I really liked this book, both for the storytelling and for the glimpse into a foreign world, that of Shanghai in the early 1900s. I thought there was just enough description to transport me into Violet's world (and later the world of her mother, Lucretia) but not so much that it took me out of the story. I did, however, think it went on too long. I also didn't like switching to another character's point-of-view (Lucretia's) so late in the book, but I realize that was necessary to understand both mother's and daughter's vantage points. All in all, a beautiful and often heart-wrenching look at the complex relationship between mothers and daughters.