Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Now A Movie!

Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See has been adapted into a movie! Starring Bingbing Li, Gianna Jun and Vivian Wu, this story centers on the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women. To be released on 15th July 2011.

Book Review : Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Shanghai Girls: A Novel (Paperback) ~ Lisa See

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (February 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812980530
• ISBN-13: 978-0812980530

For readers of the phenomenal bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love--a stunning new novel from Lisa See about two sisters who leave Shanghai to find new lives in 1930s Los Angeles.

May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.

But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)--where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months--they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May discovers she’s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know.

Pearl and May are two young, beautiful girls living in the modernized Shanghai. Everything seems to be perfect until their father tells them that he is broke and has to sell both her daughters to Gold Mountain Men (Chinese men living overseas who comes back in search for Chinese brides). They are arranged to embark for San Francisco, but Pearl throws away their tickets, insisting that she does not want to live her life with a man she does not love.

The bond between Pearl and May is special and strong. As the elder sister, Pearl has a feeling that she has the responsibility to look after May, and always does her best to keep her safe. During the Japanese invasion, Pearl and her mother suffered the humiliation of being raped repeatedly by Japanese soldiers. Pearl sacrificed herself to protect her sister from being ravished by the cruel men because she knew that the soldiers are bound to search the place and finally find them (she and May), who were not concealed safely under the wooden planks.

During their confinement at Angel Island, the 18-year-old May gives birth to a child in result of a premarital relationship with a man. For fear of being rejected by her in-laws, May pleads her sister to accept the child, named Joy, as her own. At first, Pearl intends to run away, but after many years living with the Louies, she begins to have a feeling of home and family, although Chinese are constantly discriminated by the Americans.

The characters of this story are very well drawn, especially Old Man Louie's stinginess and fatherly concerns and Pearl's determination, stubbornness, fears and weaknesses. Pearl's character can be summarized by this sentence:

"We’re told that men are strong and brave, but I think women know how to endure, accept defeat, and bear physical and mental agony much better than men."

The story has an excellent plot, which implores me to keep on reading. I really take my hat off to the truth and lies that Lisa creatively inserted into the story. They never fail to make me surprised and shocked at the same time. I have always loved Lisa's way of writing : There is a smooth flow and strong transitions, which makes me to understand and follow the story easily. Even though I love the story, I have a feeling that Shanghai Girls ended too abruptly. I didn't expect it to end so soon and was earnest to read the next chapter, but when I turn the page - there's the acknowledgments page.

Shanghai Girls explores the loving yet conflicted relationship between sisters --- how they support each other during bad times, share the happiness during good times and blame each other when something bad happens. Towards the end of the novel, each of them finally confronts each other, pouring out all their anger and hurt which they have kept in their hearts for so long.

Your sister is the one person who should stick by you and love you no matter what, but she’s also the one person who knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt you the most.

As the adage goes, blood is thicker than water, Pearl and May eventually becomes supportive of each other again when there is a problem. Their sisterly-bond can never be destroyed. Lisa See brings us on a provocative journey along with Pearl and May, from Shanghai to Angel Island and finally to America. She has once again exhibited her gift and talent in writing through this amazing and gripping novel, Shanghai Girls.

Rating:

Pros: Excellent writing style, well drawn characters, amazing plot.
Cons: The story ends too soon. I want more!

I'd like to say THANK YOU to Lisa See for sending me a signed paperback copy of Shanghai Girls for this review!

Lisa See, author of the critically-acclaimed international bestseller, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005), has always been intrigued by stories that have been lost, forgotten, or deliberately covered up, whether in the past or happening right now in the world today. Ms See is probably best known for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, for which she traveled to a remote area of China—where she was told she was only the second foreigner ever to visit—to research the secret writing invented, used, and kept a secret by women for over a thousand years. ~ Visit Lisa See's Website HERE

Purchase Shanghai Girls in Paperback:

Amzon $10.47
Barnes and Noble $10.80
The Book Depository $21.83

The Book Depository $15.56

The Book Depository $7.11

Notes:

These are examples of calenders with "beautiful girls" as models.

Book Review : Peony In Love by Lisa See

Read the synopsis of Peony In Love

My review:

Peony In Love is a captivating story set in the seventeenth century China, encircling a young maiden (Peony) from a prominent family. Despaired of being caught in an arranged marriage, Peony starves herself to death, only to learn right before her death that the man her father has picked for her is the man she loves. Her journey in both the mundane world and the after-world gives me insight of the traditional bounds and spiritual beliefs of the people in China. This story introduced me to the women who secretly yearns for true love, besides trying to win respect and achieving freedom in a male-dominated society.

“An educated woman is a worthless woman.” Because of this popular adage, almost all of the women in China lost their chance to get a proper education and thus, only the men has ultimate power. Any woman’s writing, even if it were an excellent piece, would be considered not worthy of reading. However, some of the women writers did get their works published to express their opinions and thoughts on various subjects to make sure that their words can be heard by everyone.

Peony died at a young age, but instead of resting in peace, her soul kept roaming the human’s world because her ancestor’s tablet was not dotted, and she could not continue her journey. Even though she was a ghost, she still loved her poet, and tried to make him happy in all ways.

Lisa See’s writing is still as skillful and beautiful as ever. The love between Peony and her poet seems fairytale-like. At first I thought that it was merely a puppy love, but soon I realized that I was wrong. They loved each other deeply, even though they have only met each other for four times. Peony's life resembles that of the main character of the famous The Peony Pavilion, an opera she was quite obsessed with.

The Chinese’s foot-binding tradition has always enchanted and horrified me at the same time. The girls had to endure great pain to shape their feet into perfect three-inch lilies. In the "Spring Sickness In Summer" chapter, you will know more about the procedure of foot-binding, when Peony’s mother binds her niece’s feet.

I also read about marriage preparations, obsequies rituals, as well as the ghost marriage, which is still performed in some places nowadays. Well, I won’t deny that I find that some parts of the story are not logical, especially the part where she helps Qian Yi conceive a son. But after all, Peony is a ghost, isn’t she?

Through this novel, I learned about different aspects of love, uncover the truth that has been kept a secret by Peony’s parents and hear the voices of the women who wanted to be heard through their works of literature. Peony In Love is hauntingly beautiful…it’s definitely a book worth reading.

Rating : 9 / 10

A great THANK YOU to dear Lisa for sending me a paperback copy of Peony In Love. I really appreciate your kindness and generosity.

Read more about Peony In Love on Lisa See's Website

About the author:

Lisa See, author of the critically-acclaimed international bestseller, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005), has always been intrigued by stories that have been lost, forgotten, or deliberately covered up, whether in the past or happening right now in the world today. Ms See is probably best known for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, for which she traveled to a remote area of China—where she was told she was only the second foreigner ever to visit—to research the secret writing invented, used, and kept a secret by women for over a thousand years.


Purchase Peony In Love from:
Amazon (Hardcover)
Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Hardcover)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)
Random House (Hardcover)
Random House (Paperback)

Reviewed by Aik