What did you think of the ending of the novel? Would you have changed anything about it? If so, what?
The ending was Ok. Hai seems to come out of this for the better, and her life was completely different that her Mothers. I wish we had learned more about Di.
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I liked the ending, but I felt that Hai lived our her life the way that Di would have, had it been consistent with the rest of the book. I realize that love didn’t work out the way Di thought it would but given how opportunistic she was during the rest of her life, I had a hard time believing she would “settle” the way she did.
I agree I would have liked to know more about Di. I was a bit bored with the ending.
I liked the ending of the book. With Di, I think Di’s emotional loss breaks her and takes away her spark.
At the end of her life I was glad to see she finally stood up for herself to the hateful mother-in-law. I do think she was ultimately relieved and happy to give birth to a son as she was raised to believe it was her duty to provide an heir for the family.
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Mother and the girls each found their way, but then the ending faded a bit for me.
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I also liked the ending but perhaps more reflective on and informative on the women;s accomplishments and disappointments.
I did like the ending, and I found some of it satisfying. However, I think the ending could have been stronger. Because this book is loosely based on real life, I think the author did not want to explore other endings.
I liked the ending and felt it was the logical progression for each of the characters with all that had gone before. Hai succeeding, Di erased and Mom continuing her insistence on following typical Chinese stereotypes were all predictable outcomes.
I agree. The ending was too quickly tied up, lacking the rich detail of the earliest chapters.
I also, would like to know more about the rest of the family. What happened to Di? Did she too, have children? Did she stay in Taiwan? I liked that the novel ended with a triumph after all the struggles. The generations moving on and the women advancing despite so much engineered adversity.
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I think the ending was appropriate knowing the mother’s strong belief in tradition - sons being more valued than daughters. I was glad the mother was able to move into her own apartment away from the husband and in-laws.
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The ending seemed hurried, as a lot was packed into the last few chapters. The different pace and tone may have been used purposely, by the author, to demonstrate a change in the life situation of the main characters.
I think the could have conclusive by providing more information on what happened to some of the family members and still provided room for the readers to wonder about what became of the family.
The ending may have been largely “true” for the author’s family, but I thought the ending was just too comfortable. Hai and her mother and sisters were truly fortunate in their survival after the father had abandoned them. When they reached Taiwan, they all seemed to have left the wounds in China and embraced their old lives.
I was also very surprised that Hai’s mother was so quick to use the daughter’s resources for the son. She had fought so hard for all her daughters but had no problem relegating them to the old system once they were back with family. I realize this may have been the author showing us the power of generations and tradition, but I was still surprised.
I liked the ending, but felt there vould have been more included about other family members. Di was always so spirited, but after her boyfriend left she settled for an arranged marriage. She was a nurse, so I wondered if she could be happy or would be traditional like her mother. Also, Hai had two sons who I assumed were intelligent also, and lived successful lives. I was glad Mother had her own apartment.
I liked the ending, but believe if it had been developed a little more, it would’ve been better. I would’ve liked to known what happened in Di’s life, the other siblings, as well as the grandparents. It just seemed to wrap up too quickly.
I am satisfied with the ending. Agreeing with other members, I do think that the author should have let us know about Di’s ending. While Di is the one who doesn’t seem to experience a happy ending, the achievements for the others—Lan’s surgical corrections; Mom’s bearing of a son and heir; and Hai’s job, marriage, and successful daughter—fulfill the quest and reward the women for their sacrifices. Hai and Di crossed the boundaries of the unjust cultural beliefs and gender inequalities. The mother refuses to kneel at the request of her mother-in-law at the end, due to the fact that her son is earning money and will take care of her, so she doesn’t need to rely on Nai Nai or her husband any longer. This ending of Nai Nai gave me a smile!
I agree with others, a lot at the end of story and would have liked to know more about Di.