Showing posts with label shanghai girls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shanghai girls. Show all posts

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Review -- Shanghai Girls by Lisa See


Shanghai Girls
by Lisa See
Random House, 2009
336 pages
*I borrowed this book from the library.

Summary: Two sisters, June and May, living in Shanghai are sold into marriage to settle their father's gambling debts. As war breaks out in the area, the girls struggle to make their way to America where their new husbands await them. Through Angel's Island and then the streets of Los Angeles, June and May each carve out their own lives in a country they try to make home.

Review: This is a fantastic book. The writing flows so well, the story is engrossing, and the characters are so wonderfully developed. The plot balances nicely between sections of war and tragedy and quiet moments between the sisters where their true personalities and destinies are revealed. My only disappointment was the ending, which for spoiler reasons I will not discuss here. Rating: ****1/2 out of 5.

Have you reviewed this book too? Leave a link to your review in the comments section!