Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

I picked up this book with my weekly Borders coupon. Seriously, if you like to own books and want to save money, sign up with Borders to get one of those nifty cards and email alerts for coupons galore.

Stories about China have always fascinated me. I am a big Amy Tan fan. I had never read anything by Lisa See and decided with my great savings to give her a chance. This story has A LOT to it. There is so much going on! A war, lost fortunes, immigration, paper sons, dead babies, fashionable clothes, Americans, Chinese, Japanese, costumes, movies, and the list goes on and on and on. It wasn't hard to keep track of, just so much information jam packed into these two girls' lives.

See and Tan can't be compared in my mind. I have such a crush on Amy Tan that it's nto fair to Lisa See. I wished See wrote more about the relationship between May and the daughter she gave up to her sister, Pearl and how May really felt about being married off to an invalid 14-year-old. The ending also made me roll my eyes. You know how you go to the movies these days and the ending sets you up for a sequel? I don't know about you but I really hate that. This book ended in a climax when it should have been neatly tied up and delivered to the reader in a nice red bow. I hate when things are left unresolved...especially a 300 or so paged book I have spent my entire summer vacation reading. I wont give the ending away...but if you read it be prepared to be let down.