Dreams of Joy by Lisa See is the much awaited follow up to Shanghai Girls. This is the kind of historical fiction that I love. However, with such high expectaions for this book, based on how much I loved See’s earlier novels, I was a little disappointed.

We continue the story of sisters Pearl and May that we met in Shanghai Girls. Now their daughter/niece Joy has run away to China during Mao’s Great Leap Forward, and Pearl, who is very frightened for Joy’s safety, follows and tries to find her.

The problem I had with this book is that I didn’t entirely believe Joy’s character. It seemed far too easy for her to enter China and find her father and start her life there, then, again too suddenly, things went desperately wrong. 

It was sobering to learn some of the truths of what went on in the countryside during Mao’s Great Leap Forward, when an estimated 45 million people starved to death. I love that See’s books are so well researched and I learn so much about the times reading them, however it is her capacity to tell a great story that makes her such a great writer.

For me, Dreams of Joy fell short in comparison to her earlier novels. If you’ve read Shanghai Girls, you will surely want to read this book. See remains one of my favorite writers, I just don’t think this is her best novel.