Shanghai Sisters

Saturday afternoon while Tim, his kids and the cousins floated down the "numb bum canal", I sat under a shady tree in a park, by a pond, and finished this book. What a delicious way to spend an hour or two. I had previously read two of Lisa's See's novels and especially liked Snowflower and the Secret Fan. This is her newest book and when I saw it at Costco, I decided I couldn't wait for it to be released in paperback and had to have it.

"In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, full of great wealth and glamour. Twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister May are having the time of their lives, thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business. Both are beautiful, modern, and living the carefree life ... 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 Los Angeles 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 villages of south China, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the foreign shores of America. At its heart, Shanghai Girls is a story of sisters: Pearl and May are inseparable best friends, who share hopes, dreams, and a deep connection. But like sisters everywhere, they also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. They love each other but they also know exactly where to drive the knife to hurt the other sister the most. Along the way there are terrible sacrifices, impossible choices and one devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel by Lisa See hold fast to who they are – Shanghai girls"
The book was completely my type of novel. I would consider it historical fiction as it covered events that went on in China and the United States over approximately a 20 year period. The historical events were what basically drove the plot. In addition to the history, the book really focused on the relationship between the two sisters, I love books that let you get inside a character's head and understand why they do what they do. It was easy to empathize with many of the girls' struggles. I like it when a book makes me react emotionally which this one did. The biggest flaw with the book was the ending. It felt like the author had woven such a complex story with several great characters, and then wasn't quite sure what to do, a la John Grisham. Despite feeling unsatisfied with the end, I would still give it an A-.