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Bezig met laden... China Dolls (2014)door Lisa See
Top Five Books of 2015 (575) Bezig met laden...
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. (Read for a class) I enjoyed this. It was really well written; I sympathized with many of the characters. I do think some parts could have been done better though. ( ) This is my third Lisa See read and my least favorite of them all. I think Lisa's writing improved with [b:The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane|25150798|The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane|Lisa See|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472151037l/25150798._SY75_.jpg|44851955] but then hit even higher with [b:The Island of Sea Women|40538657|The Island of Sea Women|Lisa See|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549839392l/40538657._SY75_.jpg|62803411] This one was good but was much more on the level of typical historical fiction with the dramatic antics of these Chinese show women. I quasi learned somethings about the period but not at the level of interest I did in the other two books. I traveled west - alone - on the cheapest bus routes I could find. Every mile took me further from Plain City, Ohio, where I'd been a fly- speck on the wallpaper of small town life. Each new state I passed through loosened another rope around my heart, my legs, my arms, yet my whole body ached and I couldn't shake my vertigo. I lived on aspirin, crackers, and soda pop. I cried and cried and cried. On the eighth day, California. Many hours after crossing the boundary, I got off the bus and pulled my sweater a little more tightly around me. I expected sun and warmth, but on that October afternoon, fog hung over San Francisco, damp, and shockingly cold. The receptionists at the cheap hotels I visited told me they were full. "Go to Chinatown," they suggested. I had no idea where Chinatown was, so that didn't help me. I will always read a Lisa See book. I haven't loved all of them but she is a good writer and more often than not I come away without regrets. China Dolls is about three young asian women who become friends(?) prior to, through and after WWII. Historically See paints a vivid image of the time along with the political and cultural themes. It fell apart a little for me with the friendship the three girls supposedly had that was so strong to carry them through the years covered in this book. I didn't see feel great bonds of friendship between the girls and that made it hard to accept the ease that forgiveness was given out with the offenses they each committed towards the other. I'm not sure if the reader was to accept their thin foundation for lasting friendship to be culturally based or if it just wasn't well developed. Either way it made for a bit of a disconnect with the girls and their stories. I wanted to either root for their friendship or delight in its implosion and I didn't really care about either possible outcome by the end. The deepest connections I made were to minor characters and I would have liked their stories to be explored more (Joe, Grace's mother, Ida). Still Lisa See does such a great job with historical details that it was a net win for me. I'll eagerly read another of her books when I get my hands on one. First of all, I want to thank Random House for sending me an advanced copy. It's not a book I normally read lately due to school, but the description sounded interesting and it did not disappoint. China Dolls follows three young women in the time surrounding World War II in San Francisco and their lives in performing around the country. We begin with Grace Lee who is a young Chinese girl running away from an abusive father in Plain City, Ohio. She has never learned anything about her own Chinese heritage, but always dreamed of being a successful dancer. While trying to find a nightclub in Chinatown, Grace meets Helen Fong. Helen is a traditional Chinese woman who lives in her family's compound and never even dreamed about a life outside of tradition. Grace convinces Helen to join her at a dance audition for Forbidden City. During the auditions, they meet Ruby Tom. Ruby is an ambitious dancer whose heart is set on a glittering lifestyle in the spotlight. We also learn that she is Japanese pretending to be Chinese in order to secure employment. Throughout the next ten years, we follow each other their entwined lives. Sometimes, they are on top of the world with headlining performances and their pick of the stage-boy Johnnies. Other times, they are at low points in their lives. We see devastating events after Pearl Harbor is bombed. Ruby learns her brother was killed and her parents captured. Then, someone turns her in and she's sent to an internment camp. This one act leads to heartache and mistrust amongst the three girls. This book provides a fascinating portrayal of historical events. It tells the behind the scenes details of Oriental performance during this time period, in San Francisco, on the Chop-Suey Circuit, and in New York. It shows the devastation of WWII. Most of all, it shows the bonds between these three women and how after all the heartbreak, betrayal, and loss that they can still remain strong and resilient. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
PrijzenErelijsten
"The New York Times bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony In Love, Shanghai Girls, and Dreams of Joy returns with her highly anticipated new novel. A bold and bittersweet story of secrets and sacrifice, love and betrayal, prejudice and passion, China Dolls reveals a rich portrait of female friendship, as three young women navigate the "Chop Suey Circuit"--America's extravagant all-Asian revues of the 1930s and '40s--and endure the attack on Pearl Harbor and the shadow of World War II"--
"In 1938, Ruby, Helen and Grace, three girls from very different backgrounds, find themselves competing at the same audition for showgirl roles at San Francisco's exclusive "Oriental" nightclub, the Forbidden City. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl has fled the Midwest and an abusive father. Helen is from a Chinese family who have deep roots in San Francisco's Chinatown. And, as both her friends know, Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. At times their differences are pronounced, but the girls grow to depend on one another in order to fulfill their individual dreams. Then, everything changes in a heartbeat with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly the government is sending innocent Japanese to internment camps under suspicion, and Ruby is one of them. But which of her friends betrayed her?"-- Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
Deelnemer aan LibraryThing Vroege RecensentenLisa See's boek China Dolls was beschikbaar via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Actuele discussiesGeenPopulaire omslagen
Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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