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cdeh49 's review for:
Dreams of Joy
by Lisa See
First, special thanks to Good Reads for providing this pre-release copy! How fun to be one of the first to read this!
While I didn't think this was quite up to the story telling of Shanghai Girls, it was a fascinating read!! That reaction may be because I found it hard to believe the characters were as idealistic as they were portrayed and would willing put themselves in such peril. And the setting of Shanghai Girls in 50's Los Angeles was so very identifiable for me, having grown up there at that time, my expectations may have been too much for the sequel.
This period of history is quite unknown to me and I will be very interested to see the reaction from the reading public when this is released, as I think many will be fascinated by the descriptions of the hardship, brutality and stupidity of the Leap Forward. I was only a young child at the time of the Chinese Communist revolution but I don't remember it ever being covered in news stories or have never heard anything discussed, possible because the Chinese kept their country so closed and secret until Nixon made the first overtures of diplomacy. Ms. See's in-depth research painted a vivid picture of the era. The ending seemed to tie things up just a little too quickly and neatly, but overall an enjoyable read.
While I didn't think this was quite up to the story telling of Shanghai Girls, it was a fascinating read!! That reaction may be because I found it hard to believe the characters were as idealistic as they were portrayed and would willing put themselves in such peril. And the setting of Shanghai Girls in 50's Los Angeles was so very identifiable for me, having grown up there at that time, my expectations may have been too much for the sequel.
This period of history is quite unknown to me and I will be very interested to see the reaction from the reading public when this is released, as I think many will be fascinated by the descriptions of the hardship, brutality and stupidity of the Leap Forward. I was only a young child at the time of the Chinese Communist revolution but I don't remember it ever being covered in news stories or have never heard anything discussed, possible because the Chinese kept their country so closed and secret until Nixon made the first overtures of diplomacy. Ms. See's in-depth research painted a vivid picture of the era. The ending seemed to tie things up just a little too quickly and neatly, but overall an enjoyable read.