Shanghai Girls | 
pickThis isn‘t my favorite by See, but the story grew in me as I went. See never shies away from the brutality of war on innocents, and the lives of these sisters, their family…. It‘s filled with heartache and terrible times. But there is good, and there is hope. #bookspinbingo #bingo #bbrc #two to tango
so-soMy sixth completed read for #14Books14Weeks2023 . I‘m definitely going to read more from See in the future, but I didn‘t like the narrative style of this. It was one traumatic event after another buffered by lots of research; it felt overstuffed. Pearl and May are modern upper middle class Shanghai girls in 1937. But their father‘s financial ruin and the invasion by Japan change their lives forever and they end up immigrating to California.
pickread: november 28, 2022-january 1, 2023
it took me ages to read this book, but the story was beautifully written and the plot is so depressing yet so empowerful. totally didn‘t know there was a sequel, so the ending was a little disappointing; i‘ll have to get on that soon! the story opens up for many different kinds of discussions and overall just makes you think, which i can appreciate from any novel. absolutely enjoyed this story for sure!!!
question 4 of the Reading Group Questions and Topics for Discussion is:
Each sister believes that her parents loved the other sister more. Who is right about this? Why?
i‘d like to think they‘re both right in their own way. it‘s always an issue of perception. i think my parents like my sister more because they don‘t think lowly of her, but because of their high expectations she is put more under pressure. parents just need to be kind.
“Parents die, daughters grow up and marry out, but sisters are for life… ‘When our hair is white, we‘ll still have our sister love.‘”
- Chapter 25, Page 309
“I didn‘t think he‘d kill himself.”
- May, Chapter 24, Page 295
does anyone really think that of someone else though? suicide is always unexpected, regardless of whether or not you know just how much someone is hurting.
“You can always count on people to crowd your party when you are in glory, but you should never dream of people sending you charcoal in the snow.”
- Pearl, Chapter 24, Page 291
“We‘re told that men are strong and brave, but I think women know how to endure, accept defeat, and bear physical pain and mental agony much better than men.”
- Chapter 19, Page 228
“That‘s what sisters do: we argue, we point out each other‘s frailties, mistakes, and bad judgment, we flash the insecurities we‘ve had since childhood, and then we come back together. Until the next time.”
- Chapter 16
“… there‘s no point in promoting beautiful girls when the world‘s turning ugly.”
- Pearl, Chapter 7, Page 84
“Tell us the one about the moon sisters.”
- Chapter 5
this story is actually quite lovely… it marks women as cunning and smart and it also gives a naturalistic backstory like a lot of ancient tales. i loved it!
“Maybe we‘re all like that with our mothers. They seem ordinary until one day they‘re extraordinary.”
- Pearl, Chapter 4, Page 58
“I will always and forever be above her, even if my family doesn‘t love me as much as they love her.”
- Pearl, Chapter 1, Page 9
Though I don‘t necessarily feel the same way, I can see how the favorite child can get a bigger ego, which in turn makes them more of a spoiled and awful person to be around.
“I don‘t want to believe in all that obey, obey, obey stuff girls were taught in the past.”
- Pearl, Chapter 1, Page 5
“I always slump when I‘m near him, but I slump even more in those occasions when Baba takes his eyes off my sister to look at me.”
-Pearl, Chapter 1, Page 3
I think this is a very relatable quote, as an older sister who constantly feels lesser than her younger sister, majorly in part to her father. That constant feeling of being compared SUCKS.
pick#AuthorAMonth2022 @Soubhiville #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks
Lisa See is such a gifted author. I'm not always the biggest fan of historical fiction, but See crafts a story and characters that sweep me away to another time and place.
This wasn't my favorite by her, but following Pearl, May, and Joy as they navigate life in America was a beautiful, emotional experience.
1. No, I‘m not a fan of unreliable narrators.
2. I have a Lord of the Rings t-shirt that says on the back: Look if you must, but don‘t touch my precious!
3. Just one favorite? In light of next year‘s #authoramonth choices, I chose a book from March‘s author. The first book stands alone BUT you‘ll probably want to read the sequel immediately to find out what happens. #thoughtfulthursday
pick🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 I'll leave it at 5 stars and add a few !!!!!!!!!!!! This book was so engrossing and captivating. May and Pearl are native Chinese sisters. This story follows them as they are forced to flee Shanghai and everything they love and go to America. It is a struggle for identity, family, and belonging. It is beautiful and tragic and shows how beauty can come of tragedy. Please, add this to your TBR (top of the stack)!
I was trying to decide what to read next. It was like flipping thru 200 channels of cable, Prime Video, Netflix, etc and being unable to decide what to watch. 17 books listed for #bookspinbingo and none appealed. Thank goodness for free spaces. This caught my fancy.
pickA dark, emotional story about life in Shanghai in the 1930s, privilege and poverty, arranged marriage, the Japanese invasion, escape to the US, racism, sexism, secrets & lies and ending with the Communist witch hunts of the 50s. But underneath all that it‘s really about Pearl and May, two sisters who stick together and help each other through it all. It ended in a cliff hanger so now I need to hunt down the next book.
pickIn 1937 Shanghai, two sisters of a well respected family work as “Beautiful Girls”models. Until, they are forced to travel to Los Angeles as wives of men they barely know. Along the way, they must face horror and tragedy. Over a twenty year time period, it is their bond that pushes them to make a new life. Powerful, heartbreaking, yet filled with love. An immigrant experience laced with sisters‘love.
“An educated woman is a useless woman”
Confucius
Hmmm.
“ Our daughter looks like a South China peasant with those red cheeks,” my father complains, pointedly ignoring the soup before him.
#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl
Started a new audiobook/paperback. Has been on my shelves far too long. Thanks to the encouragement of #bookspinbingo, I am doubling up to finish by the end of the month. 🤞🏻
pickI learned about a part of world and American history I didn't know much about. The narrator was unreliable, which had me struggling with my feelings towards her, but the story was still interesting and enjoyable.
pickLisa See never disappoints. Another wonderful book about Asain history. In this book Lisa digs into the deep history of China, specifically the beautiful culture in Shanghai (the Paris of Asia). True to her style, this book shows the impact that history has on women's lives, as we follow the remarkable tale of two young sisters as they flee from China to the US.
pickI read this between Aug 2 & 8. I gave it 3.5 ⭐️ on Good Reads. This wasn‘t a bad story but it ends in a cliffhanger for the second book. And to be honest, I feel that Amy Tan is a better story teller for this type of historical novel about Chinese women set in China and then the USA. I did appreciate a glimpse into LA and immigrants in the late 30s but the pacing felt off. And I had problems with Pearl sounding much younger at times.
Day 3 of #20series20days is this page-turning duology from #LisaSee about two sisters forced to leave their comfortable life in Shanghai for a different life in the US on the eve of WWII. Each book stands alone, but I think they work best if you jump right into book two after book one. Without spoiling, I think when you finish book one you will WANT to jump right into book two! #Top20series #AugustAuthors #seewhatididthere
pickI loved this book. I loved learning about another culture, even though everything Pearl and May go through in this book breaks my heart. Sisters Pearl and May travel from China to America at the beginning of World War II while Japan is invading China. They meet up with their new husbands whose father treats them horribly. May gets pregnant, but Pearl passes the child off as her own since May never consummated her marriage. Great story!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
so-so#libby #audiobook #booked #winter #SetInHollywood #bbrc #yeahbaby #morethan350pages
This was a fun car and running audio read, but parts of it were lost on me.
Misty! Thanks for stepping in when it looked like my swap partner wasn‘t able. I love this #winterwap package and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. I‘m slowly catching up on #litsylove correspondence, but you‘ve made a very welcoming impression 🥰
pickThe first maybe 15% I thought about DNFing this but I'm so so glad that I finished it. Absolutely fantastic.
pickCompelling, great imagery and look into communist China at the hands of Mao
pickI almost abandoned this one in the beginning because some of the tough things the sisters go through are so explicit. But I stuck with it and I‘m glad I did. I enjoyed the portrayal of the two sisters, the fascinating, courageous, and sad details of their immigration, and the historical perspective. I wish the meta narrative and perspective change would have been more fleshed out earlier on. Overall, a good book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
I haven‘t read the sequel yet, but I loved _Shanghai Girls_.
#pink #colormepretty @Sweetkokoro
bailedThis book had so many strong reviews, but I just couldn't finish it. I liked "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane" (also by Lisa See) so I will try another book by this author, but Shanghai Girls did not hold my interest. I had a tough time identifying with the main characters, but I realize that their life experiences and traits were probably right on point with the historical setting and family of origin.
Reading while my husband runs in to Petsmart to get cat food and litter... don't want Turin and Balerion to feel unloved!
pickI highly recommend it. It‘s a great story about family and what happen with the Chinese back during the depression until the 1950s.
pickI loved this book. Great historical fiction about 2 sisters from Shanghai. Takes place from 1937 on. Riveting stories and the plot surges forward until the very last sentence.
Hope there's a sequel
pickThis was my first Lisa See and it will not be my last. I have a thing for books that take me into different cultures (especially Asian cultures, maybe because I am 1/4 Korean?) and about the tension between 1st and 2nd generations living in America.
This story of two sisters in Shanghai 1937 before/after it was bombed by the Japanese + their journey to and in America was spell-binding. The story is juicy, and devastating, and full of history.
Just bought this from a local used book store! Can‘t wait to crack it open and immerse in another Lisa See book. ❤️
Sundays are hard. But I am dreaming of this scene from my weekend. Strawberry tart with camomile custard 🍓. Magical.
Visiting the newly opened City Beer Store and doing some quiet afternoon bar reading time ❤️.
New pizza place and new books. I am currently reading the tagged book and it‘s wonderful. Hopefully I‘ll finish it tomorrow when I finally have very little to do besides relax and read! Happy Friday night!
I haven‘t read nearly enough from Lisa See so I‘m happy to start this one.
