Shanghai Girls (Lisa See)
Sisters Pearl and May are beautiful girls in Shanghai, posing for artists, having their portraits on calendars and advertisements,living the good life. Their father is a prosperous businessman owning a rickshaw business. They ignore the death and destruction around them, they have everything they could possibly need.
Eventually their happy worlds come to an end. Their father loses everything in gambling debts and the sisters are then forced into arranged marriages to Chinese (men) living in America. They end up on Angel Island off San Fransisco, and embark on a life in America. Once there they find they are not the "Princesses, Pretty Girls" they were in China. The find prejudice , poverty and segregation.
I did like the story line, but I had a hard time liking some of the main characters. A little too much selfishness (for my liking). I have no problems with characters who are "flawed" and not perfect, but I just did not particularly like one of them. I also was very disappointed in the ending. To me it felt unfinished...it left me hanging...it felt like the book just stopped, and the last few pages were missing.
Overall, I did enjoy learning of Chinese culture, and the hardships (Book set 1937-1957). I did like the story line. I would like to check out other books by Lisa See.
Sisters Pearl and May are beautiful girls in Shanghai, posing for artists, having their portraits on calendars and advertisements,living the good life. Their father is a prosperous businessman owning a rickshaw business. They ignore the death and destruction around them, they have everything they could possibly need.
Eventually their happy worlds come to an end. Their father loses everything in gambling debts and the sisters are then forced into arranged marriages to Chinese (men) living in America. They end up on Angel Island off San Fransisco, and embark on a life in America. Once there they find they are not the "Princesses, Pretty Girls" they were in China. The find prejudice , poverty and segregation.
I did like the story line, but I had a hard time liking some of the main characters. A little too much selfishness (for my liking). I have no problems with characters who are "flawed" and not perfect, but I just did not particularly like one of them. I also was very disappointed in the ending. To me it felt unfinished...it left me hanging...it felt like the book just stopped, and the last few pages were missing.
Overall, I did enjoy learning of Chinese culture, and the hardships (Book set 1937-1957). I did like the story line. I would like to check out other books by Lisa See.
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