China Dolls: a Novel First edition

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and Shanghai Girls has garnered international acclaim for her great skill at rendering the intricate relationships of women and the complex meeting of history and fate. Now comes Lisa See?s highly anticipated new novel, China Dolls.
 
It?s 1938 in San Francisco: a world?s fair is preparing to open on Treasure Island, a war is brewing overseas, and the city is alive with possibilities. Grace, Helen, and Ruby, three young women from very different backgrounds, meet by chance at the exclusive and glamorous Forbidden City nightclub. Grace Lee, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest with nothing but heartache, talent, and a pair of dancing shoes. Helen Fong lives with her extended family in Chinatown, where her traditional parents insist that she guard her reputation like a piece of jade. The stunning Ruby Tom challenges the boundaries of convention at every turn with her defiant attitude and no-holds-barred ambition.
 
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.

Praise for China Dolls
 
?Superb . . . This emotional, informative and brilliant page-turner resonates with resilience and humanity.??The Washington Post

?A fascinating portrait of life as a Chinese-American woman in the 1930s and ?40s.??The New York Times Book Review

?A spellbinding portrait of a time burning with opportunity and mystery.??O: The Oprah Magazine
 
?See?s latest novel, China Dolls, is her most penetrating since Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.??The Seattle Times

?China Dolls plunges us into a fascinating history and offers an accessible meditation on themes that are still urgent in our contemporary world.??San Francisco Chronicle

?Stellar . . . The depth of See?s characters and her winning prose makes this book a wonderful journey through love and loss.??Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
?See?s many fans will . . . enjoy watching each protagonist?s true story unfold. . . . Colorful and fascinating historical touches tie the story together perfectly and form an exquisite backdrop.??Library Journal

?China Dolls mines a fascinating part of our cultural history through the story of a trio of women who become a complex constant in one another?s lives even as the world serves up painful transformation. Lisa See gets so much just right here. You?ll want to dive right in.??Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife
 
?This is one of those stories I?ve always wanted to tell, but Lisa See beat me to it, and she did it better than I ever could. Bravo! Here?s a roaring standing ovation for this heartwarming journey into the glittering golden age of Chinese nightclubs.??Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Songs of Willow Frost