Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Hey readers, I hope this post is finding you well.

Tonight, I’m going to do a combined review of two books I enjoyed reading by Lisa See. This is a historical fiction detailing life in China and America during the late 1930s and early 1960. It’s the story of two sisters living in Shanghai who end up in America because of arranged marriages. For twenty-three years, we learn about their lives and how our countries treat them during this time. I feel this is a great read, and would recommend it to my reading buddies who are interested in learning a little more about their history. I’m not going to review the books myself, because I don’t know how to start and stop without telling you the entire story. Instead, I’m just going to give you the condensed notes from the jacket covers.

Shanghai Girls >>> “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-ld 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 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 bridges.
“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 enevenve as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in my Chinatown’s old ways and rules.
“At its heart, Shanghai Girls is the story of sisters: Pearl and May are inseparable best friends, who share hopes, dreams, and a deep connection, but like sisters everywhere they also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. They love each other, but each knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt the other the most. Along the way they face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are – Shanghai girls.”

And…. “IN her beloved New York Times bestsellers….Lisa See has brilliantly illuminated the potent bonds of mother love, romantic love, and love of country…..
“Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets and anger at her mother and aunt for keeping them from her, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father – the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime.
“Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.”

My dear reading friends, I encourage you to check these two books out. It’s such a good overview of what life was like between 1937 and 1960. My eyes were opened to how difficult life was/is for the Chinese, why sons are preferred over daughters, the humility of these people, and the loyalty of families.