Shanghai Girls by Lisa See - Review

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Shanghai Girls by Lisa See follows the journey of two sisters from their comfortable lives as beautiful girls in Shanghai, arranged marriages, invasion and war, escape, and their new lives in Los Angeles. Pearl and May's story begins in 1937 and extends approximately 20 years to the height of the Red Scare.

I've always been interested in tales from this time period and locations presented here and See's story of two sisters is beautifully written. The author really must have done her research! The novel is very character driven, tragic, hopeful, realistic, and emotionally powerful.

Now, going into the novel I knew there was a sequel when I began, but I didn't expect the ending of Shanghai Girls to end on such a note that pretty much forces you to read the sequel, Dreaming of Joy if you really want any resolution.

My reaction when I realized there weren't any more pages:

Now I have to come back for the sequel, Dreaming of Joy!


I read this book from September 5 - 11, 2014 and my review is also available on Goodreads.