Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

This book is a continuation of See's "Shang Hai Girls." Joy, the daughter of Pearl, is 19 years old and leaves the only life she has known in Chinatown, San Francisco, to pursue an idealistic life in China. The book follows her introduction to the life of a peasant with some perks provided by her biological father, an artist. As her day to day life reveals cracks in her dreamed of image of Mao's China, her mother pearl sets off to rescue her and bring her back to the home.

Pearl's reintroduction to a China she once knew but no longer recognizes adds history and pathos to her experience. The story has plots and subplots with shocks and surprises for the readers. The relationship between Pearl, her sister, May, Joy and Joy's biological father all evolve and develop as See provides an historically accurate and beautifully detailed backdrop of China.

Reviewer: Lucy F.