The Book Keeper was in love with this page-turner until the last ten pages. The ending just did not "feel right." I would still absolutely recommend this beautiful piece despite any disappointment I feel towards the novel's ending. Lisa See captured the relationship between two sisters in such a remarkably realistic way that readers are left completely breathless at times. Pearl and May became so real to me that I often picked up the book to read "just a few more pages" due to genuine concern regarding their well-being. I still cannot help but wonder "what happened next." What happened to Pearl and May after the Book Keeper turned the last page and shut the back cover?
If you need yet another reason to read the book, other than the fact that See's characters are the sort Hollywood pines after, then read it for its historical significance. The Book Keeper loves history - yeah, yeah, yeah. We have been here before, huh? Well, sort of. As in Sarah's Key, this history is the type we are not so proud to learn. See teaches an important lesson through Pearl and May's daily interactions that is, embarrassingly, unknown to many Americans. Pearl and May journey to the United States shortly before America enters World War II. The sisters endure prejudice on many levels. Their personal experience with Angel Island Immigration Station (the Ellis Island of the West) is heart breaking, but it pales in comparison to the danger faced by being Chinese in America during the Red Scare. A story of true perseverance, Shanghai Girls is definitely worthy of your time.
No comments:
Post a Comment