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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I had really enjoyed Shanghai girls and this was a great continuation of that story reflecting further history in China and some of the struggles the people of that country faced during the late 1950's and early 1960's.
I can't wait for this to be released!!!
I honestly can say that I have no complaints about this book, except maybe that I wish it was longer- just because I hated that it had to end.
The follow-up to [b:Shanghai Girls|5960325|Shanghai Girls|Lisa See|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255570412s/5960325.jpg|5991850], Dreams of Joy picks up pretty much where SG ended. Joy has found out the truth about her family, and is so upset that she has decided to go to China, to join the new Communist movement in the 1950's. She's fresh out of college and idealistic, and can't wait to help, as she sees it, to change the world.
Her mother, Pearl, follows Joy to China to try and convince her to return to the US.
The point of view switches between characters, and as usual, Lisa See does this in a fluid and graceful manner, never choppy. She is an incredible storyteller.
If you enjoyed Shanghai Girls, you will love this- it's even better.
I honestly can say that I have no complaints about this book, except maybe that I wish it was longer- just because I hated that it had to end.
The follow-up to [b:Shanghai Girls|5960325|Shanghai Girls|Lisa See|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255570412s/5960325.jpg|5991850], Dreams of Joy picks up pretty much where SG ended. Joy has found out the truth about her family, and is so upset that she has decided to go to China, to join the new Communist movement in the 1950's. She's fresh out of college and idealistic, and can't wait to help, as she sees it, to change the world.
Her mother, Pearl, follows Joy to China to try and convince her to return to the US.
The point of view switches between characters, and as usual, Lisa See does this in a fluid and graceful manner, never choppy. She is an incredible storyteller.
If you enjoyed Shanghai Girls, you will love this- it's even better.
This was a phenomenal follow-up to Shanghai Girls. The themes leaped out at me -- mother-daughter, sister-sister, and overall family relationships tie this whole story together in the deepest of ways, and more than once I teared up while listening; I recently made a pretty big mistake that hurt my parents and my sister, and this turned into such a perfect read when I was searching for a way to mend things, as I listened to Joy and Pearl come back together.
While Shanghai Girls saw Pearl and May growing up and living their lives through the late 30s and into the 50s, Dreams of Joy follows Joy back into what is now Mao's Red China in the late 50s. The research is again impeccable, the descriptions are intimate, and each of the characters are their own person. We come in contact with several old friends and some new ones too. Joy makes mistakes, learns, and grows, as does Pearl. May takes a little bit of a backseat but remains close to the action via her letters to her sister.
The ending was everything I wanted it to be. I actually tweeted the author several times while reading because the book had me so on edge and I was terrified of it not ending positively; so many stories during the Great Leap Forward didn't. Again looking forward to my next Lisa See book!
While Shanghai Girls saw Pearl and May growing up and living their lives through the late 30s and into the 50s, Dreams of Joy follows Joy back into what is now Mao's Red China in the late 50s. The research is again impeccable, the descriptions are intimate, and each of the characters are their own person. We come in contact with several old friends and some new ones too. Joy makes mistakes, learns, and grows, as does Pearl. May takes a little bit of a backseat but remains close to the action via her letters to her sister.
The ending was everything I wanted it to be. I actually tweeted the author several times while reading because the book had me so on edge and I was terrified of it not ending positively; so many stories during the Great Leap Forward didn't. Again looking forward to my next Lisa See book!
China's Great Leap Forward during the 1950s was not a period I was familiar with until getting a glimpse while reading this novel. I didn't realize it was a sequel to Shanghai Girls, but I found it didn't impact my enjoyment or understanding. Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is still my favorite of hers, however I loved that this novel was just as well researched and beautifully written. I especially enjoyed the photos and how they impacted her writing at the end of the book.
At first it was hard to get into but as it progressed I was engrossed.
A story of a daughter who finds out her life was a lie, ends up leaving her family and heading to China to find her real father. She finds him and with these big ideas of helping with "the great leap forward" it ends up not being what she dreamed about. A brainwashing, communist country that ends up starving the people to death. She and her family must get out.
A great read and I learned a little something along the way.
Here's the wiki link about the "Great Leap Forward" what a trajedy! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
A story of a daughter who finds out her life was a lie, ends up leaving her family and heading to China to find her real father. She finds him and with these big ideas of helping with "the great leap forward" it ends up not being what she dreamed about. A brainwashing, communist country that ends up starving the people to death. She and her family must get out.
A great read and I learned a little something along the way.
Here's the wiki link about the "Great Leap Forward" what a trajedy! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
Great sequel to Shanghai Girls. Haunting tale set during the devastation of China's Great Leap Forward.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
I really loved Shanghai Girls, and this was a good follow-up. It tied up the loose ends left by Shanghai Girls and took the story further than I expected. But I have to admit I felt like this book was simpler than Shanghai Girls, that it lost some of the complexities woven so beautifully together in the first book in this book, and honestly it was kind of slow until the last third or so. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, quite the contrary. It is a very good books and makes a very strong duology with Shanghi Girls, and I would strongly recommend the series.
Me ha gustado mucho esta bilogía que la autora comenzó con 'Dos chicas de Shanghai'.
De nuevo me sorprende la habilidad de Lisa See para atrapar al lector desde la primera línea y tenerte aferrada a sus páginas por muy angustioso o dramático que sea lo que estás leyendo.
En este caso toda la historia está centrada en El Gran Salto Adelante que tuvo lugar en China en los años 60. No es un tema que sea nuevo para mi pero aún así no puedes dejar de horrorizarte cuando lees sobre este tema de nuevo. Por suerte la autora consigue equilibrar muy bien el relato de los horrores con las tramas más ligeras familiares y amorosas resultando a fin de cuentas una lectura ligera pero que logra dejar cierto poso.
Lo que más me ha gustado es descubrir la evolución de Pearl, que se cierra completamente en esta historia, y tras todos sus infortunios y desgracias, por fin aprende a ser feliz.
De nuevo me sorprende la habilidad de Lisa See para atrapar al lector desde la primera línea y tenerte aferrada a sus páginas por muy angustioso o dramático que sea lo que estás leyendo.
En este caso toda la historia está centrada en El Gran Salto Adelante que tuvo lugar en China en los años 60. No es un tema que sea nuevo para mi pero aún así no puedes dejar de horrorizarte cuando lees sobre este tema de nuevo. Por suerte la autora consigue equilibrar muy bien el relato de los horrores con las tramas más ligeras familiares y amorosas resultando a fin de cuentas una lectura ligera pero que logra dejar cierto poso.
Lo que más me ha gustado es descubrir la evolución de Pearl, que se cierra completamente en esta historia, y tras todos sus infortunios y desgracias, por fin aprende a ser feliz.
Another great book. I enjoyed it. I will be looking into reading more books by this author in the future. I liked the continua'tion of the story (Shanghai Girls). It was interesting to see things from Joy's perspective. She sure had a lot to learn. She had a lot of growing up to do as well. I would highly recommend this book and author to others.