Shanghai Girls - Discussion #4

This is the last discussion for our February Group Read, Shanghai Girls. Spoilers are a given. This encompasses the whole book, so if you've read it in the past or have read bits and pieces, jump on in to discuss!

My thoughts

I ended up liking this a lot more than I started to in the beginning. Though, I was irritated at some of the thoughts/ideas of the books but that just makes it a good book, it made me think and feel, right? I really don't even think I had a favorite character. They all let me down at one point. Pearl, because she just wouldn't stand up for herself and just live, May because she was so freaking spoiled and self-absorbed, Sam because he took the easy way out and Joy because she was an idiot. I also wasn't a fan of how it ended.

Questions from BookBrowse

1. Each sister believes that her parents loved the other sister more. Who is right about this? Why?

When they were fighting over this, I felt they both had favorable arguments about why the parents liked the other one better but I think as in many parent/child relationships they liked different parts about each girl the best.

2. Pearl says that parents die, husbands and children can leave, but sisters are for life. Does that end up being true for Pearl? If you have a sister, to what extent does the relationship between Pearl and May speak to your own experience? What's the difference between a relationship that's "just like sisters" and real sisters? Is there anything your sister could do that would cause an irreparable breach?

I can't really fathom this type of relationship that these sisters have. I would have been exasperated and done with May a long time ago.

3. There are times when it seems like outside forces conspire against Pearl—leaving China, working in the restaurant, not looking for a job after the war, and taking care of Vern. How much of what happens to Pearl is a product of her own decisions and choices?

I say 50-50.

4. The novel begins with Pearl saying, "I am not a person of importance." After Yen-yen dies, Pearl comments: "Her funeral is small. After all, she was not a person of importance, rather just a wife and mother." How do you react to comments like these?

It must be sad to see yourself that way.

5. Near the end of Shanghai Girls, May argues that Pearl and Sam have withdrawn into a world of fear and isolation, not taking advantage of the opportunities open to them. Do you agree with May that much of Pearl's sadness and isolation is self-imposed? Why or why not?

I think it is a mix of some self-imposed and some of the world around her/others. Also, like in any situation people become familiar with what they know/where they are and what not. Change is hard.

Thanks for participating in another group read! I love hearing other people's opinions about books and checking out books I normally wouldn't. Next month's book is In the Woods by Tana French and we will be discussing the first 6 chapters next Friday! If you would like to guest post/compile questions ahead of time send me an email by Thursday and I will include it in Friday's post. Or, if you want to discuss a certain aspect I always have space for guest posts throughout the week! ;) Have a great weekend!

Shanghai Girls - Discussion #3

This Discussion covers the chapters from Eating Bitterness to Find Gold through the end of The Air of this World. There will most likely be spoilers and anyone and everyone is welcome to join in. I am reading the large print edition so my page numbers will most likely be different than yours.

Quick Recap

China City burns down and the Louie family loses money and has to rebuild. Also, Sam and Pearl learn more about each and how to trust one another. It is revealed that Sam is a paper son and with a few conversations with Yen-Yen, Pearl realizes Old Man Louie is not who he says he is either. May continues to be a spoiled rotten brat and begins working in film and gets Joy to work with her as well. Pearl miraculously gets pregnant but sadly loses the baby.

My thoughts

I was very disappointed but not surprised when Pearl was given the role in the film and May 'stole' it from her. It really angers me that they continue to give in to May and no one just says no, get over yourself.

I also find all the racism against other people mildly amusing and also irritating that people were and still are so stupid when it comes to people looking different/being from different countries. We all were new at one time or another people, maybe you and I personally have been here forever but at one point it was YOUR ancestors being ridiculed, denied opportunities and being discriminated against.

Questions from BookBrowse

1. Shanghai Girls makes a powerful statement about the mistreatment of Chinese immigrants to the United States. Were you surprised about any of the details related to this theme in the novel?

2. There are times when it seems like outside forces conspire against Pearl—leaving China, working in the restaurant, not looking for a job after the war, and taking care of Vern. How much of what happens to Pearl is a product of her own decisions and choices?

3. Pearl encounters a lot of racism, but she also holds many racist views herself. Is she a product of her time? Do her attitudes change during the course of the story?

You can check out Discussion 1 and Discussion 2 by clicking on the links. Also, next Friday will be the last Discussion and cover from Fear through the end. Don't forget to vote in the sidebar for next month's pick. If anyone would like to guest post on anything about Shanghai Girls or share thoughts to be included in next weeks post email me by next Thursday.

Shanghai Girls Discussion #2

This Discussion covers the chapters from Eating Wind and Tasting Waves through the end of Scents of Home. There will most likely be spoilers and anyone and everyone is welcome to join in. I am reading the large print edition so my page numbers will most likely be different than yours.

Quick Recap

In this section, we read about the harrowing journey May and Pearl encounter leaving China for San Francisco. Also, we read about the discrimination and racism that new Chinese immigrants face in America. Pearl makes a huge sacrifice for her sister and Old Man Louie is not as rich as he makes himself out to be when he visits China.

My random thoughts

I find it horrible how the pirates treated their own people. Obviously they were all hurting and I just don't understand how people can treat others that poorly. But I guess it was a carry over from how the rich treated the poor in Shanghai anyway. Situations reversed. Still not cool.

Very scary to think of being checked for diseases in a new country where you don't know the language. And, when they are wearing what you think is the color of death. Way to be on the ball there USA.

Pearl is too nice. I would KILL May and would NOT take the baby. What an idiot. Both of them.

Interesting that the rickshaw drivers in China City are Mexicans wearing silk pajamas.

pg. 261 "But it's because I'm a woman that I dare to go." YAY FINALLY SOME BACKBONE RETURNS TO PEARL!!!

My questions

What if anything do you think is wrong with Vern?

-I think he is just uber spoiled and slightly mentally handicapped.

Would you make the sacrifice for your sister that Pearl made for May?

- Hell no.

Where do you think Sam disappears to?

- English classes?

Do you think May and Pearl will ever be able to escape?

- Not Pearl.

What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Thoughts? Next Friday we will discuss

Eating Bitterness to Find Gold through the end of The Air of this World.

Shanghai Girls - Discussion #1

Thanks for participating in our February Group Read, Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See. This discussion is through the end of the chapter called Soaring Through the Night Sky. There will be spoilers involved so you have been warned. Also note that I am reading the large print version so my page numbers may be different than the version you are reading.

Quick Recap
Pearl and May are two very spoiled Chinese sisters who have grown up in a very privileged setting in 1920-1930s Shanghai. The beginning of the book is set in 1937 and while we are reading the Japanese have attacked the Chinese. Pearl and May's world is turned upside down when they find out their weasel of a father has gambled away all of their money and they are to marry the sons of a rich Chinese American man to make up for it. Basically, they get married but then rebel and all hell breaks loose.

My thoughts
pg. 19 "We pay him, cross the street, step around a dead baby left on the sidewalk, find another rickshaw puller who has a license for the French Concession ..."

Uh what excuse me? DEAD BABY ON THE SIDEWALK????

furthermore... later on they discuss more dead babies being left on the sidewalk by the poor refuges.. I can't handle the complete lack of care/respect to newborns that they show. No wonder some kill daughters to try again for a son. ughh.

pg. 51 "Finally, its time for us to retire to our respective bridal chambers. My father whispers in my ear, "You know what you need to do. Once it's done, all this will be over."

Oh my good lord. What an asshole of a father!!!!!

Others Thoughts
Zelfgezien submitted the following to our discussion
What stuck me in this first part was the relation between Pearl and her parents. In the first chapter she describes how they’re placed around the square table in a way that both Baba and Ma are as close as possible to May, while a little before that she tells us that normally families have a round table “so they’ll always be whole and connected”. During these first hundred pages, details remind me of this weird relationship between parents and children in a negative way, until the raping scene.
I want to talk about this little part: “I reach out and grab her hand. How can I describe the look that passes between us? We’re a mother and a daughter being raped repeatedly, for all we know until we both die. I see in her eyes my birth, the endless tragedies of mother love, a total absence of hope, and than somewhere deep, deep in those liquid pools a fierceness I’ve never seen before.”
Personally, when I first read this little paragraph, I immediately forgave Ma for the faults and wrong decisions she made. For, in some way, I already knew Ma would die and Pearl would live, and that this was somehow there last chance to forgive each other. The problem is that this ‘forgiving Ma’ was just my direct response to the story, but it’s not literally said in the text that Pearl forgives her. So I was wondering what the other opinions are about this idea of forgiving & about this little paragraph.

I also think the family relationship is very weird and if Pearl can be a reliable narrator because it is obvious she feels slighted and that the world revolves around her younger sister. I think the mother did redeem herself there a bit toward the end but it was all very weird.

So, far I am liking the book but the descriptions of Shanghai are making me skim some paragraphs.

Question from me
1. What do you think of Pearl's "feelings" and her relationship with Z.G.?

Discussion Questions from BookBrowse
1. Pearl is a Dragon and May is a Sheep. Do you think the two sisters are true to their birth signs in their actions in Shanghai Girls? (I know it is just the beginning but what have you noticed so far? I think it will be interesting to keep these definitions in mind throughout the book)

What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Thoughts? Next Friday we will discuss Eating Wind and Tasting Leaves through the end of Scents of Home.

February Group Read is...

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See! We had a 3-way tie, but using random.org I came up with this selection.

From goodreads.com

May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.

But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)—where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months—they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May discovers she’s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know.

A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old, Shanghai Girls is a fresh, fascinating adventure from beloved and bestselling author Lisa See.

I broke the book up into 4 different sections for 4 different discussions. If while you are reading, you would wish to make a guest post about anything in the book, let me know. If you have questions/things you want included in the post on Friday, email me sometime the day before so I can add it in. I really enjoyed the discussions we had in January even though none of us were really fans of the book! I have the large print edition of Shanghai Girls because it was the only copy left at my library, so I will be off page wise from most of you. I broke it up by the names of chapters. If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Discussion # 1 Beautiful Girls through the end of Soaring through the Night Sky – Feb. 4th

Discussion # 2 Eating Wind and Tasting Waves through the end of Scents of Home – February 11th

Discussion #3 Eating Bitterness to Find Gold through the end of The Air of this World– February 18th

Discussion #4 Fear through the end of the book– February 25th

Happy reading! Hope everyone can get a copy of this one and participate, it sounds very interesting!