A review by saralynnburnett
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

4.0

Great book! I sat down on the airplane in Houston bound for Hawaii and when I looked up, I had finished the book and was 20 minutes from landing. I couldn't put it down. It has to be the best/most heart rendering description of the Great Leap Forward I've ever read. This is why I'm such a fan of historical fiction: when you attach emotion to facts, you'll remember the facts forever and now I feel like I'll never forget the terrible details of this time for China. I read the acknowledgments in the back and her book appears to be very well researched - Lisa See even traveled around China with Amy Tan and lifted scenes from historical photographs from the famine and put them right into her book. While the plot line is hard to believe at times (too many convenient "oh there you are! how weird to run into you on the street in a country full of billions of people" moments) the history behind it makes it an excellent book.