Shanghai Girls by Lisa See is a novel about two sisters, Pearl and May growning up in Shanghai ‘the Paris of Asia’ in the 30’s, and how their lives dramatically change as war comes to China and they are forced to flee to the United States. They endure many, many hardships through the years, at home and abroad, yet always manage to keep their bond.

I read this novel 2 years ago when it first came out, but wanted to re-read it as the sequal-Dreams of Joy-has just been published, and is the next book on my reading list. I feel more caught up in Pearl and May’s story than I did the first time around, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

See is a brilliant writer and storyteller, and she has written some of the best historical fiction based in China that I have ever read.  I mentioned her at the beginning of this blog, and I highly recommend all of her novels.