My summer reading hasn't been the most successful, but with a 7 month old I'm thankful to still fit in reading. I've been thinking about incorporating more of my new mom stuff into my blog and reviewing some of my favourite products, since I spent quite a bit of my time looking up product reviews when I'm interested in something. I finally bought a new battery for my Macbook, and upgraded my RAM so my laptop is actually functional again. I've been meaning to get back into blogging, but the new battery thing really helped me get motivated. Usually, I start thinking about pulling out the laptop and getting the cord and extension cord, and then I get lazy and don't bother. So, I'm hoping that I will be able to come back more regularly and update. I really miss blogging.
China Dolls by Lisa See
Publisher: Random House
Released: 2014
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5
So, let's get into reading... My favorite summer read so far has been China Dolls by Lisa See. Lisa has an incredible ability to tell stories, and she remains one of my favourite writers. China Dolls does not disappoint, and readers will fall in love with the characters. Ruby, Grace and Helen have very different backgrounds but come together as friends when they meet at an audition to become show girls. Each has their reason to want to become a show girl, and each girl is running away from their past. They become fast friends, but each are looking out for their own interests. In 1938, the world around the girls is about to change with the bombing of Pearl Harbour, and Ruby is still trying to hide the fact that she is Japanese passing as a Chinese American. Her relationships with her new found friends become strained during this time, and she doesn't know who she can trust or how careful she should be. Grace is an American-born Chinese and doesn't understand Helen's scepticism of Ruby and her Japanese background. Grace doesn't realize that Helen's past in China is more dark than she can imagine.
Lisa See captured my heart when I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. That book will always remain with me, it was the first time I dipped into Chinese history and I was so captivated and interested. I remember I researched some of the background information to find out more and enrolled in a Chinese history class in university. That's how powerful that book was to me, books transport you into another world. Another one that had a similar reaction for me was Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl about the Tudors. If you haven't read any of Lisa See's books, I highly recommend them. If you have, you'll want to add China Dolls to your reading list. It's truly a "must read."
I'm sure that little one keeps you busy!
ReplyDeleteI listened to China Dolls and didn't love it the way you did. Keeping track of the narrators was tough on audio and, even as I listened, I thought it would have been better in print.
I did alot of blogging during my down time at work. So, when I go back I'm hoping to do the same. I'll be back in November.
DeleteI'm sure this one would be better in print, there's a lot to keep track of.