Shanghai Girls

by Lisa See

I ran across this book because I had to wait over the weekend to get my new library books in. I had seen the cover before and pushed it aside since I usually stick with Christian fiction. This time when I saw it I decided to read it.

If you don't know this about me China is my country. My dream for 10+ years is to adopt a little girl from China. I have read a book in the past about a couples journey to adopt and thought it might be interesting to read a book that is based in China.

This book starts in 1937. Two sisters; May and Pearl, who are considered beautiful girls. One day their father tells them devastating news; that they are now poor and he has arranged marriages for them. When they are married their husbands go back to America and await them to arrive. Both girls decide not to go but when war breaks out with Japan in their home country they are forced to leave their home and to live with their husbands in America.

When I read her acknowledgements she told about how she had family that went through some of the things that these two sisters go through. As well as interviewed many others. This book is fiction and all the characters are fiction but to know that people did go through these trials in life is heart breaking. Their journey from their home town of Shanghai to Los Angeles is horrific and when they arrive in America they struggle to find their place in their new home.

I almost put the book down in the first few chapters, not sure that I liked it or where the story was going but when the war breaks out and you follow their stories I was hooked. I stayed up way passed my bedtime to finish the book, crying and then shocked when she ends the story so abruptly.

I really liked this book but with that said it may not be for everyone. While I was reading it I was thinking this book could be a movie and when I went to her website I saw that one of her books has been turned into a movie! Have you ever seen China Cry? This book reminds me of those kind of stories.

I really liked this book, it ended so fast I was bummed there was no sequel. Yet when I went to her website I found book 2! I will be reading this soon! This story has made me want to read her other books as well.