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 outside.
The novel follows three young women — Grace, Ruby, and Helen — who meet while auditioning as dancers at the Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco, a glamorous venue showcasing Asian performers to a curious white audience. Each woman is running from something: Grace from an abusive home in the Midwest, Ruby from the shame of being Japanese in a time of rising wartime suspicion, and Helen from a wealthy but stifling Chinatown family with secrets of its own. Together, they form a bond forged by ambition, loneliness, and a fierce desire to belong.
See’s strength lies in her ability to bring overlooked histories to light. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, she uncovers a rarely explored chapter of American history: the world of Chinese American nightclubs, the complexities of performing identity, and the impact of World War II on Asian communities in the U.S. The story brims with glamour and grit, but at its core is the fragile, evolving friendship between the three women — a bond tested by envy, betrayal, and the painful costs of assimilation.
China Dolls is a story of reinvention, survival, and the masks we wear — both onstage and off. Lisa See captures not only the outward sparkle of the era, but the deep emotional struggles behind the scenes. It is a poignant reminder that friendship, like identity, can be both beautiful and fraught — and that the past never truly stays behind.
About China Dolls by Lisa See
San Francisco, 1938: A world’s fair is preparing to open on Treasure Island, a war is brewing overseas, and the city is alive with possibilities. Talented Grace, traditional Helen, and defiant Ruby, three young women from very different backgrounds, meet by chance at the exclusive and glamorous Forbidden City nightclub. The girls become fast friends, relying on one another through unexpected challenges and shifting fortunes. When their dark secrets are exposed and the invisible thread of fate binds them even tighter, they find the strength and resilience to reach for their dreams. But after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, paranoia and suspicion threaten to destroy their lives, and a shocking act of betrayal changes everything.
