An emotional and interesting look at a piece of historical China I knew nothing about. The reader follows Pei on her journey from a young child to adulthood after being given away by her family at the age of eight to work in a silk factory to earn money for her family who she never sees. She faces many hardships but also some joy. While I never felt an overarching tension building up toward the novel's resolution--it was more a series of anecdotes that didn't always go someplace--I still enjoyed the book and loved getting lost in its world.