Shanghai Girls by Lisa See was released this week. I understand that Lisa See is busy traveling on book tour this week and many stops are standing room only. This was one of my favorite books that I have read this month and I am thrilled that I have one extra brand new, Advanced Readers Edition to give away. I can't wait for Lisa See's next book and I'm hoping for a sequel to Shanghai Girls.
I'm reposting my original review below. Make sure to add this book to your must read list this year!
Lisa See's newest novel, Shanghai Girls sweeps you away to a world unknown to most Americans. To me, while reading Shanghai Girls I felt drawn in and immersed in the culture and setting of this wonderful novel. Shanghai Girls follows two sisters, Pearl and May, during the 1930's as young women who live a life of glamour and high life in Shanghai. When drastic changes occur in their country they must learn how to survive and fight to protect themselves and they unite as sisters to do so. They do not realize how much has changed until their father informs them that he has lost all of their wealth and has arranged their marriages to two sons who live in Los Angeles.
The story takes you through their struggles and challenges to get to Los Angeles and all they must endure during the process. Once in San Francisco, more struggles and challenges ensue with some unexpected joy and happiness as they learn to make the best of things in their new lives. Shanghai Girls is a testament to the bond and power of the sisters relationship. Pearl and May have a deep sisterly love and are desperate to help each other survive in their new lives. Although, they don't let go of their own jealousies, hurts and rivalries. This is definitely shown in a dramatic way at the end of the book and left me speechless turning the page and expecting more. Ms. See's writing is a true gift of storytelling at it's best. It pulled me in, hooked me and didn't let me go until the last page. If you want to read a historical novel that is rich in history, details and culture, pick up a copy of Shanghai Girls. You won't regret it and it will leave you wanting more as you turn that last page.
To read more about Lisa See, check out her official website here.
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Giveaway Details:
I am giving away one Advanced Readers Edition of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. For each entry, leave a seperate comment, this will make it easier to draw a winner as I won't be able to go back and count each entry. Also, make sure that you include your email or that your email is in your blog profile. If I have no way of contacting you by email, your entry will automatically be withdrawn.
- For One Entry: Leave a comment and let me know , What you think is the difference between a friendship that’s “just like sisters” and real sisters?
- For a Second Entry: In a SEPARATE comment, let me know if you have Blogged about this giveaway and share a link(posting in your sidebar is fine), Tweet it, Facebook, whatever.
- For a Third Entry: In a SEPARATE comment: Follow my blog or subscribe to my blog(let me know if you are already a follower or subscriber).
This giveaway is ONLY open to U.S. and Canada. I'll use random.org to draw a winner and the contest will end on June 12th, 2009 at Midnight EST. Good Luck!!
The only difference between my actual sister & my best friend that is "like a sister" are the childhood memories I share with my actual sister. However, in adulthood, I am as close to my friend as I am to my sister.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway. I love to read Lisa See's books.
megalon22[at]yahoo[dot]com
I'm a subscriber via Google Reader.
ReplyDeletemegalon22[at]yahoo[dot]com
I don't have a sister, so I can't really answer this. Well I do have an adopted sister who was taken in by my father when I was in my 20's, so I have only seen her a couple of times in my life, and she is now in her 20's. So, while I consider her my sister, we don't have a close relationship like many sisters.
ReplyDeletenfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
I follow
ReplyDeletenfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
I think the only difference would be the blood, dna, gene composition really. I have many girlfriends and a step-sister that I love so very much and are near and dear to my heart just like a real sister. I also have a bunch of SISTERS in CHRIST and I love them dearly.
ReplyDeleteI have never had a real sister but I have a few step-sisters and other than the fact that we came from different mothers and have different blood running through our veins..I love them just the same as I love all of my very close and dear friends that have come into my life. :)
I've wanted to read this, and I follow you!!!
ReplyDeleteI have three "real" sisters and a best friend who has been like a sister to me for 30 years. Honestly, there is no real difference to me. In many ways I'm closer to her than I am to my sisters, only because my sisters and I are so very, very different. We love each other, obviously, but we're not bosom friends, like many other sisters are.
ReplyDeleteI think that many people can make up a family, whether or not you're related by blood or not.
Great giveaway.
I can't really say because I don't have a sister but I do have a few bff's that are like family to me and I would do anything for them!
ReplyDeletereal sisters have an unmistakable bond best friends that is like a sister is some one you can just have fun with thanks for the giveaway minsthins at optonline dot net
ReplyDeleteSISTERS share good and bad always friends share some things not all great giveaway ty
ReplyDelete"Real Sisters" have to live together and the blood bond can never be broken.
ReplyDeleteMary
ReplyDeletezenrei57 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Honestly, having found a beloved long-lost sister and also having had many beautiful and lasting friendships in my life - I would have to say the actual sister has an elusive something, an unbroken bond that - no matter what - lasts throught your entire life.
you know I really don't know how to answer this as my sister and I have the weirdest relationship. We really truly love each other and want to be friends but just cannot seem to. We are such opposites in every way we seem to be like oil and water just no amount of shaking will make us mix.
ReplyDeleteajcmeyer AT go DOT com
I don't know because my sister has always been my only best friend.
ReplyDeletejanetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I sent a tweet:
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/Janetfaye/status/1978480451
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
Subscribed with Blog Lines.
ReplyDeletejanetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
The only difference is genetic. The closeness is the same. My sister is my rock and my best friend.
ReplyDeletequelleheure4[at]gmail{dot}com
Tweeted! http://twitter.com/quelleheure4/status/1979247857
ReplyDeletequelleheure4[at]gmail{dot}com
I'm following you!
ReplyDeletequelleheure4[at]gmail{dot}com
My real sister is 9 years older than I am. We're not nearly as close as my just like sisters!
ReplyDeletemj.coward[at]gmail.com
I think that just like sisters can be closer because there isn't the baggage associated with family ties.
ReplyDeleteI think friends are closer than sisters because you pick your friends and are stuck with sister. But sisters re friends they are closer than anything.
ReplyDeleteI don't know exactly what the difference is because I have two brothers no sisters. Always wanted to have a sister to share my intimate feelings. I suppose that is what a sister is like though.
ReplyDeleteBonnie, I left a post on my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest. It I have never entered a contest before. Hope I did it correctly.
Bonnie, I don't know why but I entered for 2 drawings. It has be on 2 different url's. Just to let you know.
ReplyDeleteI think that the only difference between sister and "just-like"sisters is that your sister may have to take you in when your senile and old. Your JL sister doesn't have to!
ReplyDeleteEnter me please. This book sounds fantastic!
bsyb100at gmail dot com
I think the only difference is DNA. I have 2 sisters and a best friend who is "like a sister". Even if I did not talk to these ladies for months, if I needed them, they would be there without blinking first. Especially my best friend. She drove down in ice and snow for 2 hours away when my father died. Only sisters would do that.
ReplyDeleteI am a subscriber in my Google Reader. You can find my e-mail, by the way, on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI am re-tweeting your giveaway.
ReplyDeleteJust found you on Twitter from @DevourerofBooks - will definitely be retweeting.
ReplyDeleteI'm a subscriber via Yahoo reader.
ReplyDeletetam_turse (at) yahoo (dot) com
Hi! Just subscribed to your lovely blog via Google Reader, so I'd love to be entered in your giveaway. Will think about the sister question and come back to get another entry :) Thanks so much!
ReplyDeletegentlereader1 AT hotmail DOT com
I don't have a sister, but I have a best friend who I think of as like a sister. However, I think because we are not related, I consider the relationship's boundaries more than I would if we were related--meaning I treat the relationship fairly carefully, and I don't know if I would show such care if we were actually sisters. Very interesting to ponder, however!
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in reading Shanghai Girls, after hearing Lisa See speak about it at the Los Angeles Festival of Books this year!
I do not have any siblings, so I can not know for sure... but I believe that sisters are a lifelong thing. I know that I have had many friends that are like sisters, but I have not stayed in touch with them because there was nothing holding us together.
ReplyDeletelovejessicamarie [@] gmail [.] com
I am a new follower! ^_^
ReplyDeleteThank you for the opportunity.
lovejessicamarie [@] gmail [.] com
I'd love to enter Bonnie. Since I have no real sisters I can't say. I do however have a couple of friends who are like sisters to me and I'm grateful for them.
ReplyDeletebj19662001 (at) yahoo (dot) ca
I will post in my sidebar.
ReplyDeleteI'm already a stalker/oops follower. lol.
ReplyDeleteI'd love a chance to read this book. Please enter me, thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have been a follower for some time.
ReplyDeleteFleshly sisters have shared experiences that no one else in your life can relate to as fully. So they remain special always. But there are certain women in my life that I feel as close to as my sisters-again through years of shared experiences, but different ones than my blood sisters. Feeling like sisters is good too, it's all love, and that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI love Lisa See-thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletechocolateandcroissants at yahoo dot com
I think the biggest difference is that a "just like a sister" friend can, indeed, drift away...but sisters are forever, no matter what. asthenight at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI don't have a real sister so I guess I'm not fully qualified to answer. But, although you can be as closet to a friend as a sister, the sister has always been there and I would hope always would be.
ReplyDeletefourkidsrgreat(at)gmail(dot)com
I just posted this to my sidebar:
ReplyDeletebookslovejessicamarie.blogspot.com
lovejessicamarie [@] gmail [.] com
I don't know. I have a best friend but I am closer to my sister. I think blood related is the difference.
ReplyDeletejanetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I blogged:
ReplyDeletehttp://janetsbookplace.blogspot.com/2009/06/giveaway-shanghai-girls-by-lisa-see.html
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
Subscribed.
ReplyDeletejanetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I've never had a sister so I guess I can't truly answer the question. I have a good friend however who is like a sister to me - we fight (as do my brother and I) but it never lasts and never gets awkward afterwards like it does with other friends. We tell each other everything and are brutally honest with each other without fear of upsetting the other. I would give her my kidney if she needed it and I know she would do the same for me. She lives on the other side of the world and we don't see each other often but she's like family.
ReplyDeletemelacan at hotmail dot com
I subscribe via google reader.
ReplyDeletemelacan at hotmail dto com
The only difference between my sister and my best friend, who is like a sister to me is, that she's not at all of our family functions. I even share clothes with my best friend, just like my sis.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway.
Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com
I also subcribe by RSS.
ReplyDeleteThanks again.
Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com
I think the difference is that you choose your sister-friends, but not your actual sister. You still love them all the same and sometimes you're closer to your sister friend, but there really isn't a difference other than blood.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
~ Popin
proudbookworm[@]gmail[dot]com
Don't count me in but I just want to say that I like Lisa See's books. I think she captures just about everything about Chinese culture. I'm from Taiwan and I'm not kidding about that.
ReplyDeleteNo need to enter me, Bonnie. Just posted on Win A Book.
ReplyDeleteThe main difference between a friendship that is 'just like sisters' and real sisters is that you don't need to get along with your real sister. If you and a friend don't get along, you don't need to be friends anymore. But if you and your sister don't get along, you're always sisters, and you can hope that they'd still be there if you needed them.
ReplyDeletetiffanyak1986(at)hotmail(dot)com
I'm also subscribed to your blog via e-mail.
ReplyDeletetiffanyak1986(at)hotmail(dot)com
Please enter me :)
ReplyDeletelavery328 at yahoo dot com
Having never had a friend who was like a sister, only have had a sister myself, I can say that there's nothing that can beat the bond between sisters. Maybe it's from growing up together, sharing similar experiences, and sharing genetics, but mine can read my mind. :P
ReplyDeleteValorie
morbidromantic@gmail.com
Blogged: http://www.morbid-romantic.net/2009/06/08/book-giveaways-0608-0614/
ReplyDeleteValorie
morbidromantic@gmail.com
I subscribe in Google Reader.
ReplyDeleteValorie
morbidromantic@gmail.com
For me, the only obvious difference is that they aren't related by blood. My "sister" is invited to all our family gatherings, we're as close as real sisters (and I know, I have a twin).
ReplyDeletedanunepthys(at)hotmail(dot)com
Real sisters never waver in their love for one another. They are blood and know that they can count on each other no matter what.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway :)
hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com
I think for me the difference between my 'real' sister and the friends I call my sisters is that I know that there is virtually nothing that will break the bond we have a blood sisters. My friends...well there is always the chance something will change, or you will change, or circumstances change. Its easier to let go of a friend then a sister.
ReplyDeleteI think that the difference is that "like a sister" is a choice and is a bond that is earned through trust and honor. I feel that I am closer to my two "like a sister" friends than I am to my own sisters. Blood is thicker than water, and I will always be there for my two sisters. It just goes without saying with my two "like a sisters."
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net
I am a follower.
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net
I think the difference is "blood is always thicker than water" and it applies to real sisters vs. just like sisters......thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a sister but my best friend is all that I'd hope for if I had a real one.
ReplyDeletegaby317nyc AT gmail DOT com
ReplyDeleteI think one main difference between an actual sister and like a sister is the lack of sibling rivalry. i don't have sisters but there is a fair amount of competition between me and my brother.
though an actual sister will also share so much of the family history and experiences - the worst as well as the best.
i would love to win this - Lisa See's books look very interesting.
i'm a new follower
ReplyDeletegaby317nyc AT gmail DOT com
i am posting a link to this contest on my blog's sideroll.
ReplyDeletegaby317nyc AT gmail DOT com
www.startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com
I think just like sisters are closer than sisters. Sisters tend to keep secrets from each other that they don't want their parents to find out about. Just like sisters don't have that problem. Would love to read the book.
ReplyDeletepbclark(at)netins(dot)net
You can't pick your real sister but I'm lucky I have great, supportive sisters. I have a friend who I did not grow up with but who trusts me and treats me special, like a sister. I'm fortunate to have them in my life.
ReplyDeleteAs an only child, who is very close to my only female cousin, I think that difference is you can honestly count on your sister no matter what time it is, no matter what you need, and you never feel guilty asking. Because they're your family.
ReplyDeleteallygotts567[at]hotmail[dot]com
This book sounds like a great summer read. Thank you for this
ReplyDeleteawesome giveaway.
You don't get to choose your real family, as the saying goes!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great giveaway.
JHolden955 (at) gmail (dot) com