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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Lisa See is truly one of my favorite authors and this book proved it even more. It is a sequel to Beautiful Girls and just as powerful, strong and emotional. I have to say that I listened to this book on Audio so that may have tweaked my experience a bit, but it doesn't change my opinion of the author. If anything it would give it more stars. I felt every sort of emotion. I found Joy to be annoying and then I felt for her. I was upset at Zee Gee and then felt better about him. I look forward to more by Lisa See.
This is the 3rd novel I've read by Lisa See this year. I really enjoy her writing style- her development of relationships within the novel and how much I learn from all of her historical research. Prior to reading this book, I did not know much about the closing of China and the Great Leap Forward and was interested to learn about this age in history.This is the sequel to Shanghai Girls. While it would have been a solid read as a stand-alone novel, I very much appreciated how the ending of Dreams of Joy tied to Shanghai Girls and made everything come full circle.
A satisfying conclusion to Shanghai Girls and a fascinating look into the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward. Lisa See does impeccable research and paints a very vivid picture of life. At the end of this version she included pictures from her research and trips to China which I found so interesting, including the propaganda poster she used as the inspiration for the poster that Z.G. paints of Joy.
Started off a little slow, but I was really invested in the second half of the book. This was really the first time I'd read any description of what life was like for Chinese citizens (either native or repatriated) during Mao's Great Leap Forward. I realized how much I really don't know about that period of history from a non-U.S. perspective, and the historical background was incredibly fascinating (sad, but fascinating). Lisa See clearly did a lot of research to write this book, and it paid off.
Wow...talk about depressing. Also made me check the book to make sure it wasn't mass-produced in China afterwards.
This was the sequel to Shanghai Girls, the story about sisters Pearl and May. It starts right where Shanghai Girls left off. I really enjoyed the book, but was haunted by what I learned about life in communist China...scary!
http://dsdmona1.blogspot.com.es/2015/08/suenos-de-felicidad.html
This book is written about communist China under Mao -- something I knew very little about. It's haunting and fascinating, but wasn't an easy or quick read for me.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A great read. Personally, I wish I had read this right after Shanghai Girls (which I read a few years ago) so that I could remember the continuing plot. This book really opens your eyes to how lucky we are to live in America. Set in China in the early 50's, you as the reader can see the struggle in Asian cultures regarding either fully embracing your roots or completely turning your back on them especially if you are what they call "Western Chinese."
Towards the end of the book, you simply can't wrap your mind around the poverty, abuse and cultural differences between the eastern and the west (and that's putting it mildly--would you eat your neighbors infant for food if you were starving?)
There were a few scenes that turned my stomach--but they also opened my eyes.
And that makes for a great book.
Towards the end of the book, you simply can't wrap your mind around the poverty, abuse and cultural differences between the eastern and the west (and that's putting it mildly--would you eat your neighbors infant for food if you were starving?)
There were a few scenes that turned my stomach--but they also opened my eyes.
And that makes for a great book.