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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I would love to give this 5 stars, but some parts are just too improbable to believe (not many, just a few critical points). That being said, if you can get past that, it was a great story and I would read more by this author in a heartbeat.
sad
tense
After finishing Shanghai Girls, I immediately started reading Dreams of Joy, which is evidence of how engrossing the novel is as plot after plot emerges from ordinary circumstances.
The author revisits the tale of Pearl and May from Shanghai and Joy, Pearl's obstinate daughter, in Dreams of Joy. In the late 1950s, Joy flees to communist China, and Pearl follows her in an effort to bring them safely back to America.
Once Joy realizes that she has made a grave error, the only way out of the situation, which feels like scenes from a dystopian future as the atrocities of the Communist government worsen, is to flee. I must admit that Dreams of Joy's conclusion reads like a suspense novel.
I enjoyed how the narrative developed. It wonderfully brought forth Joy's transformation throughout the book. Even though Pearl made an effort to shield her from everything, she had to go through a lot of maturation and learn things the hard way, just like Pearl did.
When I read Lisa See's books, I always feel like I learn a lot about Chinese culture—especially because this is a subject I don't know a lot about. Her writing is so vividly described that you feel as though you are experiencing the same things as the character.
The plot twists in this intriguing story are undoubtedly unexpected. Be prepared to break out a box of tissues when reading this book since it is undoubtedly heartbreaking. The author conducted outstanding research on this time period. Additionally, the narrative switching between Joy and Pearl is extremely different from her previous book and adds to the book's wholesomeness by highlighting the complex mother-daughter relationship. Dreams of Joy, in my opinion, successfully wraps up Shanghai Girls.
The author revisits the tale of Pearl and May from Shanghai and Joy, Pearl's obstinate daughter, in Dreams of Joy. In the late 1950s, Joy flees to communist China, and Pearl follows her in an effort to bring them safely back to America.
Once Joy realizes that she has made a grave error, the only way out of the situation, which feels like scenes from a dystopian future as the atrocities of the Communist government worsen, is to flee. I must admit that Dreams of Joy's conclusion reads like a suspense novel.
I enjoyed how the narrative developed. It wonderfully brought forth Joy's transformation throughout the book. Even though Pearl made an effort to shield her from everything, she had to go through a lot of maturation and learn things the hard way, just like Pearl did.
When I read Lisa See's books, I always feel like I learn a lot about Chinese culture—especially because this is a subject I don't know a lot about. Her writing is so vividly described that you feel as though you are experiencing the same things as the character.
The plot twists in this intriguing story are undoubtedly unexpected. Be prepared to break out a box of tissues when reading this book since it is undoubtedly heartbreaking. The author conducted outstanding research on this time period. Additionally, the narrative switching between Joy and Pearl is extremely different from her previous book and adds to the book's wholesomeness by highlighting the complex mother-daughter relationship. Dreams of Joy, in my opinion, successfully wraps up Shanghai Girls.
In this sequel to Shanghai Girls, Lisa See tells the story of Joy, a 19 year old girl of Chinese heritage living in 1950's Los Angeles. (If you have not read Shanghai Girls, I strongly suggest that you do before reading this review. There will be spoilers!)
Joy, upset and furious with Pearl and May after learning the truth about her parentage and blaming herself for Sam's death, decides to go to China to find her birth father. She became enamoured of Communism and the New China while in college and feels that her place is there with her father. She impulsively leaves for China, leaving behind only a letter to let anyone know what she has done. Pearl decides to follow her in order to talk her into returning with her to California. The problem is that getting in to China is not especially difficult, getting out is nearly impossible.
Joy ends up on a commune in the country and learns that communism is not the ideal she thought it was. Pearl returns to her home city of Shanghai, to her old home, and finds that the city has changed drastically in the 20 years she has been gone. Pearl says:
Old Shanghai, my Shanghai, had plenty of sin on the surface but was shored up by the respectability of banking and mercantile wealth underneath. Now I see the so-called respectability of communism on the surface and decay underth. They can sweep, strip, and cart away all they want, but there's no changing the fact that my home city is decomposing, rotting away, and turning into a skeleton.
Pearl tries to persuade Joy to return home but Joy is caught up in her new life. It isn't until a nationwide disaster occurs, a famine brought on by the ill-conceived policies of the communist regime, that Joy finally sees the reality of the New China.
I loved it! I loved the descriptions of Chinese life in the early years of communist China, how things had changed in so many ways but the old ways were still there too.
Joy, upset and furious with Pearl and May after learning the truth about her parentage and blaming herself for Sam's death, decides to go to China to find her birth father. She became enamoured of Communism and the New China while in college and feels that her place is there with her father. She impulsively leaves for China, leaving behind only a letter to let anyone know what she has done. Pearl decides to follow her in order to talk her into returning with her to California. The problem is that getting in to China is not especially difficult, getting out is nearly impossible.
Joy ends up on a commune in the country and learns that communism is not the ideal she thought it was. Pearl returns to her home city of Shanghai, to her old home, and finds that the city has changed drastically in the 20 years she has been gone. Pearl says:
Old Shanghai, my Shanghai, had plenty of sin on the surface but was shored up by the respectability of banking and mercantile wealth underneath. Now I see the so-called respectability of communism on the surface and decay underth. They can sweep, strip, and cart away all they want, but there's no changing the fact that my home city is decomposing, rotting away, and turning into a skeleton.
Pearl tries to persuade Joy to return home but Joy is caught up in her new life. It isn't until a nationwide disaster occurs, a famine brought on by the ill-conceived policies of the communist regime, that Joy finally sees the reality of the New China.
I loved it! I loved the descriptions of Chinese life in the early years of communist China, how things had changed in so many ways but the old ways were still there too.
Having heard many good things about Lisa See, I went into this book a little hesitant wondering if it would match the standard set in my head and it absolutely did!
I do think that this isn't a book for the weak hearted, it is extremely blunt and descriptive of the horrors faced by the citizens (particularly in the countryside) during Mao's Great Leap Forward. The book is perfectly paced with the right amount of build up and time to digest heavy information. It is very well written and plays out like a movie in your head as you read it (which is why, careful with the gruesome descriptions if you're light hearted). You can really feel the emotions while reading so it could be a bit emotionally taxing or overwhelming for some. There are some heartwarming moments, some moments that irritate you and a hopeful ending that just feels right.
For the main characters, particularly Joy, her growth through the book was so nice to see because it did not feel forced, she naturally matured with the plot and that it something many authors fail to do nearly as well as See did. Pearl, who at the beginning seemed to have something almost like a glass shield around her, really comes into her own by the end.
I highly recommend this to those who are interested in Chinese history (you will find it too long and boring if you aren't) and who like to read about complicated relationships and family dynamics.
I do think that this isn't a book for the weak hearted, it is extremely blunt and descriptive of the horrors faced by the citizens (particularly in the countryside) during Mao's Great Leap Forward. The book is perfectly paced with the right amount of build up and time to digest heavy information. It is very well written and plays out like a movie in your head as you read it (which is why, careful with the gruesome descriptions if you're light hearted). You can really feel the emotions while reading so it could be a bit emotionally taxing or overwhelming for some. There are some heartwarming moments, some moments that irritate you and a hopeful ending that just feels right.
For the main characters, particularly Joy, her growth through the book was so nice to see because it did not feel forced, she naturally matured with the plot and that it something many authors fail to do nearly as well as See did. Pearl, who at the beginning seemed to have something almost like a glass shield around her, really comes into her own by the end.
I highly recommend this to those who are interested in Chinese history (you will find it too long and boring if you aren't) and who like to read about complicated relationships and family dynamics.
this book was excellent . I love all of Lisa See books . The story was set in The USA. It dealt with themes of Racism from The Chinese view. it was set in World war 11 and after the war . IF you like historical fiction , this is a excellent read .
I enjoyed the prequel to this book, Shanghai Girls, so I wasn't terribly surprised when I liked this one as well. This story of a 1950s Chinese-American girl going to post-Revolution China was definitely eye-opening and enthralling.
To understand Dreams of Joy, it is essential to read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See first. This was definitely a tougher read to get through but rewarding in the end. Parts of this story were bitterly depressing. I couldn't help but wonder if she won't write another story further detailing the lives of Pearl, May, and Joy. And at this point, I am so wrapped up in their life stories that I would definitely read it.
Not nearly as upsetting as Shanghai Girls, I think, but still pretty upsetting. I was super super super annoyed with Joy most of the novel, which made it rough going for me. She's not a sympathetic protagonist and for most of it, I was thinking what a huge idiot she was. But I suppose having been raised by parents born in Communist China, I knew more about what Joy was in for than she did.
True fact: the book mentioned that the Great Leap Forward was coming and I thought, "Oh god, she is going to die."
A similar problem to Shanghai Girls, I felt, was the lack of time structure. Suddenly three months would pass! Or just one day! Everything felt weirdly disjointed and the transitions were awkward. I just wasn't as into this book as I was Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. But honestly, Lisa See, be better about skipping time.
True fact: the book mentioned that the Great Leap Forward was coming and I thought, "Oh god, she is going to die."
A similar problem to Shanghai Girls, I felt, was the lack of time structure. Suddenly three months would pass! Or just one day! Everything felt weirdly disjointed and the transitions were awkward. I just wasn't as into this book as I was Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. But honestly, Lisa See, be better about skipping time.