Jun 24, 2014

China Dolls by Lisa See

First Chapter, First Paragraph is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea.
Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B; choose two teaser sentences from a random page of your current read.
China Dolls
First paragraph:
I traveled west - alone - on the cheapest bus routes I could find. Every mile took me farther from Plain City, Ohio, where I'd been a flyspeck on the wallpaper of small town life. Each new state I passed through loosened another rope around my heart, my legs, my arms, yet my whole body ached and I couldn't shake my vertigo. I lived on aspirin, crackers, and soda pop. I cried and cried and cried. On the eighth day, California. Many hours after crossing the boundary, I got off the bus and pulled my sweater a little more tightly around me. I expected sun and warmth, but on that October afternoon, fog hung over San Francisco, damp, and shockingly cold. 
Picking up my suitcase, I left the bus station and started to walk. The receptionists at the cheap hotels I visited told me they were full. "Go to Chinatown," they suggested. "You can get a room there." I had no idea where Chinatown was, so that didn't help me. 
Teaser: 
The War Relocation Authority has your brother in an internment camp in Utah," Agent Parker went on. "If it were up to me, we'd keep you here until you told the truth -"
"I've told the truth," I said. (from an ARE; final copy may differ)
Book description:
Set in the "Chop Suey Circuit" of San Francisco right before World War II.
In 1938, Ruby, Helen and Grace, three girls from very different backgrounds, find themselves competing at the same audition for showgirl roles at San Francisco's exclusive "Oriental" nightclub, the Forbidden City. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl has fled the Midwest and an abusive father. Helen is from a Chinese family who have deep roots in San Francisco's Chinatown. And, as both her friends know, Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. At times their differences are pronounced, but the girls grow to depend on one another in order to fulfill their individual dreams. 

Then, everything changes in a heartbeat with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly the government is sending innocent Japanese to internment camps under suspicion, and Ruby is one of them. But which of her friends betrayed her? (publisher)
Published June 3, 2014; ARE  from Random House

Based on the teaser and first chapter of the book, would you keep reading? 

24 comments:

  1. Yes, I've pinned it to my book page on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. My mother just borrowed my copy. I hope to read it later in the summer - enjoy!

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  3. oh I've been interested in reading this one! i'll have to move it up in my TBR pile.

    thanks for sharing!

    trish - my tease

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  4. This sounds awesome. Great teaser. Here is my TT http://cynthiastacey.com/2014/06/24/teaser-tuesday-june-24/

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  5. Great teaser! I love the cover of this book! Here's my Teaser Tuesday!

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  6. The plight of people caught up in the internment of American Citizens of Japanese descent was so tragic. I would defiantly be interested in reading a novel that addressed the issue. Sound like this one is infused with a real human element too.

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  7. Oh, this story catapults me back to those times...in the small town where we lived, there was an internment camp next to my grandmother's farm. I remember looking through the fence, wondering about it. I was too young to understand it, but later, as I realized more, it was a chilling feeling.

    Thanks for sharing, and here's mine: “SHE CAN HIDE”

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  8. I would absolutely read this! As a matter of fact, this was one of my suggestions for my book club, but it wasn't chosen yet. That beginning is so poignant...I have read other books centering on the time of internment in our country and am fascinated by this time period. Thanks!

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  9. What can he do? she's told the truth. They don't believe her. What will happen next? lisa See is so good.

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  10. I love Lisa See and can't wait to read this one.

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  11. This one looks so interesting...I'd definitely keep reading and am adding this to my TBR list.

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  12. This sounds really good! Lisa See is a wonderful writer.

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  13. Lovely teaser (and intro paragraph)! I've been wanting to check out Lisa See for a while. Thanks for sharing!

    Here's my teasers at Bookmunchies (:

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  14. This sounds like a book I'd enjoy reading. Stories from this era are fascinating to me. I'll add it to my TBR list.
    My Teaser is from NOT THE MARRYING KIND.

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  15. Sounds intense!
    http://cupandchaucer.wordpress.com/2014/06/24/teaser-tuesday-june-24/

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  16. Sounds like a powerful tale. I'd definitely read this one!

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  17. Love that intro and just remembered I needed to plan this read sometime this summer --sounds really good. enjoy

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  18. I love Lisa See! I can't wait to read this one.

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  19. This sounds terrific, and I'm not too far from that city the character is fleeing. Here's Mine

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  20. I've seen the book around but this was my first review. Thanks for sharing.

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  21. I really want to read this book, based on the first paragraph. When I noticed the author's name, that cinched it. I'm glad you shared this.

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  22. hmmm . . . I think I'd read a bit more before deciding. Enjoy your book.

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  23. I know nothing about this particular community - would love to pick this up.
    Peggy @ The Pegster Reads

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I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

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