy accidents that provide the best advantages, how to prepare the boudoir & oneself. Quite explicit & informative.
• 
  Nick Rogers

  I really enjoyed the flowing narrative, gentle in description yet full blooded in content and meaning. The advice given to Violet could work in other walks of life. You don't know at what point the advice will end or which direction it's going, which adds to its mystery. I'm not familiar to the Far-eastern courtesan genre. I can see why the culture and customs are so interesting to readers in the West, as well as other different cultures.
  
  I would have given it 5 stars, but it gets a little repetitive. It's only 100 pages or so, which is perfect. Any longer and the narrative might have become irritating. On the whole, I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Amy Tan
• 
  AJ Perez

  Short and sweet, full of lovely and tragic truths and tips. Rules for Virgins is something that you can easily read and something that is narrated in a not-so-heavy tone but is in fact, very tragic. This is pain romanticized and printed. A woman's defloration told in powerful and flowery words that seemingly hides the true pain in the act. The only reason why I didn't give five stars is that there didn't seem to be a story. I was expecting that there will be a plot, along with the tips entwined in the pages. Overall, I still liked it and it didn't take too much effort to read and finish.
• 
  Mystery Theater

  I listened to the audio version. As a short story it is okay... Not great. It has a distinctly unfinished feeling. Only an author of Amt Tan's repute can get away with it. Tan tries to give the reader more with a long preface about her personal engagement with the background and setting of the story. Meh.
  
  The reader sounded like she was reciting an encyclopedia. Utterly devoid of emotion. Was that intentional or simply without talent? In any case, a talented actress could have made so much more of it. C minus effort for writing and execution.
• 
  Fern S

  I listened to the audiobook via audible and found it to be a short & interesting listen :)
  
  I thought the narrator was a great fit for the role.
  I know some reviewers thought it was too short, but I enjoyed it and didn't mind the length. I can definitely understand there's potential for this story to be more than it was. However, because the story was told from one POV (one-sided instructions and anecdotes, etc). I think this works well as the short story it is.
• 
  Lana

  I don't know what I was expecting from this short story/novella, but once I started to understand what this story was, I did enjoy the characters she created with such economy of words/space/glimpses. It matched its subject in a very intriguing way.
• 
  Cassie Fleurs

  No podía parar de leer, la intriga y lo astuta que es la consejera en manejar los negocios me dejo sin palabras.
  
  Cada linea te deja esperqndo la siguiente y las pequeñas anécdotas entre consejos son tan vívidas como para ameritar sus propios libros.
• 
  Mike P

  Amy Tan has scores again.!
  
  The instructions, techniques and cautions of the older seasoned veteran prostitute to her uninitiate, virginal rookie is interesting and fascinating. It is even more so since it is based on a real instructional manuscript.
  
  Lastly, what bring it all home is the introduction by the author that reveals, or at least hints at, the fact that one of her ancestors was more likely than not a beautiful courtesan. Good, enjoyable read!