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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
It took me a bit to get into the story and then I couldn't put it down. Tragic and uplifting. Haunting yet inspiring with a sense of deep familial love.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Halfway through: You know you're enjoying a book when you find yourself thinking, "I wish I were back in Red China instead of doing dishes."
Absolutely wonderful story. I will certainly always, always be grateful for my freedoms and never take my life for granted after reading both "Shanghai Girls" and "Dreams of Joy."
Absolutely wonderful story. I will certainly always, always be grateful for my freedoms and never take my life for granted after reading both "Shanghai Girls" and "Dreams of Joy."
This is a continuation of her last book, Shanghai Girls. I remember being acutely disappointed at the end of that book because the ending left so much hanging. I guess there was an obvious reason for that since she wrote another book. I had a little bit of a hard time believing in her character's faith in the Chinese communist society but I did relate to the mother-daughter bond between Pearl and Joy.
Of all the Lisa See books, Shanghai Girls is the one I least wanted to have a sequel. That being said, this book was really good and I always appreciate a different view of history outside the one I learned in school.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Lisa See
I have to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the prequel to this novel, Shanghai Girls. Once the main characters moved to California, the plot went downhill fast and I lost interest. In the sequel, May and Pearl's daughter Joy returns to China around the time of the Great Leap Forward, and See seems more in her element in writing about China than the US. The book was well-written and well paced, and the characters were better developed this time around, especially Joy. See's descriptions of rural China are very vivid and realistic. She obviously did a lot of research into the time period and effects of hunger. See also takes the act of teenage rebellion to an all new level in her character Joy, trapped and starving to death in a rural village. I stayed up until late in the night to finish and was sorry it ended. I really hope there is a another book coming after that, maybe one that focuses on Joy's daughter?
Picking up where Shanghai Girls left off, this novel takes place in China after Joy, learning the true story about her parents, flees in order to find her real father. While there are too many situations that resolve themselves in the best possible manner, I still enjoyed reading the novel. It is definitely difficult to read at times but the glimpse into Communist China makes what's happening there today interesting to think about.
After having listened to Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, and learning that this sequel existed, I could not wait to dive into it. I loved Shanghai Girls, and Dreams of Joy is equally mesmerizing. See does a wonderful job of building on the foundation of Shanghai Girls, and moving the story forward in a believable and beautifully rendered way.
The research she has done in advance of writing about Communist China is evident in her descriptions, and in her accentuation of the disparity between the masses (peasants) and the elite (leaders). As a reader I was heartbroken when Joy could not see through the propaganda, but I understood that as a headstrong daughter who believed she had been lied to about Red China, she had to see for herself. Like so many young adults, she thought she was so much smarter and more savvy than her parents, when in reality she was impressionable and easily manipulated. She thought she understood the world better because she was getting a college education, and she didn't realize (until much later) that real education comes from one's experiences. I thoroughly appreciated Lisa See's ability to create in Pearl Chin a woman (a mother) who goes after her daughter in spite of her fears, but after finding her, understands that forcing her back to the United States will never work. This understanding does not come easily to Pearl, especially in the wake of her own life experiences, but it is gratifying that facing the demons of her past allows her to understand her daughter in a way she never would have otherwise.
There are wonderful, satisfying conclusions at the end of Dreams of Joy, and yet there are hints of a future story still to be told, and I hope the author will one day indulge us.
The research she has done in advance of writing about Communist China is evident in her descriptions, and in her accentuation of the disparity between the masses (peasants) and the elite (leaders). As a reader I was heartbroken when Joy could not see through the propaganda, but I understood that as a headstrong daughter who believed she had been lied to about Red China, she had to see for herself. Like so many young adults, she thought she was so much smarter and more savvy than her parents, when in reality she was impressionable and easily manipulated. She thought she understood the world better because she was getting a college education, and she didn't realize (until much later) that real education comes from one's experiences. I thoroughly appreciated Lisa See's ability to create in Pearl Chin a woman (a mother) who goes after her daughter in spite of her fears, but after finding her, understands that forcing her back to the United States will never work. This understanding does not come easily to Pearl, especially in the wake of her own life experiences, but it is gratifying that facing the demons of her past allows her to understand her daughter in a way she never would have otherwise.
There are wonderful, satisfying conclusions at the end of Dreams of Joy, and yet there are hints of a future story still to be told, and I hope the author will one day indulge us.