Shanghai Girls

Lisa See

In the tumultuous 1930s, two sisters, May and Pearl, are thrust from their privileged Shanghai life into a new world when their father sells them to suitors in California. Arriving in Los Angeles, they must navigate the complexities of a foreign land, grappling with prejudice and the stark realities of their new circumstances. As they strive to adapt to American customs while clinging to their heritage, a profound secret emerges that will irrevocably alter their destinies and test the bonds of sisterhood.

Lisa See

In this powerful continuation of Shanghai Girls, Lisa See weaves together the intertwined fates of three generations as nineteen-year-old Joy, reeling from family secrets, flees to 1957 Shanghai to find her birth father and embrace the idealism of Red China. When her mother Pearl discovers Joy's dangerous defection, she embarks on her own perilous journey across the transformed landscape of communist China, determined to save her daughter despite the mounting perils of the regime. As their separate paths converge amid one of history's most tragic episodes, the novel explores the profound bonds of mother-daughter love tested by ideology, ambition, and the unforgiving forces of political upheaval. See's richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling illuminate how family resilience and love can endure even in the face of seemingly insurmountable tragedy and historical devastation.