Out of the stories heard in her childhood in Los Angeles’s Chinatown and years of research, See has constructed this sweeping chronicle of her Chinese-American family, a work that takes in stories of racism and romance, entrepreneurial genius and domestic heartache, secret marriages and sibling rivalries, in a powerful history of two cultures meeting in a new world. 82 photos.
This book held my attention until the very end. As the saying goes, “you can’t make this up.” It was a historical novel in a way, but a biography as well. So many things that we thought we knew became clear to me when reading this book. Thank you, Lisa See, for sharing this story of your family.
This is not like Lisa’s other books. In this she tells the history of her family. At times, the book felt looong but she is giving a lot of history and so it has to be. I learned more about the history of Chinese imigriants here than I was expecting. She obviously spent many, many hours researching her families history and it made me wish I had done something similar while my parents and grandparents were still alive.
At times this book became burdensome but I was determined to complete it. She writes a very detailed account of her Chinese American heritage and the characters were richly depicted but the book just got too repetitive and jumped from one character to another and back again and with so many family members over so many generations it became hard to follow. I wish she would have focused on just a few. It would have been easier to read; she could have made them more three dimensional – especially her great grandfather who was the main character. He became somewhat flat and probably reflected her own feelings about him. I was impressed with her research, just not with how it was presented.
topics redundant if you’ve read her other books
I am always amazed at our capacity to be cruel to others who are different. Prejudice has been around long before it was black and white. I started way back and in this country included Indians, Chinese, Irish, etc. The list goes on. I wonder who told us we were better. The abuse and cruelty are beyond my comprehension and we should be ashamed. This is a long, difficult read, but very interesting and informative.
It had wonderful characters, was informative and original.
The reasons behind the Chinese experiences of saving money for the old country
The hopes and dreams of returned workers
I really loved this book and wished it would never have ended. I learned a lot from it. Things I never knew about. Thank you for sharing your story.
Fascination story and characters.
This is one of the best historical books I have read lately. Lisa See has done an incredible job sharing her background and those of her ancestors dating back to the 1890’s. Her descriptions are so vivid, you feel like you are right there experiencing everything that is happening.
Not everyone’s family history is fascinating, let’s face it. However, this book kept me hooked all the way through, with some historical tidbits I was not previously aware of as well as wonderful family members.
Addresses the prejudice against Chinese immigrants through our history in an interesting way.
I love all of Lisa Sees books.
This book was super. I listened to it and was very pleased with the historical presentation of a Chinese family coming to the USA starting during the railroad construction and gold rush era in California. It was entertaining, educational and very interesting to hear about how this family represents Chinese immigration. I enjoyed learning about family dynamics, multiple marriages, business dealings, and racial challenges for the Chinese immigrant.
Excellent book, a great read.
Very confusing with names,maybe better if split into two books
One of my all-time favorites. Love that it’s Lisa See’s family history.