Reviews
I really liked this book. The plot is really interesting, and you are always anticipating what Pearl and May will do next. The end is a little weird though, and I felt like it was extremely rushed. Overall this is a great story.
I didn't get as much enjoyment from this book as I have other books by Lisa See. The Island of Sea Women was my first from her, and I liked it so much I also read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I also enjoyed, if a bit frustrating. I wish I could say the same about this book, but it was all of the frustration for not a lot of gain. Sisters Pearl and May are displaced Beautiful Girls from Shanghai, basically pin-up girls used in advertising campaigns. They believe themselves untouchable and unapproachable, but soon find real life politics and war intruding on their sheltered and pampered lives. In order to save themselves, they find their way to American and Angel Island, chasing after arranged marriages that they were reluctant to pursue before it became their only way out. I found Pearl and May unlikeable in different ways. Pearl is rooted in tradition and sensible actions, while May is the dreamer and used to getting her way. On several occasions in the book, Pearl has to save May from her own careless actions, who then flippantly doesn't see anything she's done as being wrong. Pearl herself turns bitter and suspicious of everyone and everything as she ages, and the fact that the two sisters never air their grievances against one another at all during their lives together comes to a (predictable) head near the end of the story. Lisa See loves driving home the importance of communication in her books, and this one is no exception. I also never really felt connected with any of the characters. Things happened, but without that connection I also didn't really feel anything when they did. I just felt a vague sense of importance, like "hey this is relevant to the story" rather than any real grief or sympathy for the main characters. I don't know, this one felt like a miss to me. If you've never read Lisa See before, read one of the other books by her I've mentioned here, because I think they do a better job at telling a story you feel connected with.
** spoiler alert ** Un 2.5 più che un 3 che tradotto suona come un: che noia! Pearl è una piattola, si lamenta tanto ma effettivamente chi diavolo ti aveva chiesto di uscire allo scoperto quando tua madre ti aveva detto di NON muoverti? e poi fai pesare per tutta la vita che ti hanno stuprato quando in quel momento non ha aiutato di sicuro la madre (visto che è morta comunque) e nemmeno la sorella (che ha dovuto assistere la madre morente e poi portare la sorella all'ospedale solo perché ha una sorella altamente imbecille). Si lamenta a 35 anni che i genitori preferivano May a lei quando è con lei che parlavano dialetto (come cavolo fa a pensare che sia per 'proteggere' May? che razza di discorso è? è logico che stessero escludendo May parlando una lingua che lei non poteva capire!) ed anche se May ha fatto delle grosse cavolate (consegnare Sam è stata una cazzata ma farsi il pittore è stata la cosa peggiore) è Pearl la piaga insopportabile. Anche se è chiaramente Joy il personaggio peggiore di tutto il libro. La cosa peggiore? che non finisce! si perché c'è una seconda parte che non leggerò mai di questo passo visto l'andazzo.
Well-written, although not in a literary sense. Through the point of view of Pearl, I learned much of the mid-twentieth century history of Chinese immigration in Los Angeles at the time. For that reason, it was worth the read.
A peek into life in China after the Japanese (man those guys were BAD!!!! and I mean this especially after having read this book and Unbroken so close together) invaded China and just before America began fighting with the Japanese. Part of the novel takes place in Shanghai and shows us the somewhat carefree life of the privileged class masked in denial and shallowness. Then it transitions amid chaos and horror to San Francisco and exposes the reader to life in SF's Chinatown surrounded by prejudice and mistrust of anything foreign. I'll read more by Lisa See.
i read this after I read its sequel, Dreams of Joy. In that I already knew the characters somewhat it was interesting to see how they got their beginnings. I also did not realize how immediately the sequel followed the events in this book. Overall I enjoyed reading this book, and found it an interesting and engaging story, albeit with some weaknesses. Given the things we learn at the end, I would love to hear this story from May's point of view rather than Pearl's. It is fascinating how two siblings can have such different reads on a shared lifetime.
4.5 stars I thought that this story was so beautiful and heartbreaking. We experience the rape of Nanjing and the fear that follows those who lived through it. We also saw the life of those who are illegal in the states, who are trying to live good lives while also constantly fearful of being removed from the place they have made their home. I found the sister relationship so interesting and at times, frustrating. I loved to see how one looks at their past selves and sees the mistakes they made, especially when it comes to ones parents and tradition. Seeing the battle of traditional vs. modern was also very interesting. I loved the writing and look forward to reading the next book.
After attempting to read the disasterous Flower Net from Lisa See, I picked up Shanghai Girls, hoping it would be more like Snow Flower (a fantastic book, by the way). Shanghai Girls is the story of two sisters, Pearl and May, who grow up in pre-WWII Shanghai as the daughters of a wealthy businessman. They spend their days being somewhat idle and spoiled and their nights posing as "beautiful girls" for a local artist. They consider themselves to be modern thinkers and are determined to break away from the old Chinese ways. When their father loses his fortune through mismanagement, he sells his daughters in arranged marriages to satisfy his debts. To Pearl and May, arranged marriages are hopelessly backward and they fight against it in vain. The sisters' husbands live in America and the girls have no intention of going there and being real wives. Then their father disappears, the gang that he owes money threatens the rest of the family, and the Japanese invade Shanghai. The girls realize that they must leave. Since they lack any means to support themselves, they hatch a plan to go to America and find their husbands. Upon arrival in America, they are detained at Angel Island ("the Ellis Island of the west") for almost a year. The authorities investigate them as they suspect they are married to "paper sons" - these are sons who bought an identity that gives them citizenship. As it turns out, Pearl's husband is a paper son while May's is a citizen, meaning that Pearl is illegal but May is a citizen. They live in squalid conditions but purposefully stay there since May is pregnant. Since Pearl's marriage was consumated and May's was not, they pass the baby, Joy, off as Pearl's since they are afraid that the Louie family would not accept them otherwise. Once the baby is born, the sisters are released from Angel Island and live with the Louie family. While Shanghai starts off strong, once the girls come to America and reunite with their husbands, it loses momentum. I didn't really feel any connection to the characters. May seemed to be frivolous and selfish and Pearl was boring, plodding through the next 20 years of her life like a donkey. Scenes that should have had an emotional punch lacked impact. Even as members of the Louie family age and eventually die, their deaths are related so matter-of-factly that it's hard to care. For instance, when Mrs. Louie dies, it's a one-sentence note to the effect of - we thought she was just tired but it turns out she had a heart attack and died in the chair. Even the sisters' feud towards the end lacked emotion. If the author hadn't told the reader that the women were shouting at each other, I would have thought they were having a conversation. The Louie sons all blend in together except for the 2 husbands. Joy turned out to be a bit unlikeable since her participation in communist groups at college prompts an investigation of the family, most of whom are in the United States illegally. When the police threaten to deport Pearl and her husband unless they inform on other illegals, a tragedy results. Joy doesn't seem to care and neither Pearl nor May take her to task for the trouble and tragedy she has brought upon the family. I seem to be on a roll with picking books that have bad endings and this was another. Without including any spoilers, the ending here felt very unresolved, as if the author accidentally left off the final chapter or two.
For me this novel treads a lot of the same ground as China Dolls (except that China Dolls was actually published later, even if I read it before), but is a lot more mature. It takes place in the same time period, also focuses on the Chinese community in California, and both novels discuss (to varying degrees) the Japanese invasion of China and Chinese involvement in the US entertainment industry. So, if you like one, you will probably appreciate the other. As I implied, I preferred this one. While the novel begins with Pearl (the narrator) and May (her sister) being young, immature and carefree in Shanghai, the narration "grows up" sharply as Pearl does. There is a lot less stupid "boy drama". While I gave China Dolls four stars with some reservations, Shanghai Girls has fully earnt them.
Emotional insight into the life of Chinese immigrants during and after WWII. I could see, feel, hear, and even smell (!) the characters. Lisa See has yet to disappoint. NOTE: This is the first book in a two-book series. Having picked up my copy at a library sale, I was not mentally prepared to be left hanging on a cliff!
