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• ISBN13: 9780812980530
• Condition: New
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| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Lisa See | | Paperback:
| 336 pages | | Publisher:
| Random House Trade Paperbacks | | Publication Date:
| February 02, 2010 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0812980530 | | Product Length:
| 7.98 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.72 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.56 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.9 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.55 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 295 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Great Ending to a Great Book!Aug 23, 2010
Lisa See's "Shanghai Girls" artfully tells the story of two sisters, Pearl and May who fled Shanghai for the United States during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Pearl and May had been born into a privileged family in Shanghai, but their fates changed once their father lost the family money in gambling. To repay his debt, he agreed to marry his daughters to two men who lived in California. Pearl, May, and their mother tried to flee from the debt collectors and the arranged marriages, but they became victims to the Japanese during their travels. The sisters managed to leave China, but before reaching California, May and Pearl spent several months on Angel Island, a holding area. During that time, May had a daughter Joy. When May, Pearl, and Joy arrive in California, they find that their in-laws are not as wealthy as their father had claimed and their new husbands are not as desirable as they had hoped.
Lisa See tells a beautifully crafted story of the struggles faced by the two women and their baby as they adjust to life with a new family and new country. See does a wonderful job developing complex characters. She also succeeds in describing the affects of the Sino-Japanese conflict on the Chinese people as well as the difficulties facing the Chinese immigrants in the inhospitable United States. See also examines the struggles between the first and second-generation Chinese Americans.
Many popular books seem to sacrifice the ending in order to make everything turn out "right." See does not do this. She writes a realistic ending that creates many questions that will hopefully be addressed in a sequel.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Engrossing and wonderfulAug 22, 2010
This was my favorite book of the summer! A real page-turner. Wonderfully written and interesting view of the immigrant experience. I didn't love the ending, seemed sort of rushed and not poignant, but the rest of the book was so good that I still rate it 5 stars and I'm telling all my friends to read it.
 Forulaic, too long and too angstyAug 16, 2010
Lisa See has found a formula that seems to work for her. The only problem is, its boring totally predictable and about 50 to 100 pages too angsty and long. No satisfying ending, and ultimately no good review.
 Could be betterAug 14, 2010
I read this for my book club and this book is my first experience with Lisa Lee. I am sad to say this book has made me wary of picking up another one of her novels. The story had great potential but Pearl and May were very whiny by the end of the novel and refused to take responsibility for their actions or lack there of in their own lives. The abrupt ending made it feel like the author just gave up on the story and decided to leave it unfinished. After all the trials and tribulations these girls go through during their lives there seems to be very little character growth and whenever they have the chance to be happy or secure in life another obstacle is thrown at them in attempt to keep the reader interested. I found myself depressed at how the girls never seemed to have a period of calm in their lives where you could delve deeper into their minds and understand why they do what they do. This book may be for devoted fans of Lisa Lee only. If you want to give the author a try choose another of her novels.
Simply DivineAug 13, 2010
It is 1937 and Pearl and May are two beautiful sisters who live a privileged life in Shanghai. They model for local artists and their faces are featured in local ads and on calendars. They are a bit naïve, thinking their lives are going to go on like this forever. However, the world around them is changing. The Japanese are saber rattling, will be invading soon and their father has lost the family fortune gambling. For their parents to keep their home, they must sell the girls to the young Chinese American sons of Old Louie, an American Chinese who has extensive business dealings in Shanghai and who has always coveted the girls.
The girls have a dangerous trip to America, winding up at Angel Island in San Francisco, where the spend months held by immigration until they are finally allowed to travel to Los Angeles and their new husbands. The girls lives don't turn out a bit like they'd expected as they evolve into people they never expected to be.
This is a divinely written story and it almost makes me ashamed to admit that I've never read Lisa See before. However, I'll be seeking out Peony in Love and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan straightaway. I was held captive by this book and if her other works are anything like this, I have some wonderful reading to look forward to.
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