Helpful Score: 2
This was a wonderful book. I have enjoyed all of Lisa See's books. The story picked right up where the last book left off and it never got boring. All of the feelings that the characters go through feel very real and I liked the stories between the women the most. Another thing that struck me was how wild it was to think that these things were happening to people in real life such a short time ago. The hard labor, starvation and basically barbaric existence the people in the countryside lived. It left me wondering how much this is happening in the world today and we just don't pay enough attention to how people are suffering at the hands of a government that has been forced upon them. I didn't see the book as being political in any way, it was just a realization I had while reading it. She is so good at tying it all into the story and making you care. Great book.
Helpful Score: 1
I wish I had read Shanghai Girls before reading Dreams of Joy; however, I had read two of Lisa See's novels prior to this one and thought they were very well written. Apparently this is the sequel to Shanghai Girls, and I enjoyed it regardless of not knowing the background encompassed in Shanghai Girls. It is a remarkable journey into China, its history and culture through two different perspectives. I hope to read Shanghai Girls and see this book through that added perspective. Lisa See's research is as noteworthy as her writing.
