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Dreams of Joy
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
Nineteen-year-old Joy Louie has run away from her home in 1950s America to start a new life in China. Idealistic and unafraid, she believes that Chairman Mao is on the side of the people, despite what her family keeps telling her. How can she trust them, when she has just learned that her parents have lied to her for her whole life, that her mother Pearl is really her aunt and that her real father is a famous artist who has been living in China all these years? Joy arrives in Green Dragon Village, where families live in crowded, windowless huts and eke out a meagre existence from the red soil. And where a handsome young comrade catches her eye... Meanwhile, Pearl returns to China to bring her daughter home - if she can. For Mao has launched his Great Leap Forward, and each passing season brings ever greater hardship to cities and rural communes alike. Joy must rely on her skill as a painter and Pearl must use her contacts from her decadent childhood in 1930s Shanghai to find a way to safety, and a chance of joy for them both. Haunting, passionate and heartbreakingly real, this is the unforgettable new novel by the internationally acclaimed Lisa See.
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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Easy pick this month. Most books were pans or I bailed, leaving just three to pick from.

#readingbracket @chasjjlee

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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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#20in4 #readathon update:

📚 Dreams of Joy finished ✅
📚 Nostradamus Equation (ebook), chapter 73 (66%)
📚 Copperfield on hold hoping to get audio app back up and running
📚 Roots, no progress, still on page 501 of 888
📚 Afrikaans (audiobook), chapter 6 of 77
📚 about 7 hours read today—sadly my son was very sick today so I sat reading while keeping an eye on him today

Dragon Hope he‘s feeling better 💐 3y
Texreader @Dragon Awww thanks so much. Stomach bug. He‘s much better but struggling to eat. I think tomorrow he‘ll be on the mend. 🙏🏻 3y
Dragon Glad to hear that he‘s much better 💚🐉 3y
50 likes3 comments
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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Headstrong 19-yo Joy smuggles herself into China in the 1950s to meet her birth father and ready to give herself to the communist cause. Falling in love, she marries a poor conniving peasant. Her mother—who escaped China years before—tracks her down, and they both witness the effect of communism: the Great Famine that‘s estimated to have killed up to 55 million people. Obvious trigger warnings. A slow start so I struggled to stay interested. ⬇️

Texreader It‘s very hard to read about someone so stubborn and making mistake after mistake. But the last 1/3 of the book picks up dramatically and becomes almost impossible to put down. I haven‘t read Shanghai Girls, which would have made the read easier to understand the backstory but that didn‘t hold me back too much. Not as good as The Island of Sea Women, which just blew me away, but a good solid, well-researched read by the same author. #authoramonth 3y
TalesandTexts I like Lisa See. I enjoy the cultural information Lisa provides. Very unique perspective. 3y
Texreader @nishaagni I agree! And she researches the heck out of her topics. 3y
57 likes3 comments
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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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I‘ve been reading this book for weeks so the #20in4 #readathon is timely to help me finish it. So here‘s my update starting off the weekend. I‘m on page 207 of 349. Sadly the chapters aren‘t numbered so I can‘t track that way. #authoramonth

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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Making some progress in this one tonight for #20in4 #readathon. #authoramonth

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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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#twofortuesday. Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag!

1) tagged. See researches her topics so well & writes about historical events beautifully.

2) As a former Toastmaster, I see overused filler words, such as “and,” “you know,” and ums. Pauses are so effective. I always wish for confidence for speakers, because most often it‘s a matter of nerves.

In writing, the improper use of pronouns, such as the use of “I” in prepositional phrases. ARG!!

coffees I wish I had more confidence in my speaking and knowledge 🤣 3y
TheSpineView You're welcome! Thanks for playing! 3y
41 likes2 comments
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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Up next. For #authoramonth. This book was a kind gift from @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks last year because she knew I like Lisa See!

Soubhiville I hope you‘ll enjoy it. I really like Lisa See too. 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hope it‘s good!! ❤️ 3y
55 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MelKelsey
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

Book 2

I listened to Dreams of Joy by Lisa See, a favorite author. Her characters, settings, and historical research are deeply detailed and compelling. I was surprised to find this novel lacking initially, but it picked up halfway and I was enthralled. I didn't know it was the second in a series, but it follows the 19-year-old daughter from Shanghai Girls running away from her family in the States to live in Communist China in the 1950s. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

28 likes1 stack add
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Susanita
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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This would be a good choice for #authoramonth in March. It‘s the second of a two-book series, but you could read it as a standalone. But why would you want to?!? The first book is really good too! #dream #beginswith

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I have both and need to read them!! (edited) 3y
Eggs Great choice 💜❤️💙 3y
32 likes2 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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#BeginsWith
#Dream

Been on my shelf forever!!

Eggs Perfect 👍🏼 🤩👏🏻 3y
60 likes1 comment
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AmyK1
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this sequel to Shanghai Girls. I didn‘t know a lot about China in the 1950‘s and this does an excellent job of describing the details and affects of the Great Leap Forward and what it was like to live in Mao‘s China.

This was my #bookspin for November @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
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AmyK1
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Thanks for the tag @wanderinglynn
1. I started the tagged last night.
2. Goodreads, Storygraph and a book journal.
3. The Forgotten Orphan

Tagging @PaperbackPirate @Tattooedteacher @wideeyedreader @Emilymdxn

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Emilymdxn Thanks so much for the tag!! I‘ll get on this right away 3y
wanderinglynn That sounds like an interesting read! 3y
35 likes2 comments
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AmyK1
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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The tagged is my November #bookspin and In the Garden of Beasts is my #doublespin.

@TheAromaofBooks

Crazeedi The Larsen book is really good 3y
AmyK1 @Crazeedi I‘ve really liked the three by him I‘ve read so far 👍🏼 3y
TheAromaofBooks That Larson book is on my shelf, waiting to be read - some kind Litten (can't remember who haha) sent it to me a while back!! 3y
See All 7 Comments
AmyK1 @Crazeedi I haven‘t read that one yet. Just stacked it! 3y
AmyK1 @TheAromaofBooks lol. I‘ve had mine for awhile too. 3y
Crazeedi @AmyK1 I think it's one of his first, and all his books are great, that one just stuck with me for some reason 3y
32 likes7 comments
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Texreader
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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I‘m so happy to have been the recipient of the generosity of @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks in sending me this book as a complete surprise! I have loved all the Lisa See books I‘ve read, and I am thrilled to get this one! And look at the homemade bookmark and gorgeous card! You are so incredibly kind! Thank you! #litsylove

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You‘re very welcome!! I hope you enjoy it!! Happy fall 🧡🧡🧡 3y
57 likes1 comment
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Yoricke_SouthAfrica
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

Another brilliant novel by Lisa See. The sequel to the Shanghai Girls takes place in the late 1950's in China, just as Mao's Great Leap Forward starts to take place. The story unfolds during this turbulent time in history. The main character, a young, American born, Chinese girl, travels to China, to the place of her heritage and soon finds herself in the midst of the largest famine in the world's history.

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marleed
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Mehso-so

I love what I learn from Lisa See books including this one, but it took me too long to like this book for my hand to stay thumbs up. Joy drove me crazy! I‘m all about a complicated MC that we either learn to love or love what we learn from them. However, Joy‘s continued missteps made no sense to me and got in the way of the history taught in this one.

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Yoricke_SouthAfrica
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Of course I must immediately read the next book 🌻

Susanita I loved these books! 4y
Yoricke_SouthAfrica @Susanita Lisa See is truly one of my favourite authors. 4y
35 likes2 comments
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Bevita
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

I love everything I‘ve read by Lisa See. This sequel to Shanghai Girls was so revelatory about the Cultural Revolution and the mass starvation in the countryside. Amazing.

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Soubhiville
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

While I enjoyed this, it wasn‘t among my favorites by Lisa See. I found Joy‘s impulsive behavior extremely annoying. Maybe it‘s typical teenaged rebellion (at 19 though?), but she made some really bad choices. Her mother Pearl‘s chapters saved the book, though.

Pictured with my amazing new PRIDE chucks. So Sparkly 🤩🥳💥🌈✨💞❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
(My House is now coated in silver glitter... but I don‘t care!)

Lauren_reading Those shoes are amazing!! 5y
Eyelit Those shoes!! 💯 awesome! 5y
Stacy_31 Trans chucks!! that‘s so awesome!! 🎉🎉 5y
See All 11 Comments
Hollie I love your new kicks! 5y
reelsndreads Those shoes are amazing!!! 5y
LibrarianJen Love the shoes! 5y
JoScho Those shoes are the shit! 5y
Bklover Awesome shoes!!!!❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 5y
LauraJ Those may be the coolest pair of Chucks ever! 5y
Hooked_on_books Those. Shoes. ROCK!! 5y
DivineDiana They are amazingly fantastic! ❤️ 5y
90 likes11 comments
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Soubhiville
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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My breakfast of champions after a 2.5 mile walk. I love Lisa See. This one has been on my #MountTBR for quite a while. Although I‘m finding MC Joy‘s teenaged naivety annoying, The Book is good so far. (I guess I might have been this impulsive and badly informed at 19? I‘d like to think not...)
#LitsyWalkers

Kaye Great job 💖 5y
Julsmarshall Wooho! 2.5 miles! 5y
Jee_HookedOnBookz Woot woot 2.5miles!!💪💪And yes to the healthy meal right there! Also I have that book on my TBR too! Will get to it one day 😅 5y
80 likes4 comments
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HeathHof
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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On special today!!
I enjoy all of her work but this one was really good! 💙

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Stephaniereads1
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

You need to read this book so that the series is complete. It‘s a heartbreaking look at life in China in the 1950s.

Penny_LiteraryHoarders Yes! It was so good!! 6y
Crazeedi It's in the pile by my comfy chair!! 6y
79 likes2 comments
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Stephaniereads1
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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1. Austin Texas
2. Italy
3. China 1950s
4. BBQ brisket
5. @elyseh @TheEmpress
#frideas @SailorMoon @SailorRabbit @SailorMoon

SailorMoon Thanks for playing!!! 💕🤟🏻🌙 have you ever been to Italy? 🇮🇹 6y
Stephaniereads1 No. I wish. 6y
Texreader Yes, Austin has great bbq. My fave place when I lived there was the Green Mesquite 6y
Stephaniereads1 I love green mesquite! 6y
67 likes4 comments
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Stephaniereads1
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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I started the next book in the series.

66 likes1 stack add
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BBowling
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
Pickpick

Beautiful story of love, deep sacrifice and survival set in China during the middle twentieth century. As China moves from socialism to communism and famine grips the country, Lisa See brings the reader on a daring escape. Famine in China so deep they turned to the unthinkable, “Swap Child, Make Food.” Lisa See is a well researched and thoughtful writer resulting in a gripping and heartfelt journey.

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Amoon
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

That was amazing! The sequel to Shanghai Girls was riveting from start to the last page.
Incredibly well drawn characters, great plot twists and such rich descriptions of China under Mao's rule. Highly recommend this book

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Pandalibrarian
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Finished listening to this book yesterday. I‘ve loved all of Lisa See‘s books and this one was one of my favorites. Heartbreak at times, it was also filled with love. It was eye opening to read more about China during this time period. The narrator did a great job of bringing the characters to life.

Crazeedi I have enjoyed her books, so I need to read this one! Thanks! 6y
20 likes1 stack add1 comment
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KS1805
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

Shanghai Girls‘ sequel. It wasn‘t as strong but taken together it becomes obvious how important an immigration system that takes care of refugees is.

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KLoReads
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Great sequel to Shanghai Girls. Captivating story about the lengths a mother‘s love for her daughter within this historical post-WWII setting. Heartbreaking at times though 💔

Jee_HookedOnBookz Big fan of hers! 6y
9 likes1 stack add1 comment
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suvata
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

This book continues where Shanghai Girls left off. Pearl and May now care for Pearl‘s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Joy joins a communist artist community and needs to be rescued by her closest family and friends leaving them open to exposure as communist resistors.
4/5 stars.

Penny_LiteraryHoarders Heart wrenching moments in this one eh??!?! 6y
suvata @Penny_LiteraryHoarders A tear-jerker for sure! 6y
58 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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suvata
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Shanghai Girls # 2 — One of my new favorite authors

wen4blu My favorite from her 6y
76 likes1 stack add1 comment
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LibraryCin
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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1. Dreams of joy
2. Dean koontz
3. Dirty dancing
4. Dark chocolate

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Lauram
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

Lisa See is an incredible storyteller. I‘ve learned so much above it the Chinese culture and the devastating events that occurred just over 50 years ago.

18 likes1 stack add
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Lauram
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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#HumpDayPost @MinDea

1. This isn‘t necessarily crazy, but I hiked a small portion of The Narrows in Zion NP.

2. Egg on toast.

3. Woman becomes communist

4. La Croix can

5. 5‘6”

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Cortg
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Apparently I‘m not only checking multiple copies of the same book out at the library, I‘m purchasing them too 🙄
One of these will be going in the Little Free Library today.

Jess7 Nice! I spy a Kate Morton Book! Have you read The Secret Keeper? I haven‘t yet, but I want to! 7y
RebelReader It happens to the best of us! 😉 7y
Cortg @Jess7 No yet! These are books I collect knowing they are on my TBR and I want to read them. Problem is, working at a library, so many books come across and I think, oooh, let me get this so I don‘t forget and then oooh, I have to read this before it‘s due back. It‘s a cruel cycle. 7y
29 likes3 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Captivatedbybooks Love that pillow 7y
109 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Reecaspieces
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Lulu and I are snuggled in. I am reading the next to the last book of my #litsyatoz challenge. Only one more to go!! @BookishMarginalia

BarbaraJean Go you! I still have four more letters to finish! 7y
Reecaspieces @BarbaraJean you got this!!!! 👏🙌👏🙌👏 7y
113 likes2 comments
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BiblioNyan
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

One of my fav books from the past year, it‘s a sweeping epic taking place during the rise of Communism in China that‘s emotional & revealing in what it means to be a mother, as well as the naivety of being young, impulsive, & idealistic. It‘s the sequel to Shanghai Girls, which is a story about the struggles & profound bond sisterhood in a time of war.

#lisasee #chineseliterature #diversebooks

15 likes1 stack add
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Cortg
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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The Dollar Tree has really stepped up their book selections recently! I picked these up for the LFL but may read a couple before I donate 🙂

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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#wildestdreams

Maybe I will get to this one someday... 💜📚

#augustgrrrl

Cinfhen Thanks for reminding me...I somehow missed this sequel to 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Cinfhen you are so awesome to reply to every post!! 😘💕 I have to read these sometime soon!!! 7y
Cinfhen Now I have to reply to EVERY post 😜😘😂 {{ I actually really enjoy all the interactions }} 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Cinfhen hahaha!!! 🤣❤️ it's ok if you miss some!!! 7y
57 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Dragon
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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#chinagrove #rockinmay. I enjoyed the last book I read by Lisa See , Shanghai Girls, so looking forward to this one 📚🐉

Cinfhen We read Shanghai Girls for book club ~ it was well liked...curious about the sequel 🤔 7y
Dragon Thanks @Cinfhen me too😀 7y
60 likes2 comments
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Dragon
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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#blameitonLitsy another photo of my booksale finds. Went back for a couple of hours this morning 📚🐉

Hooked_on_books With that kind of selection, how could you not? 8y
Dragon Thanks @Hooked_on_books it really was an amazing selection, I had to force myself to leave ( after I filled my little suitcase) 😀📚🐉 8y
Reviewsbylola Wow, great finds! 8y
See All 6 Comments
Dragon Thanks @Reviewsbylola 😀💃 8y
Nute Wow! I see many books that I would have been excited to find.😆📚 8y
Dragon Thanks @Nute it was a great haul 👍😀😀 8y
78 likes6 comments
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rachelm
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Pickpick

So much has already been said about this book, but let me just say that beyond being a deep reflection on Mao's China, this book is an intense look into motherhood and what it means to live with the choices you make.

rachelm If you want to read this, make sure to read the first book in the duology first 8y
50 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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rachelm
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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End of semester lunch out by myself. Finally got this book on Overdrive and I'm loving it!

#audioeating
Happy almost summer, #teachersoflitsy and #professorsoflitsy!

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Graciouswarriorprincess
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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Dollar store find.

rachelm That's the second book in a series! Make sure to check out the first 8y
rachelm If you haven't already 😜 8y
Dragon I really enjoyed Shanghai Girls 👍 8y
Graciouswarriorprincess @rachelm Thank you. I loved the first one. 8y
53 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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BiblioNyan
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
Pickpick

Holy shit, this book took all my emotions & threw 'em into an intense-as-fudge meat grinder & marinated it w/tension. I'm such an incoherent mess right now.

The detailed storytelling of life during the 1st decade of Mao's reign & communism is heart-shatteringly raw. The book explores the brutal reality of the era w/courage via deeply complex characters & unbelievably captivating prose. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#dreamsofjoy #lisasee #china #historicalfiction

BiblioNyan This is the sequel to Shanghai Girls & can't be read w/o reading that first!! Which is also AMAZING! (edited) 8y
7 likes1 comment
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BiblioNyan
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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The soul of Communism in China!!

#dreamsofjoy #lisasee #amreading #quotes

rachelm I just got to this part today! 8y
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BiblioNyan
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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This whole chapter has made me think of my mum & the shit I put her through during my rebel phase. Mothers are amazing people, and books with beautifully heart-wrenching prose like this one, can bring such feelings of gratitude and awe to life in unexpectedly engrossing ways!! 💜 I apologise for the quote spamming. I'm just so blown away by the intensity & powerful nature of this book!!

#dreamsofjoy #lisasee #amreading #historicalfiction

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BiblioNyan
Dreams of Joy | Lisa See
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The fruit of modern communism: HYPOCRISY & CORRUPTION!! .... Bloody hell, this book is intense.

#dreamsofjoy #lisasee #amreading #historicalfiction #china