China Dolls
by Lisa See
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.
From the first sentence of the back cover synopsis, readers learn China Dolls is a period piece, it is a female-oriented read, and it will most likely feature details of racism within show business and San Francisco. If any of those features sound off-putting to you, you won't like the book. I'll be honest, I was drawn to the book because my future sister-in-law's name is Helen, a cherished character in one of my own novels was named Ruby, and I named my first Barbie doll Grace. Yes, all that flitted through my mind as I read the synopsis. I read the first chapter, enjoyed Lisa See's straight-forward yet descriptive writing style, and bought the book.
See treats her readers to an education of Chinese culture amid a backdrop of historically rich and accurate details. Earlier in my life, I dabbled in the performing arts, and my parents owned their own theater company in San Francisco. My childhood was riddled with backstage stories, so I could tell See either had a similar experience or thoroughly did her research for this novel.
China Dolls is a highly enjoyable read, and if it weren't for the ending, I would have given it a nearly perfect rating. I decided to keep the novel in my collection because I truly enjoyed reading it, but I found the ending unnecessarily depressing, so I probably won't read it a second time. Some people are real sticklers for an ending they approve of; others can overlook a disappointing last few pages and concentrate on the good of the whole. Personally, the ending of this book didn't ruin it for me, but I wanted to give the warning for others who might take a bad ending more seriously.
From the first sentence of the back cover synopsis, readers learn China Dolls is a period piece, it is a female-oriented read, and it will most likely feature details of racism within show business and San Francisco. If any of those features sound off-putting to you, you won't like the book. I'll be honest, I was drawn to the book because my future sister-in-law's name is Helen, a cherished character in one of my own novels was named Ruby, and I named my first Barbie doll Grace. Yes, all that flitted through my mind as I read the synopsis. I read the first chapter, enjoyed Lisa See's straight-forward yet descriptive writing style, and bought the book.
See treats her readers to an education of Chinese culture amid a backdrop of historically rich and accurate details. Earlier in my life, I dabbled in the performing arts, and my parents owned their own theater company in San Francisco. My childhood was riddled with backstage stories, so I could tell See either had a similar experience or thoroughly did her research for this novel.
China Dolls is a highly enjoyable read, and if it weren't for the ending, I would have given it a nearly perfect rating. I decided to keep the novel in my collection because I truly enjoyed reading it, but I found the ending unnecessarily depressing, so I probably won't read it a second time. Some people are real sticklers for an ending they approve of; others can overlook a disappointing last few pages and concentrate on the good of the whole. Personally, the ending of this book didn't ruin it for me, but I wanted to give the warning for others who might take a bad ending more seriously.