New Tour Taking Signups: Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Dreams of Joy
Author:  Lisa See
Publication Date:  May 31, 2011
Publisher:  Random House

Donated by:  Lori

In her beloved New York Times bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and, most recently, Shanghai Girls, Lisa See has brilliantly illuminated the potent bonds of mother love, romantic love, and love of country. Now, in her most powerful novel yet, she returns to these timeless themes, continuing the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy.

Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, and anger at her mother and aunt for keeping them from her, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the communist regime.

Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.

Acclaimed for her richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling, Lisa See once again renders a family challenged by tragedy and time, yet ultimately united by the resilience of love.


Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents.

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7 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

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Participants:
Emily ~ The Many Thoughts of a Reader
Lauren ~ Ravishing Reads

Reviews: 
 

Every Last One

 

Every Last One

Author:  Anna Quindlen

Publication Date:  April 13, 2010

Publisher:  Random House

Donated By:  Laura from Booksnob

In this breathtaking and beautiful novel, the #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen creates an unforgettable portrait of a mother, a father, a family, and the explosive, violent consequences of what seem like inconsequential actions.

Mary Beth Latham is first and foremost a mother, whose three teenaged children come first, before her career as a landscape gardener, or even her life as the wife of a doctor.  Caring for her family and preserving their everyday life is paramount.  And so, when one of her sons, Max, becomes depressed, Mary Beth becomes focused on him, and is blindsided by a shocking act of violence. What happens afterwards is a testament to the power of a woman’s love and determination, and to the invisible line of hope and healing that connects one human being with another. Ultimately, in the hands of Anna Quindlen’s mesmerizing prose, Every Last One is a novel about facing every last one of the the things we fear most, about finding ways to navigate a road we never intended to travel, to live a life we never dreamed we’d have to live but must be brave enough to try.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 10 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

• Make sure to fill out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!  

Tour Participants:

1. Carrie -  done
2. Emily -  done
3. Natalie - done
4. Amy - done 
5. Heather - mailed 11/20 03091140000075132158
6. JHS - 

Reviews:

Carrie
Emily
Natalie
Amy
Heather
JHS

Shanghai Girls

Shanghai Girls

Author:  Lisa See

Publication Date:  2009

Publisher:  Random House

Donated By:  Laura from Booksnob

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.

• Signups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail, and STATE abbreviation in the comments! 

• Two Week Limit per person

• Make sure to fill out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!

Tour Participants

Laura mailed to Ashley - 

1.  Carin  - done
2.  Katy - done
3.  Amy - mailed 10/6 back to Laura DC # 42055119910269010386277260581

Reviews 

Carin

Katy

Amy

Huck

Huck - The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family - and a Whole Town - About Hope and Happy Endings

Author:  Janet Elder

Publication Date:  September 2010

Publisher:  Broadway Books (Random House)

289 pages

Huck is a page-turning, unforgettable true story of the tenacity of one small dog, the unexpected, extraordinary kindness of strangers, and a family’s devotion to each other.
 
Michael was four when his relentless campaign for a dog began. At seven he made a PowerPoint presentation, “My Dog,” with headings like “A Childhood Without a Dog is a Sad Thing.” His parents, Janet and Rich, were steadfast; bringing a dog into their fast-paced New York City lives was utterly impractical.

However, on a trip to Italy, a chance happening leads Janet to reconsider, a decision then hastened by a diagnosis of breast cancer.  Janet decides the excitement of a new puppy would  be the perfect antidote to the strain on the family of months of arduous treatments for her illness. The prospect of a new puppy would be an affirmation of life, a powerful talisman for them all.

On Thanksgiving weekend, soon after the grueling months of treatments are over, Huck, a sweet, mischievous, red-haired, toy poodle joins the family and wins everyone’s heart.

A few months later the family ventures to baseball’s spring training, leaving Huck with Janet’s sister in Ramsey, New Jersey.  Barely twenty-four hours into the trip, Janet receives the dreaded phone call: Huck has slipped through the backyard fence and run away.

Broken-hearted and frantic, the family catches the first plane to New Jersey to begin a search for their lost puppy. It is a race against time, for little Huck is now lost in an area entirely unfamiliar to him, facing the threat of bears and coyotes, swamps and freezing temperatures, rain and fast cars.

Moved by the family’s plight, strangers – from school children to townspeople to the police lieutenant – join the search, one that proves to be an unyielding test of determination and faith.

Touching and warm-hearted, Huck is a spirit-lifting story about resilience, the generosity of strangers, and hope. 

TOUR CLOSED!

Tour Participants:

1. Loren - done
2. Marissa  - done
3. Betty - done
4. Stephanie  - done
5. Laura  - done 

Reviews:

Stephanie
Laura
Marissa
Loren
Betty