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Shanghai Girls: A Novel (Paperback)

by Lisa See (Author)

3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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This title will be released on February 2, 2010.
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Peony in Love: A Novel by Lisa See
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Product Details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (Feb 2 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812980530
ISBN-13: 978-0812980530

Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #58,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

“See is a gifted writer, and in Shanghai Girls she again explores the bonds of sisterhood while powerfully evoking the often nightmarish American immigrant experience.”—USA Today

“A buoyant and lustrous paean to the bonds of sisterhood.”–Booklist

“A rich work…as compulsively readable as it is an enlightening journey.”—Denver Post

“The glamour of prewar Shanghai is recalled in Lisa See’s deftly plotted Shanghai Girls.”—Vogue

“Splendid”—More

“An engrossing tale of two sisters.”–Time.com

“Shanghai Girls is one of those books I could not wait to continue reading, because her characters' stories are so compellingly told.”—St. Louis Dispatch

“As in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love, she has in her latest novel created ordinary women who, through willfulness and resiliency, accomplish extraordinary things…See, whose writing is as graceful as these '’beautiful girls,'’ pulls off another exceptional novel.”–Miami Herald

From the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

In 1937 Shanghai—the Paris of Asia—twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree—until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth. To repay his debts, he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides. As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, from the Chinese countryside to the shores of America. Though inseparable best friends, the sisters also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. Along the way they make terrible sacrifices, face 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.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not Lisa See's greatest., May 30 2009

By	The Mad Hatter "Seagull Books" (Prince Edward Island, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Shanghai Girls: A Novel (Hardcover)

"Shanghai Girls" certainly does not live up to Lisa See's first two books, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" and "Peony in Love". The main characters in this novel are two sisters, Pearl and May. Both are dull, self-indulged woman with an attitude that implies the world owes them a living. Unfortunately, there seems to be more emphasis and lengthy descriptions placed on fashion of the day and "who was wearing what," than any sense of plot or character development. After the first few pages, I really did not care who was wearing what, the colours and types of flowers on Pearl's or May's dresses, or how many more dresses were hanging in the closet. Yet the monotonous descriptions continued.

The book had great potential but falls flat. Even when the girls discover Japanese bombs have fallen on their city, there is no great action, panic or concern. Rather, everything just seems to flow along at a snail's pace just as casually as if the girls were out for a pleasant afternoon of shopping and a cup of tea. There is nothing gripping or memorable about "Shanghai Girls." As for the forced marriage of the girls at the hand of their father for financial reasons, the girls show no great interest or concern for their future and seem to take the entire scenario as a joke. The primary downfall, short of character development?

If violence offends the reader, one may not want to read the book. There is an exceptionally violent gang rape scene involving both Pearl and her mother. However, apart from this, the book lacked emotion and often dragged between events.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An emotional roller coaster, Jul 26 2009

By	Karoline - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shanghai Girls: A Novel (Hardcover)

The thing I like about books situated during World War II is, it's filled with drama. Most of the drama is usually heart wrenching and sad - naturally, given that during those times, the world was not a very nice place to live in. Even the after effects of war results in dramatic impact on every day lives of people. Shanghai Girls follows the events of two sisters during World War II from China to their journey to the US.

The story is very well done. Some parts are just heart wrenching and sad, some are very tender and loving. In other words, it's such an emotional roller coaster which makes this story extremely dramatic yet realistic. It's a story of a relationship of two sisters who make it through thick and thin, through very horrible circumstances, yet they survive because of their unconditional love and loyalty to each other. I admire these two qualities in these two women which gave them the strength to carry on with their lives. There are very strong emotions in this novel and you can actually feel them as you read.

Other things to note about this book; I love the cover. I love this kind of art I think it's very beautiful and eye catching. It's a suiting cover as the girls worked as "Beautiful Girls" for posters and ads during their time in Shanghai. The next thing I want to add: I wonder if there is a sequel to this book? it does leave a little bit of a loose end in the finale that leaves room for a second book to follow. If it is the case, then I will be reading it, definitely.

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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Work of Historical Fiction, Jul 13 2009

By	Coach C (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Shanghai Girls: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is my first Lisa See book so I come into this experience without the prior knowledge of her previous books. I enjoyed reading "Shanghai Girls" start to finish and it is obvious that See spent a lot of time to get all the details right, which is extremely important for historical fiction.

The plot is a little contrived and forced at times, but I think the story did fit with the overall historical time period. See excels at setting, her vivid descriptions of Shanghai, Chinatown in Los Angeles, and Angel Island. So much is written about Ellis Island, and rightfully so, but many people forget about the immigration stories of Angel Island, which unfortunately do not end up with any happy Horatio Alger endings.

I can see why a lot of people will take exception with the book, especially Chinese Americans, because many of See's plotlines and character attributes can be viewed as an essentialized version of Chinese culture, and the Asian American experience. But it is a novel after all written for a western audience, without some generalization, the book would be completely irrelevant to the average western reader.

Overall, I have to say that I do highly recommend "Shanghai Girls" despite some reservations about its appeal to the kitsch and predictability. I look forward to reading the sequel.

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