I recently finished Shanghai Girls by Lisa See for one of my book clubs, and it was a great book and easy read. Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Peony in Love, Snow Flower, among other titles.

This story took place in 1937 Shanghai, my birth place. Some of you may have heard the expression, “Shanghai is the Paris of Asia” with its European architecturals, rich culture, and glamorous citizens. However, during that era, it’s also the homes of millionairs and beggars, gansters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warloards.

In that time of political uncertainty and foreign occupancy, the story follows two sisters, Pearl and May, born to an affluent merchant family and lived a carefree life until their father gambled away the family business and sold them to an American man who were looking for brides for his sons. Their journey from Shanghai to the U.S via Hong Kong was nothing short of hardship. . .Once in Los Angeles, they try to adapt to a new life, and find love with their new husbands while facing strict rules and customs in 1940 Chinatown.

In the heart of the story, Shanghai Girls is a story about sisters, love, and family. It’s also about daughters and mothers, and how different and similar we are at the same time. As daughters, we like to rebel against our mothers; as mothers, we became our mothers, whether we like it or not. It’s a great book.