Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Here's the author's website for a full synopsis.
This is a good one! (I guess I don't read "bad" books because I seem to like all of the ones I've read lately!) My mom suggested this after I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (it's the same author). A note about the author: I mentioned in a previous post that she was not Chinese, but I read her bio and I think her father was Chinese, at least part, if not full. If you've ever seen her picture, you'll see why I assumed she wasn't. As well as that she did research in China as a "foreigner" so I thought she was not of Chinese decent.
Anyways, I have to say that I liked this one better than Snow Flower. It's starts in the 1930's in Shanghai and follows the lives of two sisters who fall from their comfortable statuses in Shanghai to poverty and tragedy when their father loses everything to gambling. They are sold as wives to be sent to California. I found it easier to envision and "relate" to because it's more recent times than Snow Flower. This is the next generation after foot binding. It's a great story. My only complaint is the ending. It seems like it is set up for a sequel. If it isn't, then I really don't like the ending because it really leaves the reader hanging.
Content warning: There is a rape scene that is disturbing. Other than that, there is very little sexuality and language.

The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor

I loved this book! It's about a family in Ireland in the 1920's. The father, mother and 8 year old daughter, Lucy, live in a big house and land that has been in the family for a long time. They love their life and home there, but their safety is threatened because of the unrest in Ireland and a strong opposition to the English (Lucy's mom is originally from England). After stopping an arson attempt by some young men, the father decides to move the family to England for their protection. No one wants to leave their beloved home, but Lucy doesn't understand the situation her family is in. The night before their planned departure, Lucy runs away, hoping to delay and ultimately stop their move to England. Not long after leaving home, Lucy breaks her ankle in the woods near her home. Her family looks for her only to find evidence that leads them to believe she has drowned in the ocean. Her parents assume she's dead, stop looking for her, and in their overwhelming grief, leave for England as planned. This story is all about choices, consequences, misunderstandings, and guilt.
I really enjoyed it. The ending dragged on a bit for my liking, but overall I liked it a lot. It's fantastic writing. I found it to be a very tragic, but not depressing story. It's also very clean. No sex, no profanity, so it's a good suggestion for a book club that might have more sensitive members. I would love to hear other opinions on it if/when anyone else reads it!