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Dreams of Joy: A Novel by Lisa See
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Dreams of Joy: A Novel (edition 2012)

by Lisa See

Series: Shanghai Girls (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,7811369,553 (4.06)130
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Astonishing . . . one of those hard-to-put-down-until-four-in-the morning books . . . a story with characters who enter a reader’s life, take up residence, and illuminate the myriad decisions and stories that make up human history.”—Los Angeles Times

In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime. Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.
BONUS: This edition contains a Dreams of Joy discussion guide.
Praise for Dreams of Joy
“[Lisa] See is a gifted historical novelist. . . . The real love story, the one that’s artfully shown, is between mother and daughter, and aunt and daughter, as both of the women who had a part in making Joy return to China come to her rescue. . . . [In Dreams of Joy,] there are no clear heroes or villains, just people who often take wrong turns to their own detriment but for the good of the story, leading to greater strength of character and more durable relationships.”San Francisco Chronicle 
“A heartwarming story of heroic love between a mother and daughter . . . No writer has better captured the voice and heart of Chinese culture.”Bookreporter 
“Once again, See’s research feels impeccable, and she has created an authentic, visually arresting world.”The Washington Post.
… (more)
Member:cherylcm
Title:Dreams of Joy: A Novel
Authors:Lisa See
Info:Random House Trade Paperbacks (2012), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 400 pages
Collections:Read, Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:None

Work Information

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

  1. 20
    Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (SqueakyChu)
    SqueakyChu: Another novel of fascinating cultural detail by Lisa See.
  2. 00
    Daughter of China: A True Story of Love and Betrayal by Meihong Xu (SqueakyChu)
    SqueakyChu: More about the Cultural revolution in China. This is nonfiction.
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» See also 130 mentions

English (135)  Spanish (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (137)
Showing 1-5 of 135 (next | show all)
I love Lisa See's writing. It's beautiful (sometimes terrifying) and well-researched. This book is especially good when read with it's prequel, Shanghai Girls. (I received a free ARC of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway) ( )
  DominiqueMarie | Oct 22, 2023 |
I always look forward to a Lisa See book. She and Amy Tan have become favorites of mine in the last year. I remember wanting this book so badly after I finished [b:Shanghai Girls|7876197|Shanghai Girls|Lisa See|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SnVDIpUgL._SL75_.jpg|5991850]. I couldn't wait to read it. I wish that they hadn't come out so far from each other. There were pieces I couldn't remember as well as I wished. I can't imagine reading this book without having read Shanghai Girls. I think it would still be a good read but I walked into this book already knowing Pearl, May, and Joy. I would certainly recommend reading both of them back to back. I could even hope for a third book to further explore what is to become of this family. ( )
  MsTera | Oct 10, 2023 |
Similar to my review for “Shanghai Girls” - somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. This one starts off pretty slowly and then picks up at the end. There is also some really brutal stuff in the middle of this book. I feel like the end of both books was a lot of big stuff that happened very quickly but they were enjoyable overall. ( )
  Fatula | Sep 25, 2023 |
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. The sequel to the Shanghai Girls. This book sees Joy the real daughter of May although raised as Pearl daughter return to China in the late 1950's in search of her real father. She wants to live the real Chinese life and not what she has become accustomed to in the United States. She ends up living in the country during the Great Leap Forward. Pearl returns to China to find her daughter and bring her home. I really enjoy books by Lisa See and think this one is probably better than the Shanghai Girls, although my favourite is still Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I think one of the reasons I really like her books is I learn things about a culture I know very little about. ( )
  LisaBergin | Apr 12, 2023 |
How can I even begin to describe this book and do it the justice it deserves? You just never know what you are going to get when you read a sequel and this one does not disappoint. This could be read as a stand alone, however, I believe readers will find a more enriching experience if they have read the first book, Shanghai Girls.

I don’t usually cry over stories. This one brought me to tears, stopped my heart a few times, and carried me through utter despair to a satisfying conclusion. It is emotionally powerful and moving. One of Lisa See’s best books yet.

In Dreams of Joy I discovered believable characters, heartwarming situations, horrible tragedy, unimaginative sadness, and the powerful strength of love. I can’t recommend it enough.
( )
  DebCushman | Aug 25, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 135 (next | show all)
Although the ending betrays See’s roots in genre fiction, this is a riveting, meticulously researched depiction of one of the world’s worst human-engineered catastrophes.
added by Shortride | editKirkus Reviews (May 15, 2011)
 
With each new novel, Lisa See gets better and better. Each work is more tightly woven, richer with information, its characters more memorable than the last....And so it is with "Dreams of Joy," which picks up where "Shanghai Girls" left off, giving us the story of a young Chinese American woman's search for her father and her three-year odyssey in the People's Republic during Mao Tse-tung's Great Leap Forward. The scope of the novel is astonishing — including the ingenious ways Chinese women handled their menstrual periods and the carefully concealed and shocking stories of starvation in the communes, the suffocating collectives into which the country was divided...The novel is front-loaded with all of these revelations, and continues to move extremely quickly until the very end — one of those hard-to-put-down-until-four-in-the-morning books — but happily, the action is not all external
 
Crowd-pleaser See continues the story she began in Shanghai Girls with this compelling account of life inside the People's Republic of China during Mao's disastrous "Great Leap Forward." ...See writes vividly about China's people, places and customs; her descriptions of various state banquets will bring on hunger pangs. That such feasts were served while millions starved is a sobering history lesson in the midst of this engrossing saga about two tiger mothers of an earlier day.
 

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Lisa Seeprimary authorall editionscalculated
Song, JanetNarratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed

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For my father, Richard See
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The wail of a police siren in the distance tears through my body. Crickets whirr in a never-ending chorus of blame.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Astonishing . . . one of those hard-to-put-down-until-four-in-the morning books . . . a story with characters who enter a reader’s life, take up residence, and illuminate the myriad decisions and stories that make up human history.”—Los Angeles Times

In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime. Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.
BONUS: This edition contains a Dreams of Joy discussion guide.
Praise for Dreams of Joy
“[Lisa] See is a gifted historical novelist. . . . The real love story, the one that’s artfully shown, is between mother and daughter, and aunt and daughter, as both of the women who had a part in making Joy return to China come to her rescue. . . . [In Dreams of Joy,] there are no clear heroes or villains, just people who often take wrong turns to their own detriment but for the good of the story, leading to greater strength of character and more durable relationships.”San Francisco Chronicle 
“A heartwarming story of heroic love between a mother and daughter . . . No writer has better captured the voice and heart of Chinese culture.”Bookreporter 
“Once again, See’s research feels impeccable, and she has created an authentic, visually arresting world.”The Washington Post.

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