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For books I want to keep reading, it's definitely the voice. It must be a voice I've never heard before, and it must have its own particular intelligence. By 'voice,' I don't mean vernacular. It has to have its own particular history and world that it inhabits.
Amy Tan
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The author's preference for unique voices in literature emphasizes the importance of distinct narrative perspectives.

In this quote, Amy Tan expresses her desire for literary works that present original voices, implying that a compelling narrative is built upon a character or author's unique perspective and experiences. She highlights that a powerful voice in literature carries its own intelligence, history, and context, creating a rich and immersive reading experience that can transport readers to new worlds.

Themes

VoiceLiteratureOriginalityPerspectiveNarrative

In practice

Example use cases

During a book club meeting, you could say, 'As Amy Tan suggests, I love finding stories with unique voices that transport me to different worlds.'

More from Amy Tan

Among writers, if you don't have a therapist, it's like saying you don't keep a journal or use the thesaurus. It's a natural accompaniment.
Amy TanRead
Her education only made her unhappy thinking about it - that no matter how much she changed her life, she could not change the world that surrounded her.
Amy TanRead
You can't have intentions without consequences. The question is, who pays for the consequences? Saving fish from drowning. Same thing. Who’s saved? Who’s not?
Amy TanRead
I am fascinated by language in daily life: the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.
Amy TanRead
Even if I had expected it, even if I had known what I was going to do with my life, it would have knocked the wind out of me. When something that violent hits you, you can't help but lose your balance and fall. And after you pick yourself up, you realize you can't trust anybody to save you- not your husband, not your mother, not God. So what can you do to stop yourself from tilting and falling all over again?
Amy TanRead
And for all those years, we never talked about the disaster at the recital or my terrible accusations afterward at the piano bench. All that remained unchecked, like a betrayal that was now unbreakable. So I never found a way to ask her why she had hoped something so large that failure was inevitable. And even worse, I never asked her what frightened me the most: Why had she given up hope?
Amy TanRead

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