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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Shanghai Girls (Shanghai Girls #1) in Books

May 10, 2018

Learning about the history of other cultures has always been something I've been interested in. All of our ancestors came to the United States in various ways. They all had to struggle to find their own ways in this world. Pearl and May are no exception.

Living in Shanghai, China in the '30's Pearl and May were considered beautiful girls. Their pictures were on calendars and other forms of advertising for the city. Their father owned a rickshaw company and they spent many nights out in Shanghai. Then one day it all came to a screeching halt. The girls learn that their father had gambled all their money away and now they were to have arranged marriages and a new life in America. The girls were not too happy about this and avoided the situation at all costs. Including the costs of life, freedom and the opportunity to have children.

Through all of the struggles to get from China to America, Pearl and May stood together always. They suffered through everything together.

I'm not sure that I could ever survive the things that they had to endure, with or without my sister. And I never knew of the different struggles that Chinese-American's had to suffer once they were in this country. For this reason, it made the book much more interesting. The writing was smooth and easy to read and comprehend. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Lisa See.

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Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Three-Body Problem in Books

Mar 15, 2018

The Three-Body Problem

Cixin Liu, Ken Liu | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.7

(9 Ratings)

Book Rating

If you're looking for something out of the ordinary to read this year, I strongly suggest this book. A best-seller in its native China, it has only just been released in the US. The plot spans several decades of China's history, and neatly incorporates that tumultuous story into the book's own, with some smartly used footnotes to help explain any cultural events that us Westerners might not be familiar with. Telling the story of Chinese scientists looking to stop a mysterious global catastrophe that may have extraterrestrial origins (the less known about the central mystery going in the better), the plot mostly moves along at a breakneck pace, especially as it reaches the conclusion. There are a few points that get bogged down in some pretty deep scientific explanations, but given how out there some of the story can get, it's also necessary to keep it in the realm of the possible. And believe me, this story can get pretty out there, delving into some highly theoretical territory; but that winds up being where it held a lot of its appeal for me. Even still I find myself thinking over some of the ideas posited within. It also holds some surprisingly liberal notions and is more directly and indirectly critical of China than I would have thought a book the government of that country hadn't censored would allow. It is a fascinating, thrilling piece of science fiction that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.