Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
In this book you follow the tragic and heroic fight of Pearl and May, two sisters that live in Shanghai, China during the Japanese invasion. Pearl is the older sister and was born in the year of the Dragon, she is tall with rosy cheeks, not the classic Chinese beauty, May who was born in the year of the Sheep has a porcelain doll complexion and a petite figure, she is perfection to her father eyes.
Both sisters go trough life thinking they have the world at their feet, they live a life full of privilege and glamour until they are told that their father has a huge debt and has decided to marry them to Gold Mountain Men that came from America for that purpose only. When this happens the sisters realize the life and future they had envisioned is far away from becoming their true destiny. They strive with desperation to help each other survive these hard times.
From that point we follow Pearl and May’s journey through this emotional rollercoaster novel. The book deeply explores the tight bond between the sisters.
Lisa See explores the importance of family with this wonderfully narrated historical novel. At times sweet, at others heart- wrenching the story is compelling and manage to deeply captivate you in many, many ways. I really liked this book, actually, more than I thought I will, I wasn’t able to put it down. As a personal comment the only disappointment would be that the ending felt abrupt.
★★★★
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