Shanghai Girls

Shanghai Girls
Author: Lisa See
Writing Style: B/3
Plot:B-/C+/2.5
Characterization: D1
Overall Grade: 6.5 out of 12 possible points, so about a C+



One thing I love about first person POV is that it allows the character to explain selfishness or ignorance in a way that keeps them sympathetic. For example, in "What I Saw and How I Lied" by Judy Blundell the main character doesn't understand something the reader does but her ignorance does not appear TSTL because you see her ascribing the best possible motives to people. It is her inherent desire to believe good of the people around her that keeps her from seeing something that the reader (or at least this reader) knows from the getgo is an incriminating act and it is that innocent desire and our knowledge of it that keep her from being TSTL. That unfortunately is not the case in this novel.

PLOT: It is 1937. Pearl and her sister May are two very fortunate young women. They are the educated, wealthy daughters of a merchant in Shanghai, a city that for their class is modern and "Western" in its thinking and culture. Additionally, they work as "beautiful girls" models, posing for paintings that are put on calendars and sold all over the city. Then tragedy strikes as they simultaneously find themselves impoverished, married to strangers and living in a city under attack from the Japanese. They escape from Shanghai and head off towards new lives always knowing that together they can face anything.

Characterization: Pearl was a college educated young women in a time when not many had that opportunity, especially in her culture. She vacillates between moments when she uses her intelligence and times when she is so TSTL it will leave you speechless. May is another conundrum, seemingly rather silly and selfish but at other times stronger and brighter than Pearl. I am sure all human beings are like this to an extent but in most novels we get an understanding of the characters behaviors that isn't given here. All we really see of May is the selfish, spoiled TSTL woman and then we hear of her doing incredible things -- saving lives, plotting her way through political minefields and running a successful company. What makes it even harder to accept is that May will one day plot her way through a minefield (politically speaking) and the next throw someone into deep trouble through a TSTL mistake. Was this just May's incredible selfishness winning out? Did she land the other person in hot water from malice? Or was it her incredible stupidity? I never got a clear feel for that. Pearl has a TSTL moment that is so huge both she and I spend the rest of the book reeling in shock from it.

Writing Style: Easy to read and at times very eloquent. The plotting and inexplicable actions of many of the characters keep it from being great though.

I can't recommend or condemn this book. I found the characters really difficult to like but I was interested in what was happening to them. The author really researched how the Chinese were treated in that time, what they were living through both here and in China and that aspect was interesting. But the story wasn't strong or feel good in any way. The other issue is that the ending is a cliff hanger, leaving several characters futures unknown. I don't know if I will be picking up the sequel or not. If you like the novels of Amy Tan this might work as a very poor substitute, I guess.

Tea: Chinese green tea of course!

maggie b.