NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ⢠OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD ⢠Two Chinese sisters, sold as wives to American merchants, must adapt to a strange new country in this âpowerfulâ (The Washington Post) historical novel from the acclaimed author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
âA gifted writer . . . explores the bonds of sisterhood while powerfully evoking the often nightmarish American immigrant experience.ââUSA Today
In 1937 Shanghaiâthe Paris of Asiaâtwenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefreeâuntil the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that to repay his debts, he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides.
As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, from the Chinese countryside to the shores of America. Though inseparable best friends, the sisters also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. Along the way they make terrible sacrifices, face impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines hold fast to who they areâShanghai girls.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ⢠OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD ⢠Two Chinese sisters, sold as wives to American merchants, must adapt to a strange new country in this âpowerfulâ (The Washington Post) historical novel from the acclaimed author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
âA gifted writer . . . e...