Shanghai Girls

A Novel

By: Lisa See

Narrated by: Janet Song

Number-one New York Times best-seller.

“A gifted writer...explores the bonds of sisterhood while powerfully evoking the often nightmarish American immigrant experience.” (USA Today)

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, 21-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 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.

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 each knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt the other the most.

Along the way, they face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are: Shanghai girls.

Praise for Shanghai Girls:

“A buoyant and lustrous paean to the bonds of sisterhood.” (Booklist)

“A rich work...as compulsively readable as it is an enlightening journey.” (Denver Post)

©2009 Random House (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"A buoyant and lustrous paean to the bonds of sisterhood." (Booklist)

“See is a gifted writer, and in Shanghai Girls she again explores the bonds of sisterhood while powerfully evoking the often nightmarish American immigrant experience.” (USA Today)

“A rich work... as compulsively readable as it is an enlightening journey.” (Denver Post)

Something's Missing

First, let me confess: I'm a big fan of See's other novels, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" and "Peony In Love." So I approached this book with high expectations, thinking it would deliver something along the same lines as those other books. It started out strong - showing us two beautiful and privileged girls in a Shanghai that was on the cusp of war. I wanted to spend more time in that setting, really getting a sense of what Shanghai life would've been like. Instead, we're transported to the United States, where the sisters immigrate to flee the war. This book feels like walking into a shrinking tunnel - what starts with possibilities becomes dark, depressing and limited. I think it's intended to showcase the love between two sisters, but I spent a good part of the book wanting to shake one of them for her selfishness and the other one for her blind love.

If you haven't read a See book before, don't start with this one because I worry you'll forgo her other works as a result. And that would be a shame.

A slow mover

Over all I found the book to be well written, if not a bit slow. While the story has many peaks and valleys the tone of the book is almost a bit too even; taking from the high moments and the low.

Great writing just not very entertaining

The story was extremely depressing. It may have been realistic just not an enjoyable story. The dialogue was good and the performance was well done.

Great read!

What did you love best about Shanghai Girls?

The characters are drawn so well so you come to care about them and their story.

What did you like best about this story?

You learn so much about the real life history of what it was like for Chinese immigrants to the U.S. at the time around World War II and how they niched out a life for themselves in a completely new world and culture.

What about Janet Song’s performance did you like?

Jane Song makes the story come to life with her excellent reading.

Who was the most memorable character of Shanghai Girls and why?

The main characters were the girls, but I liked the character of Sam, a man who worked his way up from nothing and took responsibility for his family.

Any additional comments?

This is a very engaging novel. Excellent!

Nice Story.. Narrator is monotonous.

Listened for book club and found myself wanting to skip forward several times. The main character is pretty whiny and grates on the nerves (despite the narrator's strangely monotone diction). A good story all around but I just found myself really trying to push through it sometimes.

The story will swallow u in from get go! Loved it!

This story of two sisters and their journey will swallow you in from the start. I found myself laughing, smiling, angry, and crying at times. One of my favorite books from Lisa See. The narrator Janet Song is fantastic in giving a voice to each of the characters. I loved how she narrated the story. Can't wait to listen to the next book of Joy's journey in search of her real father.

LOVED IT!

What made the experience of listening to Shanghai Girls the most enjoyable?

Wonderfully written, with a rich historical background, the characters are captivating. The plot was unpredictable and complex. Be careful when you choose to read this because you might not be able to get anything else done until you're finished with it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shanghai Girls?

There are several plot twists and I'm not giving anything away.

Okay

I only gave it an okay because the sisters wind and were ungrateful. 8 hours of that was too much

Inspired with insight!

Love the narration and learning a piece of Chinese history I know little about. The story itself was well told but I was sad that after so much telling, it ended without closure.

Drags a Bit But Good

I do enjoy the genre of the Chinese culture. Lisa See is a proven story teller, as I enjoyed other of her writings. The story of these two sisters travels from a spoiled life in Shanghai to one of struggle in America. There is much that happens between those locations that entertain as well as educate.

My problem is these two sisters have a very different perspective on their lives. I got rather bored hearing repeatedly how one was angered by the other and then turns to understand or protect her. And in the end there is a large explosion again, that still has no real bearing as their love for one another keeps them going.

Narration is excellent. Twists and turns are engaging. Characters are real and you will love them all.