In her beloved New York Times bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret
Fan, Peony in Love, and, most recently, Shanghai Girls, Lisa See
has brilliantly illuminated the potent bonds of mother love, romantic
love, and love of country. Now, in her most powerful novel yet, she
returns to these timeless themes, continuing 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, and anger at her mother and
aunt for keeping them from her, 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.
Acclaimed for her richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling, Lisa
See once again renders a family challenged by tragedy and time, yet
ultimately united by the resilience of love.
