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Daughters of the Sun and Moon
Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds.
In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain—America—where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.
Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.
In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain—America—where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.
Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2026
About the author
Lisa See
22 books54.4k followersLisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Island of Sea Women, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. Her books have been published in 39 languages. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the History Maker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women. You can learn more about her at www.LisaSee.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 307 reviews
June 6, 2026
If Lisa See is associated with it, I’m in.
Someone just asked if I've read this, and indeed I have! I just haven't had time to write a review. While not See's best work, I love the historical fiction of Los Angeles in the 1870s, a time where rampant racism and anti-Chinese sentiment ran true. It definitely has correlations to how we view immigrants today, and where their place in the world are knowing there is so much hatred...simply because they're not born here.
Told from the perspective of three Chinese women, who have all come to the U.S. to make a better life for themselves, some being sold by their families, the three struggle to assimilate, becomes forced into prostitution, loveless marriages, and so forth.
My only caveat, I felt like it wrapped up a little too...nicely. This wasn't an easy time to live until much later, especially well after the Chinese Exclusion act ended. Regardless, the story is an important one, and every AMERICAN, should learn about it.
Someone just asked if I've read this, and indeed I have! I just haven't had time to write a review. While not See's best work, I love the historical fiction of Los Angeles in the 1870s, a time where rampant racism and anti-Chinese sentiment ran true. It definitely has correlations to how we view immigrants today, and where their place in the world are knowing there is so much hatred...simply because they're not born here.
Told from the perspective of three Chinese women, who have all come to the U.S. to make a better life for themselves, some being sold by their families, the three struggle to assimilate, becomes forced into prostitution, loveless marriages, and so forth.
My only caveat, I felt like it wrapped up a little too...nicely. This wasn't an easy time to live until much later, especially well after the Chinese Exclusion act ended. Regardless, the story is an important one, and every AMERICAN, should learn about it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Lisa See continues to be the queen of Asian literature. She is the ultimate champion of Chinese women in history, sharing their stories with readers everywhere. I definitely enjoyed this historical fiction book, and fans of this author will too.
This is a story about three Chinese women who meet by chance in Los Angeles in 1870. They are very different from one another, but they soon form a friendship that will bond them together for their entire lives. They all searched for either love, freedom, or justice.
Dove was sent to America at the age of seventeen to be the second wife to a store owner in the new town of Los Angeles, while his wife and children stay home in China to fulfill their filial duty to their ancestors. Dove's duty was to serve her older new husband, follow his every command, and be a symbol of his wealth.
At 18 years old, Petal is sold by her parents in China and sent to California to live a hard life of prostitution. Her dream is to one day return to China and be happy again.
Moon's narrative takes place when she is 82 years old, but she shares her memories of her life in Los Angeles with her loving Chinese husband who is a local physician, and how her life changed when she met Dove and Petal, when she was twenty-six.
All these women arrived in Los Angeles when there were very few Chinese people. Women were bought, sold, and owned. Even though slavery had been abolished, it didn't change things for these immigrant women. They had little value, were hidden away, and had absolutely no control over their bodies or their lives. The Chinese immigrants were vilified and persecuted.
A large part of this book centers around a significant, but little-known historical event. In October of 1871, a large group of rioters and vigilantes in Los Angeles rounded up all the Chinese people they could get their hands on and with the mayor and police turning their backs on the scene, the Chinese were brutally attacked and murdered. This became known as the Chinese Massacre of 1871 or the Night of Horrors. A night of violence brought on by hatred, jealousy, and rivalry.
How the three main female characters survived, saved each other, and moved on with their lives is a beautiful portrait of strength, solidarity, and love.
The Author's Note at the end of the book was greatly appreciated. It contains numerous interesting facts, including information on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
My sincere thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about three Chinese women who meet by chance in Los Angeles in 1870. They are very different from one another, but they soon form a friendship that will bond them together for their entire lives. They all searched for either love, freedom, or justice.
Dove was sent to America at the age of seventeen to be the second wife to a store owner in the new town of Los Angeles, while his wife and children stay home in China to fulfill their filial duty to their ancestors. Dove's duty was to serve her older new husband, follow his every command, and be a symbol of his wealth.
At 18 years old, Petal is sold by her parents in China and sent to California to live a hard life of prostitution. Her dream is to one day return to China and be happy again.
Moon's narrative takes place when she is 82 years old, but she shares her memories of her life in Los Angeles with her loving Chinese husband who is a local physician, and how her life changed when she met Dove and Petal, when she was twenty-six.
All these women arrived in Los Angeles when there were very few Chinese people. Women were bought, sold, and owned. Even though slavery had been abolished, it didn't change things for these immigrant women. They had little value, were hidden away, and had absolutely no control over their bodies or their lives. The Chinese immigrants were vilified and persecuted.
A large part of this book centers around a significant, but little-known historical event. In October of 1871, a large group of rioters and vigilantes in Los Angeles rounded up all the Chinese people they could get their hands on and with the mayor and police turning their backs on the scene, the Chinese were brutally attacked and murdered. This became known as the Chinese Massacre of 1871 or the Night of Horrors. A night of violence brought on by hatred, jealousy, and rivalry.
How the three main female characters survived, saved each other, and moved on with their lives is a beautiful portrait of strength, solidarity, and love.
The Author's Note at the end of the book was greatly appreciated. It contains numerous interesting facts, including information on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
My sincere thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2026
This is my third Lisa See novel and another 5 star. If she writes it, I'm going to read it.
The three main characters, Dove, Petal and Moon stole my heart. Each of their povs alternated throughout the story and I found myself equally connected to each of them. I love a strong female character!
I was unaware of this time in history and absolutely horrified by the Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871. The scenes in the book where this takes place were so hard to read.
I highly recommend Daughters of the Sun and Moon!
My thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the gifted copy.
The three main characters, Dove, Petal and Moon stole my heart. Each of their povs alternated throughout the story and I found myself equally connected to each of them. I love a strong female character!
I was unaware of this time in history and absolutely horrified by the Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871. The scenes in the book where this takes place were so hard to read.
I highly recommend Daughters of the Sun and Moon!
My thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the gifted copy.
Currently Reading
April 15, 2026I won this book and it arrived today. I am so excited. How can I post that I am reading it?
June 9, 2026
This is a powerful and beautifully written book with vivid characters and a strong emotional atmosphere. The subject matter was much heavier than I expected, and the reading experience became difficult for me personally. Readers who are comfortable with very dark themes may connect with it more than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.
June 16, 2026
DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON
By Lisa See
Narrated by Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson, Emily Loo Zeller, and Lisa See
Another forgotten—and ugly—chapter in American history.
Set against the backdrop of the 1871 Chinese Massacre in Los Angeles, this historical fiction novel is layered with stories of survival and belonging. It follows three Chinese women—Dove, Petal, and Moon—whose lives intersect in late nineteenth-century Los Angeles.
Coming from vastly different backgrounds, each faces hardship, sacrifice, and the limitations placed on women as they navigate life amid growing anti-Chinese sentiment.
I appreciate Lisa See’s commitment to uncovering history that has been lost, forgotten, or deliberately overlooked—particularly the stories of women. The characters in Daughters of the Sun and Moon are inspired by real women and men who lived in Los Angeles during the early 1870s. Petal was the most emotionally compelling character for me, and I admired her remarkable courage and resilience.
Extensively researched and richly detailed, this character-driven novel transports readers to nineteenth-century Los Angeles. The tone is reflective, emotional, and at times heartbreaking, yet balanced with moments of strength, perseverance, and hope.
Themes of immigration, prejudice, friendship, family, resilience, and belonging run throughout the story.
After finishing this moving novel, I found myself reflecting on the treatment of Chinese immigrants in nineteenth-century America, particularly during the Night of Horrors in Los Angeles, and considering how those events echo the experiences of many immigrants today. I knew very little about this horrifying event and found myself researching it after I finished the book. The novel raises an important question: Have we learned from the past, or are we destined to repeat it?
The narration by Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson, and Emily Woo Zeller gave Dove, Petal, and Moon distinct voices, making it easy to connect with each woman’s story. I’ve enjoyed several of Lisa See’s previous novels, and Daughters of the Sun and Moon is another memorable read. Be sure to listen to the author’s note, where she shares the historical research and real-life events that inspired the novel.
I combined my Goodreads Giveaway copy with the audiobook, which made for an even more immersive reading experience.
By Lisa See
Narrated by Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson, Emily Loo Zeller, and Lisa See
Another forgotten—and ugly—chapter in American history.
Set against the backdrop of the 1871 Chinese Massacre in Los Angeles, this historical fiction novel is layered with stories of survival and belonging. It follows three Chinese women—Dove, Petal, and Moon—whose lives intersect in late nineteenth-century Los Angeles.
Coming from vastly different backgrounds, each faces hardship, sacrifice, and the limitations placed on women as they navigate life amid growing anti-Chinese sentiment.
I appreciate Lisa See’s commitment to uncovering history that has been lost, forgotten, or deliberately overlooked—particularly the stories of women. The characters in Daughters of the Sun and Moon are inspired by real women and men who lived in Los Angeles during the early 1870s. Petal was the most emotionally compelling character for me, and I admired her remarkable courage and resilience.
Extensively researched and richly detailed, this character-driven novel transports readers to nineteenth-century Los Angeles. The tone is reflective, emotional, and at times heartbreaking, yet balanced with moments of strength, perseverance, and hope.
Themes of immigration, prejudice, friendship, family, resilience, and belonging run throughout the story.
After finishing this moving novel, I found myself reflecting on the treatment of Chinese immigrants in nineteenth-century America, particularly during the Night of Horrors in Los Angeles, and considering how those events echo the experiences of many immigrants today. I knew very little about this horrifying event and found myself researching it after I finished the book. The novel raises an important question: Have we learned from the past, or are we destined to repeat it?
The narration by Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson, and Emily Woo Zeller gave Dove, Petal, and Moon distinct voices, making it easy to connect with each woman’s story. I’ve enjoyed several of Lisa See’s previous novels, and Daughters of the Sun and Moon is another memorable read. Be sure to listen to the author’s note, where she shares the historical research and real-life events that inspired the novel.
I combined my Goodreads Giveaway copy with the audiobook, which made for an even more immersive reading experience.
June 19, 2026
I love Lisa See. This one spans the Lives of three Women and Starts in 1870 as they journey to Los Angeles with dreams of a new life. California was not exactly welcoming to Asian Immigrants. Much Violence is to coming.
Petal, Moon, and Dove each live very different lives, but their friendship sustains them.
With Lisa See, I always learn so much history I was unaware of. The Night of Horrors and all the Chinese killed was awful, yet rarely documented. It was a hard life in Los Angeles during this time period. This story was exceptional moving and felt for the three women characters and all they had to endure. It was Wonderful to See each find Their Voice in a Time it was so Difficult to Do. Yet, love for each other gets them through. Lovely Book.
Thank You NetGalley and Scribner for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews of books I read.
Petal, Moon, and Dove each live very different lives, but their friendship sustains them.
With Lisa See, I always learn so much history I was unaware of. The Night of Horrors and all the Chinese killed was awful, yet rarely documented. It was a hard life in Los Angeles during this time period. This story was exceptional moving and felt for the three women characters and all they had to endure. It was Wonderful to See each find Their Voice in a Time it was so Difficult to Do. Yet, love for each other gets them through. Lovely Book.
Thank You NetGalley and Scribner for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews of books I read.
June 11, 2026
Review to follow shortly
November 16, 2025
so excited ! ^-^
February 1, 2026
Lisa See writes such amazing and powerful stories and this one is no different. One of the hardest books I have ever read but such a powerful and important story
February 2, 2026
I want to thank NetGalley, Lisa See and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this book, for my honest opinion. First, I am a big fan of historical fiction and Lisa See's writing and her newest book, did not disappoint! She writes in such a way that one can visualize the scene, feel the pain, frustration, excitement, and every other emotion, and those emotions are so visceral one is horrified, sheds tears, laughs, pouts and cheers. This book is about three Chinese women in the late 1870's into the 1920's, when Chinese workers have finished the transcontinental railroad, living in what is now the Los Angeles area. These women are vastly different and the story is told from each of their viewpoints and what they want in their lives, love, freedom and justice. The research Ms. See did is very evident (she even includes some pictures), in the descriptions of the areas, the events, fashions, and attitudes of the people. If I was not already a fan, after reading this book I certainly would be!
June 20, 2026
Set in post–Civil War Los Angeles, the story follows three women whose lives are shaped by betrayal, loss, and the brutal machinery of human trafficking. Dove and Petal are taken from China under the guise of opportunity, only to be sold into prostitution the moment their feet touch American soil. Moon, educated and married to a respected doctor, should be safe, yet she’s pulled into their suffering simply because she refuses to look away.
What begins as a chance connection becomes a sisterhood built on fear, tenderness, and the belief that even in darkness, women save one another. Moon and her husband offer what protection they can, but rising anti‑Chinese hatred, culminating in the Chinese Massacre of 1871, also known as the Night of Horrors, threatens to destroy their fragile refuge.
This book is not gentle. The violence against women is graphic and emotionally heavy, yet honest. See never sensationalizes their pain, she honors it, forcing us to witness what history tried to bury. And still, amid the brutality, the story glows with connection, small kindnesses, whispered comfort, and the fierce loyalty of women who have only each other.
I finished this book shaken, grieving, and grateful. I had no idea how deeply rooted anti‑Chinese sentiment was in 19th‑century Los Angeles, or how many women were trafficked and erased. See brings them back into the light with compassion and unflinching truth.
🎙Narrator Spotlight - Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson, and Emily Woo Zeller each bring a distinct emotional truth to their characters, giving the women’s stories a voice that feels lived‑in and deeply human. Lisa See’s final audio note, explaining her personal connection to the story, made my broken heart ache even further.
What begins as a chance connection becomes a sisterhood built on fear, tenderness, and the belief that even in darkness, women save one another. Moon and her husband offer what protection they can, but rising anti‑Chinese hatred, culminating in the Chinese Massacre of 1871, also known as the Night of Horrors, threatens to destroy their fragile refuge.
This book is not gentle. The violence against women is graphic and emotionally heavy, yet honest. See never sensationalizes their pain, she honors it, forcing us to witness what history tried to bury. And still, amid the brutality, the story glows with connection, small kindnesses, whispered comfort, and the fierce loyalty of women who have only each other.
I finished this book shaken, grieving, and grateful. I had no idea how deeply rooted anti‑Chinese sentiment was in 19th‑century Los Angeles, or how many women were trafficked and erased. See brings them back into the light with compassion and unflinching truth.
🎙Narrator Spotlight - Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson, and Emily Woo Zeller each bring a distinct emotional truth to their characters, giving the women’s stories a voice that feels lived‑in and deeply human. Lisa See’s final audio note, explaining her personal connection to the story, made my broken heart ache even further.
June 14, 2026
Once again, I’ve been reminded of why reading historical fiction is so important. My eyes were opened to an event in our country’s history that I had never even heard of before!
🤔This story centers around “The Night of Horrors” in 1871 Los Angeles, on which angry mob attacked and killed Chinese immigrants.
❤️I loved the historical context of this story and how it was told from the perspectives of three Chinese women. Unfortunately, what had the potential to be a great story wasn’t well-executed.
🤷♀️Why not five stars?
Events leading up to the massacre covered 75 percent of the story. I agree that some of these details were important for setting the stage, but the pacing felt slow and repetitive to me. We finally get to the night in question, and then the aftermath is poured out with a barrage of information in the final ten percent.
I wish that the Night of Horrors had happened earlier in the story so that the impact could have been explored in a lengthier manner.
🤔Bottom line: I have seen several stellar reviews for this book, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Even though this is my least favorite novel by See, it could still be worthwhile for historical fiction lovers.
⚠️Profanity: none that I recall
Sexual: 2/5 (A main character is a sex worker, and many chapters are devoted to her experiences, although not in great detail.)
Other: Sexual exploitation, sexually transmitted diseases, miscarriage, lynchings, racism, gun violence
🫶🏼Thanks to @scribner and @netgalley for my ARC.
🤔This story centers around “The Night of Horrors” in 1871 Los Angeles, on which angry mob attacked and killed Chinese immigrants.
❤️I loved the historical context of this story and how it was told from the perspectives of three Chinese women. Unfortunately, what had the potential to be a great story wasn’t well-executed.
🤷♀️Why not five stars?
Events leading up to the massacre covered 75 percent of the story. I agree that some of these details were important for setting the stage, but the pacing felt slow and repetitive to me. We finally get to the night in question, and then the aftermath is poured out with a barrage of information in the final ten percent.
I wish that the Night of Horrors had happened earlier in the story so that the impact could have been explored in a lengthier manner.
🤔Bottom line: I have seen several stellar reviews for this book, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Even though this is my least favorite novel by See, it could still be worthwhile for historical fiction lovers.
⚠️Profanity: none that I recall
Sexual: 2/5 (A main character is a sex worker, and many chapters are devoted to her experiences, although not in great detail.)
Other: Sexual exploitation, sexually transmitted diseases, miscarriage, lynchings, racism, gun violence
🫶🏼Thanks to @scribner and @netgalley for my ARC.
June 12, 2026
I have enjoyed this author in the past & this newest novel was no exception. Her stories are usually difficult to read because she faces hard situations candidly & lets you know how difficult it is to be a woman in various time periods. This one is set in 1870's Los Angeles, about 20 years before her own great-grandparents moved to LA, as told in On Gold Mountain. The story leads up to the Chinese Massacre of 1871 & involves three very different women who are thrown into each other's paths. They become allies & later, unlikely friends, as they try to navigate this hostile environment & still feel valuable & happy. The three women are fascinating characters & I found myself drawn into the story. It's a very good read with some horrifying aspects.
January 20, 2026
Lisa See has long been a major voice in Asian historical fiction, and "Daughters of the Sun and Moon" is a powerful reminder of her strengths as a storyteller. While "Lady Tan’s Circle of Women" did not resonate with me as strongly as some of her earlier work, this novel once again showcases See’s ability to create an immersive and emotionally rich reading experience.
I adored getting to know Petal, Moon, and Dove. Each woman’s life unfolds in a distinct way, shaped by circumstance, tradition, and opportunity, yet their stories ultimately come together in meaningful and moving ways. The time period felt especially refreshing, as it is rarely explored in today’s historical fiction. The Night of Horrors, is an event that, as See explains in her author’s note, has largely been erased from the historical record. Reading about it through fiction was both sobering and illuminating.
One of Lisa See’s greatest strengths has always been her ability to fully transport readers into another time and place, and she does so beautifully here. The cultural detail, emotional depth, and care with which she approaches her characters make this a standout novel. I will be enthusiastically recommending "Daughters of the Sun and Moon" to patrons who love immersive, character-driven historical fiction that brings overlooked histories to life.
Thank you to Lisa See, Scribner, and Edelweiss for providing me with the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I adored getting to know Petal, Moon, and Dove. Each woman’s life unfolds in a distinct way, shaped by circumstance, tradition, and opportunity, yet their stories ultimately come together in meaningful and moving ways. The time period felt especially refreshing, as it is rarely explored in today’s historical fiction. The Night of Horrors, is an event that, as See explains in her author’s note, has largely been erased from the historical record. Reading about it through fiction was both sobering and illuminating.
One of Lisa See’s greatest strengths has always been her ability to fully transport readers into another time and place, and she does so beautifully here. The cultural detail, emotional depth, and care with which she approaches her characters make this a standout novel. I will be enthusiastically recommending "Daughters of the Sun and Moon" to patrons who love immersive, character-driven historical fiction that brings overlooked histories to life.
Thank you to Lisa See, Scribner, and Edelweiss for providing me with the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Currently Reading
November 15, 2025Very excited for See's new book! She's easily one of my favorite contemporary writers, and she introduced me to some fascinating eras of history!
June 12, 2026
This book is filled with so much pain. It follows three young Chinese women who came to Los Angeles in 1870, each carrying a story that broke my heart.
Petal is sold by her father and sent to America, where at seventeen she becomes a “wife” to a hundred men. Dove, with her bound feet, is forced into an arranged marriage with an older merchant. Moon is the most fortunate, yet even she lives with the lifelong damage of footbinding.
The three of them are tied together by circumstance, and seeing what they went through — the cruelty, the injustice, the harshness of the lives they were pushed into — was very heartbreaking.
Each chapter filled me with anger and sorrow. I was aware of footbinding, but witnessing it through their lived experiences made it feel unbearable. The 1871 Los Angeles massacre, the Night of Horrors, and the subsequent trials were entirely new historical events for me. I gained a deeper understanding of Chinese culture in the 1870s and of the difficult journey they faced in Gold Mountain, where dreams of a better life were met with hardship and suffering.
Lisa See deserves so much praise for telling a story this raw and this honest. The depth of research she poured into this book is extraordinary — from the cultural details to the historical events, you can feel how much investigation and care went into every chapter. Her writing is so engaging and beautifully crafted that even the most painful moments feel impossible to look away from.
It’s not an easy read, but it reveals a painful part of history in both China and Los Angeles with clarity and compassion. Historical fiction fans will appreciate it — just be ready for a story that truly hurts.
Petal is sold by her father and sent to America, where at seventeen she becomes a “wife” to a hundred men. Dove, with her bound feet, is forced into an arranged marriage with an older merchant. Moon is the most fortunate, yet even she lives with the lifelong damage of footbinding.
The three of them are tied together by circumstance, and seeing what they went through — the cruelty, the injustice, the harshness of the lives they were pushed into — was very heartbreaking.
Each chapter filled me with anger and sorrow. I was aware of footbinding, but witnessing it through their lived experiences made it feel unbearable. The 1871 Los Angeles massacre, the Night of Horrors, and the subsequent trials were entirely new historical events for me. I gained a deeper understanding of Chinese culture in the 1870s and of the difficult journey they faced in Gold Mountain, where dreams of a better life were met with hardship and suffering.
Lisa See deserves so much praise for telling a story this raw and this honest. The depth of research she poured into this book is extraordinary — from the cultural details to the historical events, you can feel how much investigation and care went into every chapter. Her writing is so engaging and beautifully crafted that even the most painful moments feel impossible to look away from.
It’s not an easy read, but it reveals a painful part of history in both China and Los Angeles with clarity and compassion. Historical fiction fans will appreciate it — just be ready for a story that truly hurts.
June 13, 2026
This is very dark for Lisa See. I’m going to step back for now (4h 42m left), knowing absolutely that my book club will make this one of our 2027 reads. The tone was just too heavy to continue.
The bleakness overwhelmed the story for me.
The bleakness overwhelmed the story for me.
June 9, 2026
5 stars
I enjoyed this historical fiction novel which focuses on three Chinese women living in Los Angeles in 1870-71. Each woman has come from different backgrounds, but face constrictions in their lives to varying degrees due to the men around them.
The chapters that focus on Petal are written in the first person and as the actions are happening, while Dove’s chapters written in third person, but also in the present (during 1870-71). Lastly, Moon’s chapters are written in first person, but as an old woman, looking back on the events of the past. I felt like I engaged most with Petal’s chapters.
The book starts off with a few exciting chapters, then it is a bit of slow burn for a while, and then the last half of the book becomes more exciting again.
I enjoyed learning about the lives of the Chinese in Los Angeles during 1870-71. The Night of Horrors has been mostly forgotten in American history, and books like this are essential to keeping the memory of those events alive so that they may not be repeated.
As always in Lisa See books, there are many aphorisms – Chinese proverbs – scattered throughout the book. I always enjoy these, especially the ones that still make so much sense today.
A good book for people who already enjoy Lisa See books. Also good for people who are interested in books that explore lesser known aspects of history, and for people who like to learn about other cultures.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster (Australia), and NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this historical fiction novel which focuses on three Chinese women living in Los Angeles in 1870-71. Each woman has come from different backgrounds, but face constrictions in their lives to varying degrees due to the men around them.
The chapters that focus on Petal are written in the first person and as the actions are happening, while Dove’s chapters written in third person, but also in the present (during 1870-71). Lastly, Moon’s chapters are written in first person, but as an old woman, looking back on the events of the past. I felt like I engaged most with Petal’s chapters.
The book starts off with a few exciting chapters, then it is a bit of slow burn for a while, and then the last half of the book becomes more exciting again.
I enjoyed learning about the lives of the Chinese in Los Angeles during 1870-71. The Night of Horrors has been mostly forgotten in American history, and books like this are essential to keeping the memory of those events alive so that they may not be repeated.
As always in Lisa See books, there are many aphorisms – Chinese proverbs – scattered throughout the book. I always enjoy these, especially the ones that still make so much sense today.
A good book for people who already enjoy Lisa See books. Also good for people who are interested in books that explore lesser known aspects of history, and for people who like to learn about other cultures.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster (Australia), and NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 4, 2026
History remembers the men who built railroads. It often forgets the women who survived beside them.
Set in the volatile streets of 1870s Los Angeles, this story follows three Chinese women, Dove, Petal, & Moon, whose lives unfold against one of the darkest and least discussed chapters of American history.
During the nineteenth century, thousands of Chinese immigrants crossed the Pacific chasing the promise of Gam Saan, aka Gold Mountain, the dream of prosperity in America. But while men arrived in large numbers for gold mines and railroad labor, women arrived under far crueler circumstances, through arranged marriages, trafficking, domestic servitude, and systems of debt bondage.
Dove represents the quiet violence of obedience, the Confucian ideal of the ‘Three Obediences,’ where a woman belonged first to her father, then her husband, then her son.
Petal reflects the brutal truth of women sold and commodified, many of whom were controlled by tongs, secret societies that often blurred the line between protection and exploitation.
& Moon, perhaps the most quietly devastating character stands at the intersection of intellect and rejection, where education cannot protect a woman from being deemed imperfect by society.
And looming over the narrative is the Chinese Massacre of 1871, one of the largest mass lynchings in American history - where a mob of nearly 500 people descended upon Los Angeles Chinatown, leaving at least 18 Chinese men murdered, homes destroyed, and justice denied.
A huge thank you to Lisa See and the Scribner team for sending me an ARC of this beautiful novel before release🩷
If you love literary historical fiction that is deeply researched, emotionally powerful, and rooted in forgotten history, this is absolutely a must-read.
Set in the volatile streets of 1870s Los Angeles, this story follows three Chinese women, Dove, Petal, & Moon, whose lives unfold against one of the darkest and least discussed chapters of American history.
During the nineteenth century, thousands of Chinese immigrants crossed the Pacific chasing the promise of Gam Saan, aka Gold Mountain, the dream of prosperity in America. But while men arrived in large numbers for gold mines and railroad labor, women arrived under far crueler circumstances, through arranged marriages, trafficking, domestic servitude, and systems of debt bondage.
Dove represents the quiet violence of obedience, the Confucian ideal of the ‘Three Obediences,’ where a woman belonged first to her father, then her husband, then her son.
Petal reflects the brutal truth of women sold and commodified, many of whom were controlled by tongs, secret societies that often blurred the line between protection and exploitation.
& Moon, perhaps the most quietly devastating character stands at the intersection of intellect and rejection, where education cannot protect a woman from being deemed imperfect by society.
And looming over the narrative is the Chinese Massacre of 1871, one of the largest mass lynchings in American history - where a mob of nearly 500 people descended upon Los Angeles Chinatown, leaving at least 18 Chinese men murdered, homes destroyed, and justice denied.
A huge thank you to Lisa See and the Scribner team for sending me an ARC of this beautiful novel before release🩷
If you love literary historical fiction that is deeply researched, emotionally powerful, and rooted in forgotten history, this is absolutely a must-read.
May 28, 2026
UPDATED Two weeks prior to release date:
Lisa writes in a way that puts me right by their sides. The sights, sounds, and smells of the environment. The pain and suffering they endured, both physical and mental. The fear and dread they felt. It was heart wrenching.
This book is packed full of historical significance. In the late 1800's their culture believed "an educated woman is a worthless woman". All three women are suffering through what was to become their destiny in different ways (as outlined in the About Summary). Having been sold, they arrived against their will. America is not exactly the promised land nor the land of opportunity for them. They had to do whatever was necessary to survive. They form a bond and lean on each other throughout their journeys for strength and perseverance.
The character development draws you into their lives from each one's point of view.
NOTE Reader Be Aware - Be sure to check Content Warnings. I'm adding vi0lɇncɇ and t0rturɇ.
Not yet published. Expected June 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner/Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Previously:
Five Stars. This review was on hold. When I received the approval from NetGalley it included a message from the publisher to schedule my review no more than 2 weeks before the publication date. I will update my full review here mid-May.
Lisa writes in a way that puts me right by their sides. The sights, sounds, and smells of the environment. The pain and suffering they endured, both physical and mental. The fear and dread they felt. It was heart wrenching.
This book is packed full of historical significance. In the late 1800's their culture believed "an educated woman is a worthless woman". All three women are suffering through what was to become their destiny in different ways (as outlined in the About Summary). Having been sold, they arrived against their will. America is not exactly the promised land nor the land of opportunity for them. They had to do whatever was necessary to survive. They form a bond and lean on each other throughout their journeys for strength and perseverance.
The character development draws you into their lives from each one's point of view.
NOTE Reader Be Aware - Be sure to check Content Warnings. I'm adding vi0lɇncɇ and t0rturɇ.
Not yet published. Expected June 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner/Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Previously:
Five Stars. This review was on hold. When I received the approval from NetGalley it included a message from the publisher to schedule my review no more than 2 weeks before the publication date. I will update my full review here mid-May.
February 6, 2026
This was one of my most anticipated novels of 2026. Lisa See did not disappoint! Learning about the main event of this book, I was shocked Id never heard the details surrounding it. Especially considering I have lived in California for the entirety of my adult life.
Without saying too much, this book is about three unlikely friends. Each of the women have incredible yet differing strengths while also remaining ignorant and innocent. They learn to lean on each other in order to survive and move forward from each obstacle they are forced to face. Set in post-civil war California, this story magnifies the most vulnerable voices of the time, women. These women were considered “worthless” in their culture, due to their genitals, and “worthless” in California due to their race. Still they manage to rise together to become pillars of their community in a story ending with hope and resolve
Thank you Lisa See for all of your hard work, the detail and research that went into writing this book was worth the wait! I look forward to hearing more at the book event for this one!
Without saying too much, this book is about three unlikely friends. Each of the women have incredible yet differing strengths while also remaining ignorant and innocent. They learn to lean on each other in order to survive and move forward from each obstacle they are forced to face. Set in post-civil war California, this story magnifies the most vulnerable voices of the time, women. These women were considered “worthless” in their culture, due to their genitals, and “worthless” in California due to their race. Still they manage to rise together to become pillars of their community in a story ending with hope and resolve
Thank you Lisa See for all of your hard work, the detail and research that went into writing this book was worth the wait! I look forward to hearing more at the book event for this one!
June 12, 2026
In October 1871, a mob of roughly five hundred Angelenos lynched, shot, and stabbed eighteen Chinese residents in a single night of frenzied violence. The dirt streets ran with blood. The bodies were stacked at a jail yard. Then, for more than a century, the city looked the other way. A freeway on-ramp eventually paved over the block where it happened. Lisa See has spent her career retrieving stories the official record preferred to misplace, and with Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See, she returns to her own city's most disgraceful chapter and dares us to look directly at it.
Three Women, Three Crossings, One Pueblo
The novel braids the lives of three Chinese women who land in the dusty, drunken, half-Confederate pueblo of Los Angeles in 1870.
Dove, seventeen, bound-footed, the daughter of a faded scholar in Canton, has been sold as a second wife to an aging merchant who will display her on a carved chair in his shop the way another man might display a porcelain vase.
Petal, eighteen, big-footed and barefoot, is tricked onto a boat by her father, sold to the Hip Yee Tong for forty Mexican silver dollars, auctioned naked in the Queen's Room at the Oriental Warehouse in San Francisco, and shipped south to the Midnight Garden bawdy house.
Moon, in her thirties, born and educated in Hong Kong, married to Dr. Chee Long "Gene" Tong, the most respected Chinese man in town, walks with a limp from a childhood infection and dresses like an American to please her husband's white patients.
They orbit each other for sixteen months along the Calle de los Negros before fate aligns them. Dove wants love. Petal wants to walk home. Moon wants justice. They will not get the things they want in the shape they asked for.
A Story Told in Three Voices
The architecture of the novel is its boldest swing. Moon narrates in the first person, looking back from 1926, an old woman of eighty-two writing because "the palest ink is better than the best memory." Petal narrates in the first person too, but in the bruised present, with the rawness of a girl still inside the trap. Dove gets the third person, distant and beautiful, the way her husband sees her, the way the newspapers will later describe her, "she of the almond eyes." It is a choice with a thesis. Dove is the woman who is told who she is and what she wants until the people deciding her fate cancel each other out. Pulling her language away from her on the page lets See make the reader feel that erasure in their teeth.
There are stretches where the third-person remove around Dove keeps her at arm's length even from us, which is the price of the device. Some readers may find her the hardest of the three to hold onto. That is, almost certainly, the point. But the cost is real.
The Craft of It
Lisa See's research has always been her quiet bragging right, and here she has poured years of archival work into the texture of every page. Justice of the Peace Gray's actual ledger. The Wing Chung store rebranded as Forever Prosperous. The Cantonese aphorisms threaded into dialogue the way salt threads a broth. Traditional Chinese medicine treated with the same careful precision as the courtroom procedure. Lao Tzu opens each part. A newspaper clipping from the Los Angeles Gazette opens it again, in a different register, screaming the racial language of the time so that no reader can pretend it was a quiet bigotry.
A few touches that land especially well:
Auntie Lau renaming the trafficked girls in the ship's hold after flowers, and calling it a gift.
A small white poodle named Winter Melon who somehow ended up in Moon's apartment and survived the massacre, drawn from a real newspaper detail.
The image of Dove embroidering a village pond for Petal, who has never spoken a single line to her, and slipping it into her palm when no one is looking.
The three meanings the women's husbands and customers attach to sex: "the husband-wife thing," "bed business," "clouds and rain," each phrase a small social atlas.
Where the Novel Wavers
A book this researched can occasionally read as if it is carrying its sources on its back. The court scenes that follow the Night of Horrors are historically devastating and morally necessary, but they slow the pulse considerably, and the cycle of habeas corpus, demurrer, mistrial, reversal can become a procedural recitation when the novel's emotional engine wants to be running elsewhere.
The aphorisms, which are part of the music, sometimes tip into instruction. A character explaining a saying to another character who would already know it is a small but recurring tic. And the supporting cast, especially the named henchmen and rival tong members, expands faster than memory can hold, so that by the time a particular Three-Finger Lee or Headman Yo returns, readers may need a beat to place him.
These are the complaints of a four-star reader, not a three. They do not undo the book. They are the friction of a writer reaching for a fuller record than fiction usually attempts.
Where It Sits in Her Body of Work
Readers who came to her through Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, or Shanghai Girls will recognize her interest in women whose friendships do the work that institutions refuse to do. Lady Tan's Circle of Women and The Island of Sea Women sharpened her ear for women as practitioners, as workers, as witnesses. Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See is the closest she has come to her 1995 family memoir On Gold Mountain, which traced her own great-great-grandfather's arrival in this same city. The pueblo on these pages is not a stage set. It is a place she has been walking for thirty years.
Who This Book Is For
Pick it up if you read Lisa See for the woman-to-woman bond underneath the embroidery and the herbs. Pick it up if you want a piece of American history that the curriculum quietly skipped. Approach it with care if you struggle with depictions of sexual violence, trafficking, or mob killing, because See does not look away and does not ask the reader to.
Closing Thought
Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See is not a comfortable read. It is also not, in the end, a hopeless one. The verdicts get reversed. The killers walk. The block gets paved. And yet three women sit on a porch in the Apablasa orchard, growing herbs, raising children, telling each other the old stories of the Moon Lady and the Spinning Maid, alive when the men with the rope wanted them dead. That is what See has done, again, with the patience of a woman embroidering a village onto silk: she has put them back where the city tried to forget them.
Three Women, Three Crossings, One Pueblo
The novel braids the lives of three Chinese women who land in the dusty, drunken, half-Confederate pueblo of Los Angeles in 1870.
Dove, seventeen, bound-footed, the daughter of a faded scholar in Canton, has been sold as a second wife to an aging merchant who will display her on a carved chair in his shop the way another man might display a porcelain vase.
Petal, eighteen, big-footed and barefoot, is tricked onto a boat by her father, sold to the Hip Yee Tong for forty Mexican silver dollars, auctioned naked in the Queen's Room at the Oriental Warehouse in San Francisco, and shipped south to the Midnight Garden bawdy house.
Moon, in her thirties, born and educated in Hong Kong, married to Dr. Chee Long "Gene" Tong, the most respected Chinese man in town, walks with a limp from a childhood infection and dresses like an American to please her husband's white patients.
They orbit each other for sixteen months along the Calle de los Negros before fate aligns them. Dove wants love. Petal wants to walk home. Moon wants justice. They will not get the things they want in the shape they asked for.
A Story Told in Three Voices
The architecture of the novel is its boldest swing. Moon narrates in the first person, looking back from 1926, an old woman of eighty-two writing because "the palest ink is better than the best memory." Petal narrates in the first person too, but in the bruised present, with the rawness of a girl still inside the trap. Dove gets the third person, distant and beautiful, the way her husband sees her, the way the newspapers will later describe her, "she of the almond eyes." It is a choice with a thesis. Dove is the woman who is told who she is and what she wants until the people deciding her fate cancel each other out. Pulling her language away from her on the page lets See make the reader feel that erasure in their teeth.
There are stretches where the third-person remove around Dove keeps her at arm's length even from us, which is the price of the device. Some readers may find her the hardest of the three to hold onto. That is, almost certainly, the point. But the cost is real.
The Craft of It
Lisa See's research has always been her quiet bragging right, and here she has poured years of archival work into the texture of every page. Justice of the Peace Gray's actual ledger. The Wing Chung store rebranded as Forever Prosperous. The Cantonese aphorisms threaded into dialogue the way salt threads a broth. Traditional Chinese medicine treated with the same careful precision as the courtroom procedure. Lao Tzu opens each part. A newspaper clipping from the Los Angeles Gazette opens it again, in a different register, screaming the racial language of the time so that no reader can pretend it was a quiet bigotry.
A few touches that land especially well:
Auntie Lau renaming the trafficked girls in the ship's hold after flowers, and calling it a gift.
A small white poodle named Winter Melon who somehow ended up in Moon's apartment and survived the massacre, drawn from a real newspaper detail.
The image of Dove embroidering a village pond for Petal, who has never spoken a single line to her, and slipping it into her palm when no one is looking.
The three meanings the women's husbands and customers attach to sex: "the husband-wife thing," "bed business," "clouds and rain," each phrase a small social atlas.
Where the Novel Wavers
A book this researched can occasionally read as if it is carrying its sources on its back. The court scenes that follow the Night of Horrors are historically devastating and morally necessary, but they slow the pulse considerably, and the cycle of habeas corpus, demurrer, mistrial, reversal can become a procedural recitation when the novel's emotional engine wants to be running elsewhere.
The aphorisms, which are part of the music, sometimes tip into instruction. A character explaining a saying to another character who would already know it is a small but recurring tic. And the supporting cast, especially the named henchmen and rival tong members, expands faster than memory can hold, so that by the time a particular Three-Finger Lee or Headman Yo returns, readers may need a beat to place him.
These are the complaints of a four-star reader, not a three. They do not undo the book. They are the friction of a writer reaching for a fuller record than fiction usually attempts.
Where It Sits in Her Body of Work
Readers who came to her through Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, or Shanghai Girls will recognize her interest in women whose friendships do the work that institutions refuse to do. Lady Tan's Circle of Women and The Island of Sea Women sharpened her ear for women as practitioners, as workers, as witnesses. Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See is the closest she has come to her 1995 family memoir On Gold Mountain, which traced her own great-great-grandfather's arrival in this same city. The pueblo on these pages is not a stage set. It is a place she has been walking for thirty years.
Who This Book Is For
Pick it up if you read Lisa See for the woman-to-woman bond underneath the embroidery and the herbs. Pick it up if you want a piece of American history that the curriculum quietly skipped. Approach it with care if you struggle with depictions of sexual violence, trafficking, or mob killing, because See does not look away and does not ask the reader to.
Closing Thought
Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See is not a comfortable read. It is also not, in the end, a hopeless one. The verdicts get reversed. The killers walk. The block gets paved. And yet three women sit on a porch in the Apablasa orchard, growing herbs, raising children, telling each other the old stories of the Moon Lady and the Spinning Maid, alive when the men with the rope wanted them dead. That is what See has done, again, with the patience of a woman embroidering a village onto silk: she has put them back where the city tried to forget them.
Read
February 19, 2026Review to come closer to pub date.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.
June 12, 2026
Phew. Wow. Tears in my eyes. This is one of the hardest books I've read. It is so good and cruel and only the friendship and love that these three women have for each other lifted my spirits enough to not totally break down. As hard as it is to read about these true events, it is so important that they don't get lost or forgotten, especially as racism anti-Asian hate is still so rampant. I cannot speak on it nearly as eloquently, but it was physically painful to read about how Chinese immigrants were considered less than citizens, treated horribly and with no rights to protect themselves. The Chinese women even more despised, brutalized, and mistreated. I so appreciated seeing how each woman never gave up and went through unimaginable things to try and help themselves and other women, and that is the most uplifting part of this story. The characters are so well written and the emotions are just incredible. It is a hard read, but so beautifully written and well researched that it will now stick with me forever.
Note: the audiobook is fantastic, and wow did it give me goosebumps almost the entire time. The three narrators brought these women back to life in such a poignant way.
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy and ALC; my thoughts and review are my own.
Note: the audiobook is fantastic, and wow did it give me goosebumps almost the entire time. The three narrators brought these women back to life in such a poignant way.
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy and ALC; my thoughts and review are my own.
May 29, 2026
Of the books I've read written by Lisa See, she has never let me down!! She does a fantastic job weaving actual history, female empowerment, and Chinese culture into an enthralling story that keeps your attention whilst also providing information that may not be well known. I had never heard of the Chinese Massacre of 1871, but I learned so much thanks to Daughters of the Sun and Moon. The author includes an afterword highlighting the portions of the story that are nonfiction and where she took more creative liberties. I loved the way she integrated Dove's story into the tong violence and eventual lynching of many Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles. Petal was my favorite character; her tenacity, drive, and intelligence formed her into someone I could really admire and root for. Moon's story was tragic and left me feeling so much sadness, but with that empathy I also felt the small joy that came from so much tragedy. Lisa See expertly builds feminine characters with so many dimensions and layers I can't properly express everything I felt by the end of Daughters of Sun and Moon. If you enjoy historical fiction with a heavy dose of real events, emotional damage, understanding the dark, racist history of the USA, and characters whose stories feel inspiring and joyful despite massive loss - pick this one up immediately!!
Thank you to Scribner for sending me an early copy!
Thank you to Scribner for sending me an early copy!
June 17, 2026
Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See is an engrossing historical fiction novel that follows three Chinese immigrant women in Los Angeles in the 1870's.
Lisa See really knows how to develop her characters and help her audience feel fully immersed in her stories. This is particularly true in this novel.
We meet Moon, the wife of a respected doctor, Dove, the striking beauty who is brought to LA to be the trophy wife of a much older man, and Petal who is sold by her family to be a prostitute. These three women are thrown together despite being very different and what unfolds is a story of hardship, prejudice, and resilience.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Lisa See really knows how to develop her characters and help her audience feel fully immersed in her stories. This is particularly true in this novel.
We meet Moon, the wife of a respected doctor, Dove, the striking beauty who is brought to LA to be the trophy wife of a much older man, and Petal who is sold by her family to be a prostitute. These three women are thrown together despite being very different and what unfolds is a story of hardship, prejudice, and resilience.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
June 14, 2026
I wanted to love it, but something about it fell flat for me
June 17, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ Another forgotten and horrific period in US History. Told from three different perspectives and in Lisa Sees beautiful writing.
June 11, 2026
Daughters of the Sun and Moon is a post-Civil War story of three women brought together through prostitution, hardship, heartbreak, and the struggle for survival.
Three women connect in Los Angeles in the late 1800s under the most unfortunate and difficult circumstances. Dove is given in an arranged marriage to an older man who brings her to Los Angeles (from China) to work as a prostitute. Petal is the daughter of a peasant who sells her for money to buy seed. When she arrives in Los Angeles (from China), she is sold again and this time into prostitution. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, is educated, and speaks fluent English. These three women form a friendship and an alliance of sorts. Moon and her husband do what they can to make life easier for the girls who are forced into prostitution. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in the Los Angeles area and leads to the Night of Horrors, which complicates all their lives with new challenges. All they have is each other.
This is a story of hardship, violence toward women, survival, and friendship. The violence toward women is quite graphic, tragic, and unrelenting. Reader beware.
Lisa See can be counted on to write a well-researched and well-written story. I was unaware of the anti-Chinese sentiment in Los Angeles and the trafficking of Asian women in the late 1800s.
See’s writing is the only reason I made it through this difficult and troubling story. I took frequent breaks to read something lighter. She provides a hopeful ending for these survivors, which is some consolation.
Fans of Lisa See will want to be reading this new release, but I must caution you about the violence toward women and prejudice against the Chinese. If you are a Los Angeles resident or Asian American, you will find that the recounting of the Night of Horrors (Chinese Massacre of 1891) is compelling and tragic. The author wrote this story to inform us all about what happened.
Thanks #NetGalley @ScribnerBooks for a complimentary eARC of #DaughtersOfTheSunAndMoon upon my request. All opinions are my own.
For more reviews visit my blog www.readingladies.com where this review was first published.
Intense, graphic violence toward women, and troubling content. RTC…
Three women connect in Los Angeles in the late 1800s under the most unfortunate and difficult circumstances. Dove is given in an arranged marriage to an older man who brings her to Los Angeles (from China) to work as a prostitute. Petal is the daughter of a peasant who sells her for money to buy seed. When she arrives in Los Angeles (from China), she is sold again and this time into prostitution. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, is educated, and speaks fluent English. These three women form a friendship and an alliance of sorts. Moon and her husband do what they can to make life easier for the girls who are forced into prostitution. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in the Los Angeles area and leads to the Night of Horrors, which complicates all their lives with new challenges. All they have is each other.
This is a story of hardship, violence toward women, survival, and friendship. The violence toward women is quite graphic, tragic, and unrelenting. Reader beware.
Lisa See can be counted on to write a well-researched and well-written story. I was unaware of the anti-Chinese sentiment in Los Angeles and the trafficking of Asian women in the late 1800s.
See’s writing is the only reason I made it through this difficult and troubling story. I took frequent breaks to read something lighter. She provides a hopeful ending for these survivors, which is some consolation.
Fans of Lisa See will want to be reading this new release, but I must caution you about the violence toward women and prejudice against the Chinese. If you are a Los Angeles resident or Asian American, you will find that the recounting of the Night of Horrors (Chinese Massacre of 1891) is compelling and tragic. The author wrote this story to inform us all about what happened.
Thanks #NetGalley @ScribnerBooks for a complimentary eARC of #DaughtersOfTheSunAndMoon upon my request. All opinions are my own.
For more reviews visit my blog www.readingladies.com where this review was first published.
Intense, graphic violence toward women, and troubling content. RTC…
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