China Dolls

In 1938, Grace, Helen, and Ruby cross paths in San Francisco, each looking for a kind of escape. The novel's chapters alternate between each woman's perspective, allowing narrator Jodi Long to escape into each personality and experience while keeping characters straight for listeners. The trio find work as "ponies" (dancers) in bustling Chinatown and bond quickly, but questions remain unasked and secrets linger, setting the stage for painful and costly misunderstandings. Long's performance hinges on her ability to bring emotion to the surface, particularly during sensitive and comic scenes. She's adept at managing an array of personalities while taking special delight in delivering the colloquial language of the 1940s. A perfect blend of history and performance. A.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from March 17, 2014
In the beginning of See’s (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) stellar ninth book, three young women, Grace, Helen, and Ruby, meet and form an unlikely but strong bond in San Francisco in 1938, as the Golden Gate International Exhibition is about to open. Grace has run from an abusive father in the Midwest; Helen is trapped by her traditional family in Chinatown after a devastating loss; Ruby is Japanese, desperate to pass as Chinese to stay employed as the U.S. moves closer to war with Japan. They become performers at the Forbidden City Nightclub and face the difficulty of being Asian in an Occidental world, as well as the additional conflict of prejudice within their own community. The novel spans 50 years, following the women’s tumultuous personal lives and roller-coaster career choices. Yet somehow the three always find a way back to each other, and come through for each other in the darkest of times. The story alternates between their viewpoints, with each woman’s voice strong and dynamic, developing a multilayered richness as it progresses. The depth of See’s characters and her winning prose makes this book a wonderful journey through love and loss.