Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Release date: 2009 / 309 pages
Synopsis (from front cover): In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warloads. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives… until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.
First line: “‘Our daughter looks like a South China peasant with those red cheeks,’ my father complains, pointedly ignoring the soup before him.”
Review: I happily agreed to read and review Shanghai Girls when TLC Tours contacted me. I had read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan — twice (once for pleasure and once to create a discussion guide for a book club) — and was curious to see what See’s latest novel was like. The first word that came to mind upon finishing was “epic.”
About half-way through, I couldn’t help but think how well this novel would lend itself to the silver screen. A tremendous amount of history is covered throughout the course of the sisters’ lives, who were born in Shanghai in the 1920′s and eventually immigrate to the U.S. When I finished the novel, I was struck by just how much China has changed in the past 100 years. I was fortunate to visit China many years ago and can only imagine the changes that have occurred even in the past decade, especially now that China has become an economic force in the world.
So, following China’s journey through the eyes of two women was interesting. The sisters were thoroughly modern, a reflection of their birth city, yet were still steeped in the traditions of their parents. This juxtaposition highlights many, if not most, immigrant stories. When I taught high school in St. Paul, I was privileged to have many Hmong students and witnessed their daily struggle to honor traditional parents, fit in with their contemporary peers, yet find a unique identity that embraced all of this. This journey is evident throughout Shanghai Girls and was one of the great strengths of the novel. See creates multi-faceted characters who are flawed, yet sympathetic, throughout the novel and allows us to watch many of the characters change and evolve.
However, there were a few elements of the novel that I struggled with. At times the prose seemed stilted — ironically almost as if in translation. For example:
“The uncles come to the apartment for dinner every Sunday night. I ask Yen-yen if she’ll let me make the meal. The family eats it. After that, I make every Sunday dinner.”
Fortunately, this disconnect is not present throughout the entire novel, and See hits her stride in the last section. I also felt like so much (too much?) happened in the first section, and I was a bit winded at times. Disaster upon disaster befell the sisters in the first 100 pages, and I was initially disconnected with them as “real” people — I needed a better sense of their individual reactions and persepectives on the events they were experiencing. I like to concentrate on who the characters are in the exposition, and I felt numbed by the sheer drama of the first section. Of course, I imagine this parallels how the sisters felt at this time as well. Happily, I did get to know them very well by the end. And, if See were to really delve into each and every tragedy in the first section, the novel would have been thousands of pages long. I think this is one reason film may be a suitable genre for this narrative, too.
So, I do think readers who enjoyed See’s other novels will not be disappointed, although the pacing and breadth of this novel is quite different and belongs in the genre of “historical fiction.” Fortunately, See still develops characters that humanize the history and bring it to vivid, painful life for the reader.
If you are interested in winning a copy, simply leave me a comment and I’ll choose THREE lucky winners by Monday!
Curious about what others thought? Here’s the full list of tour stops!
Monday, January 4th: Suko’s Notebook
Tuesday, January 5th: The Literate Housewife Review
Wednesday, January 6th: Stephanie’s Written Word
Thursday, January 7th: She is Too Fond of Books
Friday, January 8th: Book Club Classics
Monday, January 11th: Luxury Reading
Tuesday, January 12th: Diary of an Eccentric
Wednesday, January 13th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, January 14th: Caribousmom
Friday, January 15th: The Book Faery Reviews
Monday, January 18th: Booking Mama
Tuesday, January 19th: Savvy Verse & Wit
Wednesday, January 20th: Dolce Bellezza
Thursday, January 21st: Book, Line, and Sinker
Friday, January 22nd: Word Lily
Monday, January 25th: The Brain Lair
Tuesday, January 26th: A Lifetime of Books
Wednesday, January 27th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
I’m currently about halfway through Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and am really enjoying it. I’d love to be included in your giveaway. Thanks for the review.
fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com
Keep getting good reviews about this book! Can become part of my Global Challenge
I really appreciate the way your review is honest and objective; it doesn’t feel like a piece of propoganda meant to sell more books. I have previously steered away from “historical fiction,” since history has never been one of my favorite subjects, I’m sorry to say. But, more recently, I’ve come to realize that historical fiction is a great way for me, a lover of fiction, to enjoy a little history lesson. You learn something new every day, so once in a while it may as well be history.
I loved Snow Flower, but wasn’t thrilled with Peony in Love. I would love to check out this new one though!
I could not believe my eyes when I saw this
book giveaway, please count me in.
What a review, I would really like to win.
Sounds interesting. The girls sure have a rough life. I’d love to read it. Please enter me. Thanks!
ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net
HI Kristen! Thanks for a great review. I agree that the first part did seem like a whirlwind with almost too much going on. The stilted prose (at least the example you used) seemed right to me, almost like a Chinese girl trying on American words. But I get what you mean. And even though I loved SG, Snow Flower remains my fav. work by this author.
Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into reading and reviewing Shanghai Girls! It is really appreciated.
Great review! I have heard great things about this book and being a fan of Lisa See’s work, as well as other Eastern fiction, I would love to get my hands on a copy!
Thanks for the opportunity, as always. Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Kate! I do try to be “fair and balanced” in every review… I try to remember first what the author was hoping to accomplish, and then temper my subjective opinion with this context. Historical fiction is my favorite way to learn history!
I really appreciate your kind words!!
I’m so glad there is interest in See’s latest! I look forward to choosing a lucky winner when I return from our (snow-bound) cabin on Sunday!! Thank you!
This one sounds fascinating – please include me in the giveaway. Thanks!
Sounds great,do not forget me,count me in,Hope I will be the lucky one.
sounds very interesting-please sign me up
This looks like an awesome book!! I would love to win!!
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
After losing a very dear friend to brain cancer in late 2006, I emailed Lisa See about how the indomitable friendship in “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” had touched me. I never expected to hear back from Lisa, little alone so quickly within 24 hours. She was so touched by my email and told me what a gift this friendship had been and then she extended her heartfelt sympathy. What a special person Lisa See is. I cannot wait to read “Shanghai Girls”
This is my first time to your blog and I’m enjoying it very much. I’d love to be entered in your giveaway for Lisa See’s book. Thank you!
Sandee61
Muzzley56[at]aol[dot]com
I truly enjoyed Snow Flower, and I have Peony sitting in my TBR pile. I have wanted to read Shanghai Girls since I first heard about it a few months ago! I would love a chance to win a copy.
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