- Hidden River, Hubei province, 1995
I’m excited. Whenever a new book about China comes out, I try to restrain myself from logging onto Amazon and buying it before checking the queue at my local library. Or packing my three kids into the Subaru and driving six miles to our closest independent bookstore, hoping the two youngest won’t throw a tantrum before we leave the store.
Peter Hessler’s latest book was published last month. Titled Country Driving: A Journey through China from Farm to Factory (HarperCollins, 2010), it has been touted as his best.
I’m curious to learn about this new car culture in China. When I was last in China twelve years ago, few people owned cars. My ex-brother-in-law had access to one through his work unit, but most of the vehicles on the road belonged to trucking companies (on the new highways) or farmers (and those were tractors on small city streets). But now with millions of new car owners, street scenes like the ones I remember from Hidden River, in Hubei province, where my ex-in-laws live, are a thing of the past.
Love your blog, Susan. Wish your entries were longer, though. Found myself getting pulled into your description of your mom’s travels and wanted more details.
Have you read Shanghai Girls? You may be interested in this new book club in the Fox Valley. Their first meeting is this month and the book is Shanghai Girls.
http://www.meetup.com/geneva-book-club/calendar/12732538/
The Geneva Book Club March Meetup
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 7:00 PM
Book Discussion Subject – Shanghi Girls by Lisa See
Amazon Rating – 4 out of 5 stars
NYT Paperback Trade Fiction List – #6
Book Description –
For readers of the phenomenal bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love–a stunning new novel from Lisa See about two sisters who leave Shanghai to find new lives in 1930s Los Angeles.
May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl?s parents arrange for their daughters to marry ?Gold Mountain men? who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.
But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel?s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)–where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months–they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May discovers she?s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know.
A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old, Shanghai Girls is a fresh, fascinating adventure from beloved and bestselling author Lisa See.
Thanks so much, Meg! I guess I’m still trying to balance text with photos. I’m glad you wanted to read more! Yes, I’ve read Shanghai Girls and just love Lisa See. I also enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Just lovely. Thanks for the book club info. Tuesdays are hard because Jake has Hebrew school, but maybe if I can get the carpool to drive that night, it could work! Thanks again for your kind words!!