China Dolls

In China Dolls, Sino-American author Lisa See explores the tumultuous lives of Oriental nightclub performers in 1930s and 1940s America.

Grace, Helen and Ruby are very different, both in background and personality, but all three share the same dream of escaping their pasts and achieving fame and glory in San Francisco’s Oriental cabaret scene.

A chance meeting at the Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco brings the trio together just as they embark upon a life of showbiz glamour and excitement.

However, all three women hold secrets which threaten to sever the fragile bond that holds their friendship, and, when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbour, their lives become more perilous than ever before. China Dolls brilliantly immerses the reader into this entrancing and little-known bygone era in Asian-American history.

While the narrative can be repetitive at times, China Dolls remains a page turner, and Lisa See has once again created a sensational story peppered with issues of race, gender, history and politics.