Literary
The Joy Luck Club
Four Chinese immigrant mothers who meet weekly to play mahjong, and their American-born daughters, take turns telling the stories that explain their relationships with each other.
Facts last checked 2026-10-16
- First published
- 1989
- Pace
- Medium
- Length
- Short
- Pages
- 289
- Format
- Standalone
Read this if you like linked stories about mothers and daughters and the things that get lost between generations.
Skip this if you prefer a single narrator and a continuous plot over a rotating cast of voices.
The feel
Content warnings
Quick answers about The Joy Luck Club
- What is The Joy Luck Club about?
- Four Chinese immigrant mothers who meet weekly to play mahjong, and their American-born daughters, take turns telling the stories that explain their relationships with each other.
- Who should read The Joy Luck Club?
- Read it if you like linked stories about mothers and daughters and the things that get lost between generations. Skip it if you prefer a single narrator and a continuous plot over a rotating cast of voices.
- How long and how fast is The Joy Luck Club?
- It is a medium-paced, short read of about 289 pages, first published in 1989.
- Does The Joy Luck Club have content warnings?
- Content we flag: Death, Abuse, War, Suicide.
- Can I borrow The Joy Luck Club for free?
- Often, yes. Check Libby (OverDrive) to see whether your library lends The Joy Luck Club; the borrow button above searches it for you.
- What should I read after The Joy Luck Club?
- Readers who liked it often move on to The Namesake, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Color Purple.
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Where to get it
| Store | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow free | ||
| Libby / OverDrive | Free with a library card | Borrow free with Libby from Libby / OverDrive |
| Print, new | ||
| Amazon | Check price | Buy new from Amazon |
| Ebook | ||
| Kobo | Check price | Buy ebook from Kobo |
| Google Play Books | Check price | Buy ebook from Google Play Books |
| Audiobook | ||
| Audible | Check price | Buy audiobook from Audible |
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Because you might love it
If you loved The Joy Luck Club
-
The Namesake
Another American novel about immigrant parents and a child who feels caught between two worlds.
-
Memoirs of a Geisha Shares the focus on women's lives under rigid social expectations in an East Asian setting.
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The Color Purple Also gives different women space to tell their stories, ending in a similar sense of hard-won warmth.
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