The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Positively delightful. Historical fiction at its best — tastes like fiction, imparts knowledge like nonfiction. Dolssa, a naive, noble young mystic, barely escapes being burned for heresy in late 13th century France, and is taken in and nursed back to health by Botille and her two peasant sisters in the seaside village of Baja. First repelled by the course sisters and their unfamiliar ways, Dolssa loses her passionate connection to Jhesus and fears that he has forsaken her forever. Circumstances force Dolssa to call upon her beloved to aid villagers in need, including the kindly but strange sisters, and she discovers a mystical ability to heal others. Word of Dolssa’s miracles quickly spread to the Christian inquisitors from whose grasp Dolssa narrowly escaped, and Botille fears that her act of charity toward the young mystic will bring tragedy upon the entire village. If you’re curious about domestic Crusades in Europe, the Inquisition, and you enjoy stories about strong women facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, then you’ll love The Passion of Dolssa. ~ Ms Dimmick

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Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pearl and May Chen are “beautiful girls” in pre-WWII Shanghai, living a modern and glamorous life posing for calendar covers and shopping for the latest fashions. Their beautiful life comes crashing down when their father announces that he has gambled away all of their wealth and arranged for them to marry a pair of American Chinese brothers seeking Chinese brides. As they consider their fate, Japanese bombs begin to bombard their beloved Shanghai, and they begin a harrowing and horrific journey from Shanghai to Los Angeles. As they await release from the wretched Angel Island immigration facility, their sisterly bond is cemented forever with an inescapable secret. This secret, coupled with petty jealousies and misunderstandings, threatens to cleave the sisters’ relationship forever. The story is compelling and well written, but a second best to the author’s earlier novel, Snowflower and the Secret Fan.  Below, watch author Lisa See describe her book, and illustrate the sisters’ world in China and LA in the 1930s and 40s.

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SHANGHAI GIRLS by Lisa See from Expanded Books on Vimeo.