Author: Lisa See
Published: Random House, May 2011
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
This is my first book review on this blog since May. It's not because I stopped reading the last five months. Actually, I have been reading more this year than I did last year. Sometimes, I see abandoned blogs and I can now understand why this happens. In my case, my hiatus is over and I am back in the saddle.
Dreams of Joy is the sequel to See's Shanghai Girls and continues the story of Pearl and May and their daughter, Joy. After learning Aunt May is really her birth mother, Pearl embarks on a journey to China to discover herself. After all, her whole life has been a lie so why shouldn't she look for her father and join the Communist Cause? Pearl follows her daughter to the mother country she never thought she would return to. They each discover a past neither of them could fully make peace with in the United States. As Pearl tries to show her mother-love is as strong as a natural mother, she watches her daughter throw herself into the Communist Cause and all the repercussions it bring to their lives.
See is a natural historical fiction novelist. Through the voices of Pearl and Joy she conveys the opposing views of mother and daughter with equality rarely seen in most novels. She makes full use of her setting and characters to bring her readers into Communist China to see the fanaticism and horror it brought to China's citizens. Though the plot may seem a bit far-fetched at times, See was able to bring her novel to a natural and satisfying end. For readers who love historically accurate novels, I highly recommend they read the story of Pearl, May and Joy as they struggle to find their true joys.
(Book #10 for 2013)
