Shanghai Girls by Lisa
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Read and Download Ebook Shanghai Girls... Shanghai Girls Lisa See PDF File: Shanghai Girls... 1 Read and Download Ebook Shanghai Girls... Shanghai Girls Lisa See Shanghai Girls Lisa See Pearl and May are sisters, living carefree lives in Shanghai, the Paris of Asia. But when Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, they set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. 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 warlords. 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. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . 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. As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules. Shanghai Girls Details Date : Published May 26th 2009 by Random House (first published 2009) ISBN : 9781400067114 Author : Lisa See Format : Hardcover 309 pages Genre : Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Cultural, China, Asia Download Shanghai Girls ...pdf Read Online Shanghai Girls ...pdf Download and Read Free Online Shanghai Girls Lisa See PDF File: Shanghai Girls... 2 Read and Download Ebook Shanghai Girls... From Reader Review Shanghai Girls for online ebook J.Elle says This was the third book I've read by this author and I'm still confused as to my feelings for her writing. The first book I read, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I loved. I think it was all the descriptions and information about the cultural nuances, including foot binding. Then, I was excited to read, Peony in Love, until I actually started it. Then, I thought maybe this book would turn the tide either way. Unfortunately, I'm still ambivalent. It was an interesting enough story: two "modern" sisters escape the country into arranged marriages in the United States, but it lacked the interesting older cultural nuances that I so enjoy. Plus, and please forgive me if you adore history, reading about war bores me. Thank you to everyone who has served or is serving our country. We would not have the freedoms we have now were it not for people giving their life, but reading a fictional account of any war is not something I normally enjoy. I guess I will wait until this author writes something else and decide then if I'm interested enough to read it. If you like to read about Chinese culture, skip this one and "Peony in Love" and go straight to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Nikoleta says ?να καλογραµµ?νο ιστορικ? µυθιστ?ρηµα, για ?να θ?µα που για να πω την αλ?θεια δεν ε?χα ξαναδιαβ?σει. Τις δυσκολ?ες που β?ωσαν οι κιν?ζοι απ? τον π?λεµο, την προσφυγι? κ.α. ?ταν ωρα?α γραµµ?νο, µε ρεαλιστικ? π?να. Αυτ? ?µως που δεν µου ?ρεσε ?ταν οι ?ρωες, δεν µπ?ρεσα να συνδεθ? µαζ? τους, δεν µου το επ?τρεψε η ?δια η αφ?γηση που δεν ?ταν αρκετ? συναισθηµατικ? - αν και γραµµ?νη στο πρ?το προσωπο- αλλ? ?σως και οι προσωπικ?τητες που τους ?δωσε, ?σως π?λι να φτα?ει η πολιτισµικ? διαφορ? που µε ?κανε πολλ?ς φορ?ς να µην µπορ? να κατανο?σω τις πρ?ξεις τους. Π?ντως ?ταν ?να καλ? βιβλ?ο, µου ?ρεσε. Kate says This is the second Lisa See novel that I've read, and both times when I've finished her books I've felt vaguely duped. There's so much historical detail in here, much of it grim, that I feel like I must be reading something sweeping and important. But the character-driven parts of the plot (often about tensions and jealousies in close female relationships) remind me more of...Danielle Steel, maybe? Dare I say it? Something kind of primal and potboiler-y and not too nuanced. So and so is the pretty one. So and so is the rich one. So and so slept with my boyfriend. Or whatever. These dime-store drama elements, combined with the interesting and frequently heartbreaking historical aspects, make me wonder what exactly I'm reading. See puts you through a lot with her characters in Shanghai Girls -- even after the worst of their hardships are over, they can't seem to catch a break. And then the resolution is so abrupt and unsatisfying that I wonder if she's setting up a sequel. But still, it's hard to put down, and I raced through it. We'll see what the book club thinks. PDF File: Shanghai Girls... 3 Read and Download Ebook Shanghai Girls... Eileen Souza says I'm re-rating this book up to 4 stars, but with the contingency that it must be read with Dreams of Joy. When read in conjunction with the second book, this book is excellent - really emotionally powerful. Without the second book, you'll be horribly disappointed with the the last 20 pages - and wishing for 350 more. my original review is still below. ******** Re-reading 5/2011 in prep for the second book Dreams of Joy. In retrospect, my review is fairly prophetic. I'm so glad there's more to the story. ******* Lisa See's new book (which I've been waiting for since her website mentioned that it was coming out months ago) does what she does best - writing about the relationships of people and the ups and downs of life long relationships. Whether it's best friends/lao tong (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan), husbands and wives (the Red Princess mystery series), a teenager's relationship with her parents (Peony in Love), Lisa has a rare ability to wrench your heart with the unbelievably powerful feelings that these relationships evoke in our lives. She certainly did this in Shanghai Girls - this time with sisters who grew up in modern pre-WWII Shanghai, and who because of the war are forced to make huge changes in their lives for which they are entirely unprepared. We read this story through the eyes of Pearl, the older, smarter, less attractive sister, and how she goes through her days protecting her sister, and trying to harness the sibling rivalry that always exists between them. The tension slowly grows and grows throughout the book, until the end, where if you know Lisa See books, then you know what's coming. The reason that I gave this book three stars is because I felt that after the explosion of emotions, there was no resolution. It was too abrupt of an ending, and I felt like the characters were lost to me before it was time for them to go. I understand why Lisa ended the book where she did chronologically (it would have required some serious additional writing, and I bet the publishers wouldn't have allowed an 800 pg book) but I wish that they had. Where is my coda? I will read it again, and enjoy it from the perspective of one who knows what's coming, but I can't say that it's my favorite Lisa See novel. Elyse says I can't believe I didn't write a review on this Lisa See book. This is one of my favorite historical books she wrote. There is a fascinating story in here that many people know very little about! The plot revolves around two sisters -their privilege life breaks down - 1930's Shanghai - Their father sell them to loveless marriages -- The 'history' of horrific prejudice & immigration - coming to America was no joke. After I had read this ( not light and fluffy), a front page article in our local newspaper was a true story about an Asian man - he was in his 90's living in PDF File: Shanghai Girls... 4 Read and Download Ebook Shanghai Girls... SF... speaking for the 'very first' time.. when he came over to Angel Island. Even though this booksI fiction -there is a lot to learn about how it really was for Chinese immigrants -- during the mid 50's and it's not a pretty picture. We should have been deeply ashamed of ourselves. Excellent novel. Sasha says I'm sorry to say that I thought this book was horrible. As a huge fan of Snowflower and the Secret Fan and of the beautiful characters, beautifully described scenery, tragedies, hardships, and the deep bonds between the characters within it, I went into this book hoping for something of the same.