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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Rape, Suicide, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Abandonment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Shanghai Girls was one of my favorite novels, so I was really excited to discover a sequel.
Dreams of Joy tells the story of Joy, a girl from LA, whose on a mission to find her real father from the recently established Communist China. During her quest she discovers the horrific conditions and consequences of the Great Leap Forward. Her mother, protagonist of Shanghai Girls, Pearl Chin follows her daughter on a quest to save her daughter from the hands of the communist regime.
Lisa See really knows how to capture emotions and surprise the reader. Characters are extremely relatable, regardless which gender they are, and express real feeling emotions through fictional events. Settings are really well described, you can easily picture these places in your head and put yourself in there. Only a handful of novels have achieved this for me. (The others we're Shanghai Girls and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, damn Lisa See is a good writer :l)
Overall, Dreams of Joy was a great read and I'd recommend anyone even remotely interested in 20th century Chinese history. Being a sequel, you should probably read Shanghai Girls before this. You don't really get too much out of this novel without knowing context to certain events described in this novel. (If you want to know more about Shanghai Girls, you can go and read my in-depth review about it on my GoodReads profile)
Dreams of Joy tells the story of Joy, a girl from LA, whose on a mission to find her real father from the recently established Communist China. During her quest she discovers the horrific conditions and consequences of the Great Leap Forward. Her mother, protagonist of Shanghai Girls, Pearl Chin follows her daughter on a quest to save her daughter from the hands of the communist regime.
Lisa See really knows how to capture emotions and surprise the reader. Characters are extremely relatable, regardless which gender they are, and express real feeling emotions through fictional events. Settings are really well described, you can easily picture these places in your head and put yourself in there. Only a handful of novels have achieved this for me. (The others we're Shanghai Girls and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, damn Lisa See is a good writer :l)
Overall, Dreams of Joy was a great read and I'd recommend anyone even remotely interested in 20th century Chinese history. Being a sequel, you should probably read Shanghai Girls before this. You don't really get too much out of this novel without knowing context to certain events described in this novel. (If you want to know more about Shanghai Girls, you can go and read my in-depth review about it on my GoodReads profile)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
I just loved this book . It was so sad yet they found happiness in things in life that really matter. I love everything by Lisa. Her stories just pull me in.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Guess I should have read Shanghai Girls first - this seems to be a sequel? - but not necessary. This was a well written story about the Great Leap Forward, and China at its strangest. Parts may have seemed unlikely and motivations unclear, but that whole time in China's history was unlikely! Really enjoyed it.
Love love love love! I think I enjoyed this follow-up even more then the first book.
I almost gave up on this book around 40%. it was slow and a bit boring at first compared to Shanghai Girls. I am glad I stuck with it. The book gets emotional and dark very fast once it starts going. It left me horrified and wanting to learn more about that time period.