Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada, June 9, 2026

Format: ebook

Pages: 384

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary (From Goodreads):

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds.

In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain – America – where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many. 

Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. 

Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance and ability to ‘eat bitterness,’ discover their voices, find freedom and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.

My Review:

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: immigration stories, multiple perspectives
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The book follows Dove, Petal, and Moon as they are thrust into new lives in Los Angeles in the 1800s, where they witness a massacre of Chinese citizens.
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This was a great story and I appreciated how all three perspectives offered different insights into the different experiences of Chinese women who moved to America and the racism and discrimination they experienced. Lisa See never disappoints and if you love historical fiction you should definitely check this out!