A first novel which became a major US film. From the wealthy homes of pre-Revolutionary China to downtown San Francisco, this is the story of four mothers and their first-generation Chinese-American daughters; two generations of women struggling to come to terms with their cultural identity.
Olivia is only 5 years old when Kwan, her 17 year-old half sister arrives from China and turns her world upside down. Olivia wants only to lead a normal American life, but her childhood betrayal of Kwan has lasting consequences.
Created and edited by Justin Kestler and Ben Florman, SparkNotes Literature Guides provide analysis of (currently) 175 classic works of English and foreign language literature - novels, biographies, plays and poetry - that most commonly appear on examination syllabuses. These books provide the insights that today's students need to know.