On
Monday, November 5th, we had a wonderful discussion about the lives of
the characters in Lisa See's Dreams of Joy. We all agreed that this
book brings the story of May and Pearl full circle. It was refreshing
to see how they found love, and themselves, after the rollercoaster life
of heartache, loss, and a very few momentary joys they experienced in
Shanghai Girls.
We
were also introduced to Joy, May's daughter. As the story developed,
we grew to love her. Several incidents in her life made us wish we could
reach her and talk some sense into her to "right" her ways. Yet, she
was able to pull through and emerge stronger.
The
realistic (fiction) nature of this story also gave us a glimpse into
how human beings respond to injustices, hardship, hunger, and oppression.
We saw how Joy's early enthusiasm under these stressors turned to
disillusionment and despair, how Z.G. Was able to navigate a system he
did not agree with, to survive. We saw how Pearl was willing to sacrifice
so much, becoming a paper collector, coming to her childhood home
inhabited by pitiful "nails", to find the daughter she loves. And
finally, we saw how Pearl's and May's father was able to make amends for
the way that his vices and poor choices sent May's and Pearl's life
into a heart wrenching tailspin.
It
was wonderfuly stimulating to learn from each other as we shared our
thoughts and perspectives! We are all looking forward to the next book!
Miggy
