Book Review: The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel delivers a sweeping, evocative love story set in 1940s Shanghai — a city teetering on the brink of war, pulsing with danger, glamour, and political tension. With a deft hand and a lyrical voice, Randel Read More
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The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai Randel
Book Review: The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai Randel In The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai Randel, the powerful sequel to The Moon in the Palace, Randel continues the story of Mei, the concubine who would become Wu Zetian, China’s only female emperor. With lyrical prose and rich historical insight, Randel Read More
The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel
Book Review: The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel brings to life the lush, treacherous world of Imperial China with breathtaking detail and lyrical prose. This captivating historical novel follows Mei, a young woman of ambition and intelligence, who rises from relative obscurity to Read More
On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See
Book Review: On Gold Mountain by Lisa See On Gold Mountain by Lisa See departs from fiction to tell the extraordinary true story of the author’s own family — a sweeping, multigenerational narrative that traces their journey from rural China to the heart of Los Angeles. With both historical precision and emotional intimacy, See explores Read More
The Red Princess Mysteries by Lisa See
Book Review: The Red Princess Mysteries by Lisa See The Red Princess Mysteries by Lisa See are a compelling fusion of political thriller, murder mystery, and cultural exploration, set against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming China. Featuring the unlikely investigative duo of Liu Hulan, a tough-minded Chinese Ministry of Public Security agent, and David Read More
Peony in Love by Lisa See
Book Review: Peony in Love by Lisa See Peony in Love by Lisa See is one of the author’s most lyrical and haunting novels — a story that blends history, folklore, and the supernatural into a deeply emotional exploration of love, longing, and the silenced voices of women. Inspired by the real-life “Three Wives Commentary” Read More
China Dolls by Lisa See
Book Review: China Dolls by Lisa See In China Dolls by Lisa See, the author shifts her lens to 1930s and 1940s America, offering a vivid and emotionally layered story of friendship, identity, and resilience among Asian American women trying to survive and thrive in a world that constantly tries to define them from the Read More
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
Book Review: Dreams of Joy by Lisa See Dreams of Joy by Lisa See delivers a powerful, heartbreaking continuation of the story begun in Shanghai Girls. Set against the backdrop of Maoist China during the Great Leap Forward, the novel is a harrowing exploration of ideology, identity, and the enduring strength of maternal love. The Read More
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Book Review: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See Shanghai Girls by Lisa See presents a sweeping, emotionally charged tale of sisterhood, sacrifice, and survival set against the turbulent backdrop of 20th-century Chinese and Chinese American history. With vivid prose and unflinching honesty, See explores how war, immigration, and cultural expectations shape — and sometimes strain — Read More
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See delivers a haunting, lyrical, and deeply intimate novel that explores the complexities of female friendship, loyalty, and betrayal within the rigid confines of 19th-century Chinese society. Through the voice of Lily, now an old woman Read More