madscarlson22 's review for:

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

4.0

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This book was very interesting in a lot of ways. It follows the lives of 2 sisters through their years in China starting in 1937 and then follows them to the US through 20 years of their lives. I really loved the historical aspect of this book. I have to admit that I felt very unconnected with the characters and what was happening for almost the entire first half of the book, even through traumatic, and life-changing experiences. At the same time though, it did keep me interested enough to keep reading and ultimately I found my connection with these characters and was so eager to hear the rest of their story. I know with most books that are just about the happenings of every day life it's hard to figure out where to end it, but I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt and you were left to wonder what happened next. I wouldn't say I'd read an entire sequel to this book but I would like to know what happens to the main characters and the predicament they were in when the novel ended. Overall, it was a fascinating story about family, history, love, life, and above all the sisterly bond between the 2 main characters. I really like Lisa See and all of her books and would recommend this book to others and would pick up her next one.