The Sisters Pearl and May are two wealthy girls that live in Shanghai, China. They have the newest clothes, the best education, and compete with others of their class for social standing. They pose as “beautiful girls,” for advertisements for products ranging from baby formula to calendars. One day, their father informs them that they are to be married to two men from Los Angeles due to the family’s disastrous financial state. He had gambled too much and made too many bad financial decisions. May’s husband is much younger than her, and seems a little bit confused. Pearl’s husband is at least closer to her in age, but rarely speaks. After getting married, the girls are supposed to travel to Los Angeles. However, they try to run away. Eventually, they actually do go to Los Angeles due to invasion by the Japanese. They are detained for months at an immigration checkpoint in California. In America, they must learn how to behave, especially since it is expected that all immigrants are to dress traditionally, to please the tourists.
Shanghai Girls was a well-written novel with a complex plot and well-developed characters. Pearl was a strong girl that encountered quite a few difficulties during her young life. She seemed more interesting than May, though that may have been because the story was told from Pearl’s point of view. There were a few disturbing scenes that were a bit strange. However, it felt as if the author had done a lot of historical research, which made the story more vivid and realistic. I would definitely recommend Shanghai Girls to fans of historical fiction.
- Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
- Publication Date: February 2, 2010
- Genre: fiction, historical fiction
- Date: 05/23/2010
