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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Another book that reminds me of how little I know about our world. This one took me a little longer to get into than Shanghai Girls, but I loved how she wove the stories together at the end. A beautiful reminder of being careful what you wish for and seeing the beauty of what you've had all along.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
This was definitely not as quick of a read as Shanghai Girls was, but it was still pretty good. I would love it if another book were released. I can't get enough of this family!
This novel picks up where 'Shanghai Girls' ended. You really need to have read 'Shanghai Girls' before picking up 'Dreams of Joy'.
In 1957, Joy has fled her home in Los Angeles for communist China. She is determined to find her biological father, Z.G., and throw herself into building the utopia she believes communist China is building toward. Pearl, just as determined to find Joy and convince her to return to the United States, follows Joy to China. The novel follows Joy and Pearl's lives over the next few years in China as their paths come together and diverge. Joy stubbornly refuses Pearl and Z.G.'s urging to leave China and instead chooses to make her life in one of the communes that has been established in the countryside. Pearl, just a stubbornly, refuses to leave China while Joy remains.
Their stories are filled with heartache, fear, and many challenges, but also with hope and love. This novel has given more of an insight in to what the Chinese people have faced under the early years of communism. My heart broke with some of what was described.
So glad I was able to continue the journey with this family. Janet Song's narration really brought the story to life.
In 1957, Joy has fled her home in Los Angeles for communist China. She is determined to find her biological father, Z.G., and throw herself into building the utopia she believes communist China is building toward. Pearl, just as determined to find Joy and convince her to return to the United States, follows Joy to China. The novel follows Joy and Pearl's lives over the next few years in China as their paths come together and diverge. Joy stubbornly refuses Pearl and Z.G.'s urging to leave China and instead chooses to make her life in one of the communes that has been established in the countryside. Pearl, just a stubbornly, refuses to leave China while Joy remains.
Their stories are filled with heartache, fear, and many challenges, but also with hope and love. This novel has given more of an insight in to what the Chinese people have faced under the early years of communism. My heart broke with some of what was described.
So glad I was able to continue the journey with this family. Janet Song's narration really brought the story to life.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The beginning was good. The end was good. But I can’t forgive that draggy middle. Plus there were no particularly likeable characters. Giving points for good writing, believable themes and reactions, too. Without a believable setup for why Joy ran away (guilt), the book (and Joy) would have been infuriating.
This was a solid, engaging story set in communist China under Mao in the 1950s. It alternates between two perspectives: Joy, a 19-year-old Chinese-American girl who flees to China to find her birth father, and Pearl, Joy's biological aunt who raised Joy as her mother, who follows after her. At times, the descriptions of life in China are brutal; I thought The Road was bad in terms of the bleak conditions McCarthy imagines for a post-apocalyptic America, but they're not that far from the based-on-true-history conditions that characters in this novel undergo. I appreciated that See showed the complexity of this time period rather than painting 1950s communist China as all bad; there were clear differences between the experiences in the city and in the countryside, and some characters were simply corrupt or exploitative while others clearly believed in what Mao was doing. This is a sequel, and having not read the first book I'm not sure how much of the exposition dump at the beginning was new information and how much catching up those who didn't read the first book (probably a little of both). The ending was a little too neat and tidy (even if it made me happy) and I didn't particularly connect to any of the characters, but overall it's a good book, and I learned a lot.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dreams of Joy is a novel about suffering, growing up, and the love of family. The first half of the book felt slow, but I loved the second half. I like Pearl and find her relatable. I liked how Joy developed as a character.
I love being able to learn about history through well-written historical fiction. I had never heard of the Great Leap Forward under Mao Zedong. The author seems to have done her research thoroughly.
I liked the way the novel came full circle in several ways at the end.
I love being able to learn about history through well-written historical fiction. I had never heard of the Great Leap Forward under Mao Zedong. The author seems to have done her research thoroughly.
I liked the way the novel came full circle in several ways at the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cannibalism
IDK, I love Lisa See, but this just didn't make me scream with love for her