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Informative,
Inspiring,
Interesting

5 reviews

shanghai girls
by Lisa See

Published: 2010-02-02
Paperback : 322 pages
7 members reading this now
24 clubs reading this now
9 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 5 members
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A gifted writer . . . explores the bonds of sisterhood while powerfully evoking the often nightmarish American immigrant experience.”—USA Today

In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and ...
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Introduction

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A gifted writer . . . explores the bonds of sisterhood while powerfully evoking the often nightmarish American immigrant experience.”—USA Today

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-old 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 brides.

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 even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.

At its heart, Shanghai Girls is a 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.

Praise for Shanghai Girls

“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

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Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
by Susan L. (see profile) 10/22/23

 
by Heather W. (see profile) 02/08/22

 
  "Shanghai Girls"by Jennifer B. (see profile) 02/06/13

The writing is beautiful. It feels like you are right there in the book with the characters. I was sad when the book ended because I was enjoying it so much.

 
  "Shanghai Girls"by Kristen S. (see profile) 01/01/13

 
  "Sanghai Girls"by Jessica I. (see profile) 03/07/12

Sad story that never turns around

 
  "A Good Read"by Heather P. (see profile) 04/18/11

I enjoyed the book. I did find it very interesting. I felt like I got a bit of a mini-history lesson on a subject not often written about. I would recommend the book although in the end the book just dropped... (read more)

 
  "An insightful look at the Chinese immigrant experience"by Melba G. (see profile) 02/09/11

Lisa See was raised in Chinatown, a member of a very traditional Chinese family, and she uses her experience and understanding of that culture to create wonderful, well-rounded characters. The plot development... (read more)

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