Dreams Of Joy

I only wish I'd started at the beginning of this series. The novel stands on its own, however, and is a wonderful tale of family love and motherly courage. It doesn't hurt that it's played out against the background of Mao's Great Leap Forward.Ms. See has clearly studied her history of this period, and it rings true. Her writing is so vivid that you feel you are in the small village as the people clang pots and pans day and night in an effort to keep all the sparrows in flight.She portrays the mother's dismay at the new Shanghai, and her poignant memories of a time when the city was vibrant and fun, in a very believable way. The mother remembers a time of youth and parties, love and excitement which makes the Shanghai she returns to all even bleaker.Read it, you won't be disappointed!