Customer Reviews

Shanghai Girls: A Novel

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

About a year ago, I started to listen to audiobooks as another way to "read" more. The selections I usually make in this category are books that I think are probably really good but that might take a bit more effort to read. That it, they are of a subject matter of which I know little, are really thick, and so on. Shanghai Girls is about two girls living a wonderful life in Shanghai before their father gambles away their futures and they enter into arranged marriages and move to the United States. I learned a great deal about China and the Chinese way of life and experience of moving to America in this book. The story itself was very, very good. I was engaged right from the very beginning to the end - and, in the end, I wanted more. I don't know that there will be a sequel of any sort, but there is still a lot more story that could be told. I really enjoyed the writing style - the story just seemed to flow with the right amount of detail while, at other times, longer periods of time could be covered more quickly. I will definitely seek out other books by this author to learn more about China and a Chinese experience of which I know very little.

Good story with historical setting. Very interesting subject that will really get you thinking about events from the past. I would recommend it.

Lisa See writes a compelling book set in 1937 Shanghai. It follow the lives of two sister and their interactions between each other. It chronicles the journey of Pearl and May they set out from the country side of China to the shores of America. It describes how they survive the invasion of the Japanese and their subsequent journey to America as purchased brides - repayment to their father's creditors for gambling debts. If being sisters was not challenging enough then throw into the pot, petty jealously, rivalries, sacrifices, impossible choices an devastating life-changing secrets.
Through everything they face, one thing is for certain, their love and deep bond to each other.Ms. See shows the sisterly love can survive almost anything - even death. The power of this love gets even the most down trodden through her greatest challenges. I enjoyed the dynamics written in these pages and took solace that a sister's love is out there since my sister and I rarely see each other. Beautiful story, beautifully written. I look forward to reading more of Ms. See's work.

Reason for Reading: I absolutely love Chinese historical fiction that takes place during the reign of the last empress through Mao's Cultural Revolution. I'll read other Chinese time periods but this era is absolutely fascinating to me. This book is perfectly situated starting with the Japanese invasion of China and ending with the first years of Mao's rule.

This is a generational drama which tells the story of one family and then two families as they become connected by marriage. The focus is on two sisters three years apart in age who, though very different in looks and temperaments are very close, and through all the hardships, tragedies, horrors and sufferings never part from each other. They are sold off as wives to a rich man's sons to pay off their father's gambling debts which have left his family destitute. However, with the invasion of the Japanese the girl's never make it to the ship to America with their new husbands. Instead they and their mother are left to escape Shanghai on their own and seek out a place where they may be safe from the rapacious Japanese. This part of the story is my favourite as it takes place during my favourite time period, the war and the Japanese atrocities in China at the time. The author has written a compelling and terrifying story for these three women, which many others will have experienced similar stories in real life at this time. The closeness between the sisters is bonded and solidified here and they realize the strength and love of their old-fashioned foot bound mother they never knew existed.

As the story moves to America there are many secrets, lies and betrayals hidden in almost every member of the new family's life: Pearl and May, their husbands, their father-in-law (Old Man Louis) and mother-in-law (Yen Yen) and well as the three Uncles. All living together, except the uncles, who live nearby, it would seem hard for so many secrets to exist but they have become the essence of life. Pearl and May have different experiences now and different routes to follows and while envy and jealousy creep up on both parts they never loose their strong ties that bind them together.

A wonderful story, full of tragedy and both bittersweet and familial love. Lisa See's writing is reminiscent of Amy Tan but her topic and sense for tragedy are more in line with Pearl Buck's work. Since I've read all of the latter authors' works I think I've found myself an author to fill their place in my reading. A sequel to this book is available this month, Dreams of Joy, but I think I will go back and read some of See's earlier works first.

"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.

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.

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.

Strong sisterly bond ties this book together. Even though their bond is strong, I find them missunderstanding eachother until the very end of the book. Tragity and misfortune falls onto them so abruptly into their carefree lives though they bravely move forward into a hopeful future. The perception of the characters change throughout the novel,which I found, made the story intresting. Although it is not my favorite one of Lisa Sees' novels, it was still an enjoyable read that takes you back to a place and time where you have never experienced before.