It's been a while since I've read something worth blogging about! Synopsis: In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn't’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.
As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.
Sometimes my opinion on a "tough" read is formed more after the book, based on how much I think about it after. This was one that stuck with me.
I really liked this book. That being said, it is not a feel good book, but it is told vividly and you feel like you're there while you read it. I am a fan of historical fiction and this book gives a lot of insight into what immigration and war times were like in the 1930's. The characters, Pearl and May, each have characteristics that can be related to. Their story as told by author Lisa See is for sure worth your time. Check it out!
These are my next 3 reads:
1 comment:
I also read Shanghai Girls and remember being so shocked by the ending. Have you read "Snowflower and The Secret Fan" also by Lisa See? It is one of my all-time faves. Hope you are doing well Julie!
Post a Comment