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Search - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Author: |
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Book Information
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Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Audio CD (Abridged), Audio CD (Abridged), Paperback, Paperback, Paperback, Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD (Abridged), Hardcover
Book Description:
Lily is haunted by memories-of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.
In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (“women's writing”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.
With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become “old sames” at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.
In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (“women's writing”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.
With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become “old sames” at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.
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Top Member Book Reviews
55 member(s) found this review helpful.
I couldn't put this book down. A truly amazing work!
When Lily is matched with Snow Flower as a laotong (lifelong friend), everything seems magnificent. But when the true reason for the loatong match is revealed, only time will tell whether their friendship will survive. The story, as told by Lily who has reached the end of her long life, is filled with both the joys and sorrows of girls growing up in early 1800's China. It is filled with detailed accounts of the Chinese culture of those times and the harsh realities of those who lived in rural China. A fascinating and gripping tale of the strength of women, even if they are considered as lesser beings by the society around them.
A must-read for anyone who enjoys first-person narrative and historical fiction.
When Lily is matched with Snow Flower as a laotong (lifelong friend), everything seems magnificent. But when the true reason for the loatong match is revealed, only time will tell whether their friendship will survive. The story, as told by Lily who has reached the end of her long life, is filled with both the joys and sorrows of girls growing up in early 1800's China. It is filled with detailed accounts of the Chinese culture of those times and the harsh realities of those who lived in rural China. A fascinating and gripping tale of the strength of women, even if they are considered as lesser beings by the society around them.
A must-read for anyone who enjoys first-person narrative and historical fiction.
23 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wow! I was very impressed with this book. This was my first look into the Chinese culture and now I'm hooked. I had no idea what foot binding entailed and it was so interesting to learn of a female's upbringing and place in society. Would make a great book club read. Highly recommended.
23 member(s) found this review helpful.
A beautiful and emotional of two girls growing up in 18th century China. This book is well written. It gives a look into Chinese culture, traditions, and the role of women.
21 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a wonderful story that tells us so much about the Chinese culture at that time and also is a story for women, about the strength of women and the bond between women. Great book!! Highly recommended!
19 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is an extraordinary story! Loved every word in it, all the way through to the end. Even though the setting is a world so very different from this one, Lisa See manages to make the reader feel completely at home there.
18 member(s) found this review helpful.
I found this book to be extremely overrated. I wouldn't have finished it except for thinking that so many people can't be wrong; maybe if I read fifty more pages I'll become entranced...
Well, I was wrong. When the story was over and done with, yeah, the plot was good, the writing was good... except for one crucial little detail. I found I really didn't care what happened to the characters; none of them seemed real or deep.
Well, I was wrong. When the story was over and done with, yeah, the plot was good, the writing was good... except for one crucial little detail. I found I really didn't care what happened to the characters; none of them seemed real or deep.
Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews
2 Words that describe the book: Chinese woman friendship (OK...it is just not enough to have only two words!)
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
1. Setting: a Hunan county in nineteenth century China
2. Lily—the daughter of a farmer who lucks into a special relationship with another girl (called laotong, this relationship is a lifelong emotional match between two women) and experiences upward mobility as a result of this friendship and her golden lotuses (her perfectly bound feet).
3. Snow Flower—Lily's laotong match ("old same"), Snow Flower teaches Lily the ways of the upper class to help prepare Lily for her marriage. In return, Snow Flower learns the practicalities of keeping a household. One such skill that Snow Flower teaches Lily is the art of nu shu (secret women's writing), which the two girls use to communicate on a silk fan throughout their lives.
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
1. I liked learning about a time and culture that I was unfamiliar with. The world of Lily and Snow Flower is so different from my existence as a 20th century American woman. I was both horrified and fascinated by the way they lived. From learning about the horrors of footbinding to the level of worth that a woman held in that society was eye-opening and absorbing. I knew very little about footbinding until I read this book. Let me tell you: the footbinding scenes are just so upsetting and graphic that I kept trying to look away from the page while reading. I found the entire process to be stomach-churning, and when I Googled "footbinding," I saw photos that I wish I'd never looked at. (Let me sum it up this way: 3 inch feet.) And as a woman, it was painful to read about a woman's worth (or lack thereof) in that culture.
2. I liked how Lily was a fully developed character. At times, I admired her. At other times, I thought she was horrible. She tells her story from her vantage point of being an old lady (during her days of "sitting quietly") in an effort to gain forgiveness for her behaviors before she journeys to the afterlife.
3. I liked how Lisa See created this world that I felt fully immersed in while reading. See did a brilliant job of bringing these characters and settings alive that, when I stopped reading, I had to take a moment to reorient myself to the modern world. I also loved the delicate and poetic language that See uses and that permeates Chinese culture and language.
4. I liked how emotionally invested I got in the story. When Snow Flower died (and I'm not spoiling anything by telling you that), I cried. This is a story of "deep heart love" between two women, and I think the friendship felt true and genuine.
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I'm giving the book 4.5 stars. I thought it was beautifully written, and the story of the friendship between Lily and Snow Flower was absorbing and emotional. If you like learning about different cultures and being immersed in a world very unlike our own, I would highly recommend this book. Even if you don't like learning about other cultures, I still recommend this book. The story will stick with you for a long time, and I suspect you'll be drawn into Lily and Snow Flower's friendship and world as fully as I was. I'll definitely be reading more of Lisa See's books.
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
1. Setting: a Hunan county in nineteenth century China
2. Lily—the daughter of a farmer who lucks into a special relationship with another girl (called laotong, this relationship is a lifelong emotional match between two women) and experiences upward mobility as a result of this friendship and her golden lotuses (her perfectly bound feet).
3. Snow Flower—Lily's laotong match ("old same"), Snow Flower teaches Lily the ways of the upper class to help prepare Lily for her marriage. In return, Snow Flower learns the practicalities of keeping a household. One such skill that Snow Flower teaches Lily is the art of nu shu (secret women's writing), which the two girls use to communicate on a silk fan throughout their lives.
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
1. I liked learning about a time and culture that I was unfamiliar with. The world of Lily and Snow Flower is so different from my existence as a 20th century American woman. I was both horrified and fascinated by the way they lived. From learning about the horrors of footbinding to the level of worth that a woman held in that society was eye-opening and absorbing. I knew very little about footbinding until I read this book. Let me tell you: the footbinding scenes are just so upsetting and graphic that I kept trying to look away from the page while reading. I found the entire process to be stomach-churning, and when I Googled "footbinding," I saw photos that I wish I'd never looked at. (Let me sum it up this way: 3 inch feet.) And as a woman, it was painful to read about a woman's worth (or lack thereof) in that culture.
2. I liked how Lily was a fully developed character. At times, I admired her. At other times, I thought she was horrible. She tells her story from her vantage point of being an old lady (during her days of "sitting quietly") in an effort to gain forgiveness for her behaviors before she journeys to the afterlife.
3. I liked how Lisa See created this world that I felt fully immersed in while reading. See did a brilliant job of bringing these characters and settings alive that, when I stopped reading, I had to take a moment to reorient myself to the modern world. I also loved the delicate and poetic language that See uses and that permeates Chinese culture and language.
4. I liked how emotionally invested I got in the story. When Snow Flower died (and I'm not spoiling anything by telling you that), I cried. This is a story of "deep heart love" between two women, and I think the friendship felt true and genuine.
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I'm giving the book 4.5 stars. I thought it was beautifully written, and the story of the friendship between Lily and Snow Flower was absorbing and emotional. If you like learning about different cultures and being immersed in a world very unlike our own, I would highly recommend this book. Even if you don't like learning about other cultures, I still recommend this book. The story will stick with you for a long time, and I suspect you'll be drawn into Lily and Snow Flower's friendship and world as fully as I was. I'll definitely be reading more of Lisa See's books.
A great book about two best friends. Touching, well written, and interesting to read about a culture completely different than the American culture.
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