Dreams of Joy, the sequel to the acclaimed Shanghai Girls, continues the story right where See left it off at the end of the first book. To anyone thinking of picking this up before its predecessor, I would advise not to - Dreams of Joy has a lot more context and depth if you read the 'origin story' before continuing on, and this goes for both understanding the development of China as well as the fictional story taking place within a very real world. 
 This time, the book splits between two perspectives - the protagonist of the first book, Pearl, and her daughter, Joy. Joy's point of view begins on her harsh treatment as she becomes an 'Overseas Chinese' returning to communist China, quickly progressing through her finding her biological father and then deciding to stay within rural China to help the Great Leap Forward. This decision eventually turns her away from her mother, Pearl, who we followed trying to find Joy again after reuniting with old faces in Shanghai. 
 Reading both about Pearl's experiences in Shanghai and Joy's in the Green Dragon Village, a commune that struggles to fulfill Mao's orders in following the Great Leap Forward, is an intense and informative experience. There were unexpected twists along the way which hit the reader hard, and at one point I genuinely feared for the lives of certain characters as the stakes rose ever higher. Dreams of Joy brought the dangers and tragedies of the Great Leap Forward to life in a way other books have failed to do. 
 Although I do understand the critique regarding the ending of the book, I personally didn't feel it took away from the rest of the story for me. I would say this book satisfies more of a historical interest than one for the personal stories - that said, I both thought it brought ample closure to May, Pearl, and Joy and also fulfilled its purpose in giving a bright, brief insight into communist China from the eyes of the common people.