China Dolls by Lisa See

China Dolls by Lisa See

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

An exciting new novel set in the "Chop Suey Circuit" of San Francisco right before World War II, from the beloved bestselling author of Snowflower and the Secret Fan and Shanghai Girls.

In 1938, Ruby, Helen and Grace, three girls from very different backgrounds, find themselves competing at the same audition for showgirl roles at San Francisco's exclusive "Oriental" nightclub, the Forbidden City. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl has fled the Midwest and an abusive father. Helen is from a Chinese family who have deep roots in San Francisco's Chinatown. And, as both her friends know, Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. At times their differences are pronounced, but the girls grow to depend on one another in order to fulfill their individual dreams. Then, everything changes in a heartbeat with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly the government is sending innocent Japanese to internment camps under suspicion, and Ruby is one of them. But which of her friends betrayed her?

My Review:

This story somewhat reminded me of Mean Girls for the slightly older "oriental" girl (a term used in the book and during that time period, not meant to offend in my review).

So, I listened to this story on an audiobook, and I have to say that Jodi Long did an amazing job narrating. She made the three main characters come alive, she was able to bring through to the listener each individual personality. Well done!

So at first I loved all three girls. These girls were the best of friends, they knew everything about each other (at least they thought they did), they hurt each other, they forgave each other, and they helped each other through some very difficult times. They rose up from the streets to become stars, successful, and well off, a true rags to riches story.

I ended up liking Grace the most, and Ruby was a close second, especially when Grace was being a love sick puppy and pining after the same guy year after year. Grace was ambitious and strong, despite running away from adversity at first, she eventually learned to stay and fight for what she wants. She was mostly carefree and as Ruby and Helen had described, a country bumpkin at times. She really only loved one man her entire life, and that wasn't her father. This love she was chasing had caused many heartbreaks throughout the story but seems to have ended happily.

Ruby was fast and furious. She didn't just want to be a star, she wanted to be THE STAR. She did what she had to to get where she wanted, including pretending to be Chinese when America wasn't fond of the Japanese. She also wasn't afraid to get a little undressed to get ahead, nor was she a prude when it came to taking gentlemen lovers. She had to deal with some hardship because of her ethnicity, but she pulled through with an effervescence that is somewhat refreshing.

Helen slowly became my least favorite character and in the end, I strongly disliked her. She was a sneaky and conniving friend (if you could really call her that). Instead of being content with two best friends, she played one against the other to meet her needs. Her jealously drove her to do some despicable things. She had her reasons, but I don't think that gave her license to be that horrible in the end.



Lisa See does a great job telling these personal stories while retelling some of the most noteworthy historical events ever. She makes me feel grateful for the life I have and the time I live in (no matter how insignificant). I have probably learned more in depth here about Japanese internment camps than I ever did in high school. It must have been a blemish on the United States history because it was briefly covered, almost like they are ashamed to teach us their mistakes. I am embarrassed of their racial/prejudice attitudes throughout history.



I first noticed Lisa See's talent in Shanghai Girls (another decent read might I add).

Favorite Quotes:

“When fortune comes, do not enjoy all of it; when advantage comes, do not take all of it.”

“You cannot refuse to eat just because there's a chance of being choked.”

“Dreamers are born to be disappointed.”

Read from March 03 to 09, 2015

Top 5 Genres*: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Cultural/China, Adult
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

View all my reviews