Shanghai Girls

Title: Shanghai Girls

Author: Lisa See
Published: 2000
Read: February 2011
Number of pages: 309
Fiction
Where I obtained the book: borrowed from my parents
How I discovered it: I had read one of the author's other books
My grade: B-

I had read Lisa See's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" in the summer of 2007 and enjoyed it enough to read "Shanghai Girls". While "Snow Flower" takes place entirely in China, this one starts in China, but then takes place in Los Angeles. The narrator is twenty-one year old Pearl Chin and she and her eighteen year old sister, May, are enjoying their privileged lives in Shanghai. They're young, beautiful, and rich and nothing can touch them...until they discover that their father has lost all their earnings and has arranged marriages for them with two brothers who are Chinese-American.

They don't want to move to America, but after Shanghai is attacked by Japan and their father has ran out on the family and their mother has died they don't know what other choice they have. Pearl finds out that May is pregnant but due to specific circumstances she gives the baby to Pearl to raise as her own. 

While the girls miss their home country, they grow to love and accept American traditions even though they know they're not wanted by everyone. And while they're wary of their new husbands and parents-in-law, they also come to accept them as well. I liked that See didn't make them two-dimensional abusive husbands which she could have easily done.

I felt like I was reading part one in a two book series because the ending definitely had a "to be continued vibe to it". I'm not sure if there is a sequel, but it would be nice because it didn't feel like the story has been finished. It's just sort of left hanging there by a thread.