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achadamaia 's review for:
Dreams of Joy
by Lisa See
This is the sequel to Shanghai Girls. I'm always reluctant to read sequels. They don't always capture the spirit of the original story.
In Dreams of Joy, Lisa See has done a wonderful job. See brings 1957 China to life through this novel. I don't know much about this period of China's history, but See makes me feel like I was right there experiencing the story along with the characters.
The story is told from two perspectives. Pearl gives us the perspective of a middle aged women who has experienced hardship and happiness. She does not want to return to China but does so out of necessity. Joy gives us the perspective of a young woman who grows up in a loving environment and ends up feeling betrayed by everyone. She is full of youthful idealism which leads her to Communist China, where she somehow feels she will make a difference.
The two voices compliment each other. It would be difficult to understand the motivations of the two main characters without hearing things from both sides.
All in all an excellent story. It probably could be read by itself, though I recommend reading Shanghai Girls to fully understand the relationship between Pearl and her sister, May.
In Dreams of Joy, Lisa See has done a wonderful job. See brings 1957 China to life through this novel. I don't know much about this period of China's history, but See makes me feel like I was right there experiencing the story along with the characters.
The story is told from two perspectives. Pearl gives us the perspective of a middle aged women who has experienced hardship and happiness. She does not want to return to China but does so out of necessity. Joy gives us the perspective of a young woman who grows up in a loving environment and ends up feeling betrayed by everyone. She is full of youthful idealism which leads her to Communist China, where she somehow feels she will make a difference.
The two voices compliment each other. It would be difficult to understand the motivations of the two main characters without hearing things from both sides.
All in all an excellent story. It probably could be read by itself, though I recommend reading Shanghai Girls to fully understand the relationship between Pearl and her sister, May.