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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
3.75 stars.
this really needs to be read along with [b:Shanghai Girls|5960325|Shanghai Girls (Shanghai Girls, #1)|Lisa See|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327968416l/5960325._SY75_.jpg|5991850], otherwise the whole premise of the book won't make any sense.
while I did enjoy the book, the string of events happening is so improbable and implausible that it diverted my attention from the book several times.
this really needs to be read along with [b:Shanghai Girls|5960325|Shanghai Girls (Shanghai Girls, #1)|Lisa See|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327968416l/5960325._SY75_.jpg|5991850], otherwise the whole premise of the book won't make any sense.
while I did enjoy the book, the string of events happening is so improbable and implausible that it diverted my attention from the book several times.
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I think if you can suspend disbelief that a young Chinese-American girl would runaway to Mao's China in 1957 to help in his "Great Leap Forward" and live as a peasant's wife, then you will really enjoy this book. If you can't, you should probably call it a day at "Shanghai Girls." The nice thing is, Lisa See is an amazing writer and this book is extremely well researched. It was fun to read, but the plot was just strange IMO.
Because I read the first book in the series, Shanghi Girls, and it had an open end I wanted to see what was to happen. This book involves American born daughter Pearl going to China to find her birth father. Mao Tse Tung is in power and Pearl is excited to be part of the socialist movement. I did not choose to finish this book. I was lukewarm about Shanghi Girls, and this book does not impress me either. I have to say that the relationship between Pearl and her Mother/Aunt is quite realistic. I don't buy Pearl's love for Red China. I commend the author for wanting to educate readers about the Chinese American experience and the history of China during Mao's leadership.
I was disappointed in how Shanghai Girls ended, so I had a lot of hopes for resolution pinned on this book. But I ended up liking this book so much better! The characters went through a lot of personal growth, even if I did spend a lot of time wanting to smack Joy. There's a difference between finding your own way and willfully flying in the face of common sense and words of experienced advice, and she blew past that line before the book even began. It was a good thing her mother had all that personal character growth to pull her butt out of trouble!
(Read for my personal 2019 reading challenge: read a book by an East Asian author)
(3.5 stars)
I feel that this book isn't of the same "quality" as many other books I've rated 4 stars, but that's the difficulty with ratings. I can't pretend that anything I rate is an objective assessment, so we're just going to go off of my enjoyment of this book.
While the writing is standard for what I consider "general" fiction (not literary, but not genre fiction either) and the plot structure is simplistic, there is something that makes this book more interesting. Perhaps it's the setting of Communist China, or the fact that the author does a good job of sticking to the point instead of trying to sound clever at random points when it doesn't suit the story. The book is unpretentious and you want to know what happens next.
(3.5 stars)
I feel that this book isn't of the same "quality" as many other books I've rated 4 stars, but that's the difficulty with ratings. I can't pretend that anything I rate is an objective assessment, so we're just going to go off of my enjoyment of this book.
While the writing is standard for what I consider "general" fiction (not literary, but not genre fiction either) and the plot structure is simplistic, there is something that makes this book more interesting. Perhaps it's the setting of Communist China, or the fact that the author does a good job of sticking to the point instead of trying to sound clever at random points when it doesn't suit the story. The book is unpretentious and you want to know what happens next.
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I ended 2024 listening to so many Chinese Historical Novels that I think it low key made me depressed and curious at the same time. I don’t doubt the historicity, but it is heartbreaking. I have such little knowledge of China’s history-and this du-ology gave me a glimpse of the pain and struggles these people went through. Though I do recommend this series-I don’t recommend listening to/reading books of a similar historical timeline back-to-back.