#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime. Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.
BONUS: This edition contains a Dreams of Joy discussion guide.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 2/5
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Language - 1/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - /5
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Summary
Loved, loved, loved this book. Dreams of Joy is the sequel to Shanghai Girls so it helped that I already knew most of the characters. Pearl and May escaped war-torn China, worked and scraped their way through life in Los Angeles only to be constantly harassed by the US Government. Worse than that, after all their years of sacrifice and struggle, their daughter goes back to China in search of her father and to help build the new Red China. Joy is idealistic and determined to believe in the great social experiment. Pearl goes after her and the book takes you all over Communist China during Mao’s dictatorship. From tiny villages to large cities, See describes how the government transition and manipulation affected every aspect of Chinese life.
Violence:
It's violent because the dictatorship was violent