Goodreads | Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

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Michele rated it:

04/16/08

Read in February, 2007

An Excellent Choice for Book Clubs

I had a hard time putting down this book and felt utterly transported to a village in the Hunan province in central south China during the early to mid-nineteenth century. The narrator, 80-year-old Lily, who refers to herself as one who has "yet to die," tells the story of her life. She has outlived her family members and relates the story of her formative years--and her relationship with another woman, Snow Flower. This well written tale i...more

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Jeana rated it:

05/07/08

bookshelves: my-favorite-books

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Jeana by: Susannah
recommends it for: Susannah

Wow. I just finished this book and wanted to come write about it immediately so I don't forget how it made me feel. First off, the language is beautiful and so fitting for the context. The two girls--Snow Flower and Lily--have a friendship that is beautiful and is fun to pick out little pieces from my own childhood/current friendships that I recognize and adore.

My next thoughts are not necessarily critiques of the book, but of the way the Chinese thought: I had a real problem with hear...more Wow. I just finished this book and wanted to come write about it immediately so I don't forget how it made me feel. First off, the language is beautiful and so fitting for the context. The two girls--Snow Flower and Lily--have a friendship that is beautiful and is fun to pick out little pieces from my own childhood/current friendships that I recognize and adore.

My next thoughts are not necessarily critiques of the book, but of the way the Chinese thought: I had a real problem with hearing over and over how worthless a woman is if she cannot produce a son. If that were still the case, I would be as worthless as they come. It bothered me that daughters were considered better off if they died than to live. And I thought Lily perpetuated that as unfeeling as the patriarchs who instilled that thought process to begin with.

And don't get me started on footbinding. I know this is a cultural thing that I cannot begin to comprehend (such as people who still practice polygamy, I realize they see it happening in their families and think that is just the way life is, but still, how could they not think this through?) I mean, one of of ten girls died from footbinding. And not only does it make the foot look grotesque (which they thought was beautiful) but they were practically crippled for the rest of their lives. They had to be carried most distances after the age of six. It's simply ridiculous.

But reading this book made me want to learn to embroider. I know it sounds ridiculous but I was actually looking for embroidery classes in the area where I could learn how to do it. And I want to do it with my daughter. The visual of these women embroidering together. It's just beautiful.

There were so many beautiful quotes that I thought I'd list my favorites:

This thought is a real comfort to me: "Everyone knows that part of the spirit descends to the afterworld, while part of it remains with the family, but we have a special belief about the spirit of a young woman who has died before her marriage that goes contrary to this. She comes back to prey upon other unmarried girls--not to scare them but to take them to the afterworld with her so she might have company."

This is particarly interesting to me because after my daughter died, Biance would tell me about going to heaven with Miranda every night while she dreamed. I believed it then and this confirms it to me.

Another quote I liked about teachers:
"The classics tell us that, in relationships, the one between teacher and student comes second only to the one between parent and child."

The last one is a bit lengthy, but I like it nonetheless:
"If it is perfectly acceptable for a widow to disfigure herself or commit suicide to save face for her husband's family, why should a mother not be moved to extreme action by the loss of a child or children? We are their caretakers. We love them. We nurse them when they are sick. . . But no woman should live longer than her children. It is against the law of nature. If she does, why wouldn't she wish to leap from a cliff, hang from a branch, or swallow lye?"

Overall, this was a sad, beautiful book....less

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Lisa rated it:

07/03/08

bookshelves: bookclub, fiction, reviewed

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: those interested in women in 19th century rural China or who enjoy learning about other cultures

I ended up enjoying this book because it was so beautifully written and it took me deep into a world so unlike my own; thank goodness for that! This story takes place in China’s Hunan Province in the 1800s and is more about the inner lives of the women than the men.

I had a complete misconception of what foot binding entailed. It’s completely different, and so much more brutal a practice than I ever could have imagined. There were also many examples given of what I consider other horrend...more I ended up enjoying this book because it was so beautifully written and it took me deep into a world so unlike my own; thank goodness for that! This story takes place in China’s Hunan Province in the 1800s and is more about the inner lives of the women than the men.

I had a complete misconception of what foot binding entailed. It’s completely different, and so much more brutal a practice than I ever could have imagined. There were also many examples given of what I consider other horrendous customs and beliefs. I’ve always believed that tradition and culture that harms is not worth preserving and reading about these people’s lives was a painful experience. The story is fiction but well researched so I’m assuming there was much truth about how women led their lives in that time and place.

I was able to feel some empathy for the storywriter, because I could understand her longing to be loved and the difficulties she had in her upbringing that formed her personality, even though I sometimes had a hard time liking her and many of the characters. I was also irritated by so much of the book. I loathe stories where there’s a horrible miscommunication or misunderstanding that seems so unnecessary, and there’s an example of that here. Also, throughout the book, the narrator is writing the story of her life for another/others in her culture to read, yet the whole time I felt she was educating us in our time & places. So frequently the line “as you know” or “as everyone knows” is used to start a sentence, and I just kept thinking that if everyone knows it the narrator wouldn’t need to say it in that way. The narrator also most of the way through the book alludes to something she’s going to tell the reader and it got to the point where, instead of following along with the story, I just wanted to see what she was going to reveal.

I think that it’s worth it to read the paperback copy because of Lisa See’s notes at the end about the writing of this book,. Perhaps they were there in the hardcover version as well, but often additions such as this aren’t there at publication of the hardcover edition. Also, the paperback has some discussion questions at the end which might come in handy as I read this book for my book club.

The plot & characters did make me think about however women are regarded and what is considered beautiful in various cultures, including our own, can powerfully influence women’s lives. And they also highlight how our various expectations of ourselves and others imposed by our societies can influence human beings. It also made me think a lot about the corrosive power of unresolved anger and trauma.
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Garnette rated it:

03/20/08

bookshelves: reading-now

Read in March, 2008

My book club was more interested in talking about their trips to China than See's book. So I am happy for Good Reads. While I found the writing journalistic: that is competent, extremely well researched, fast paced, page-turning, I cannot truly say it was well written. No phrase or passage noteworthy for its beauty or addition to literature. I was fascinated, however, by the potential for beautiful prose but lists just don't do that for me. The publisher's missed an opportunity to replicate the ...more

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Jen rated it:

08/06/08

bookshelves: historical-fiction

Read in August, 2008

Every once in a while after finishing a book I am reluctant to pick up another one. I need to spend a few days thinking and picking apart the book processing new things learned, deciding how it fits in with my world view, admiring prose, and analyzing if I really "believe" the story and accept the author's conclusions. This book had all of that.

New things: nu shu a secret written language of women a thousand years old. And foot binding, I was horribly fascinated and oddly tou...more

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Michele rated it:

02/05/08

Read in January, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I just finished this book today. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I need to spend a day or two reflecting on the story to complete this review!

OK-Here is my review: This is a fascinating, well researched book about the lives of two girls who grew up in China in the 19th century during a time when women were not respected or cherished, and painful footbinding was part of their growing up years. The book is well researched and gives compelling insight into Chinese culture, includ...more I just finished this book today. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I need to spend a day or two reflecting on the story to complete this review!

OK-Here is my review: This is a fascinating, well researched book about the lives of two girls who grew up in China in the 19th century during a time when women were not respected or cherished, and painful footbinding was part of their growing up years. The book is well researched and gives compelling insight into Chinese culture, including superstitions, values and beliefs during that time. The book gave a remarkable account of the childhoods and adulthoods of the two main characters, Lily and Snow Flower. You really need to read the book to capture the depth and complexities of their intimate and binding relationship. There were several surprises in this book that I wasn't prepared for at all and I won't go into detail about them. Maybe I didn't need to put a spoiler alert on for this review? I must say that one of the unexpected turns that took place was when Lily jumped to the wrong conclusion about a message she had from Snow Flower. OK, spoiler coming. Stop here if you don't want to know what happened. Lily mistook what Snow Flower said to her in a message. As a result, she was devestated, felt betrayed, and for her their friendship ended at that moment. Rather than engage in a dialog between her laotong, she emotionally shut herself off from the relationship. Snow Flower, who was unsure why Lily had cut her off, made attempts to communicate with her but, Lily felt too betrayed to respond or acknowlege these attempts. However, when Lily learned that Snow Flower was terminally ill, she went to be at her bedside and nurse her, never leaving her side. It was only after Snow Flower died that evidence turned up that Lily completely misinterpreted the devestating message from Snow Flower. So, Lily had to learn to deal with the guilt of the pain she caused Snow Flower with her painful rejection as well as the guilt she felt from a particular day when she verbally lashed out her angry feelings to Snow Flower saying words that she could never take back. The rest of the book, of course, is the story of how Lily goes on to honor her "old same" Snow Flower and make up her mistakes by embracing the future of grandchild so she would have a better future. This is my favorite book of all time! Highly recommended!...less

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Kathryn rated it:

(review of isbn 1400060281)

04/27/07

Read in April, 2007

recommends it for: Women

Being thousands of miles away from my closest female friends, I sometimes forget just how much I love them, and what it's like to share an intensely close friendship with another woman. "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" resurfaced those feelings for me, and reminded me of the complexity of human relationships.

At the beginning of the novel, I found myself immediately immersed in Lily's world. I didn't want to put the book down. I thought the author did a wonderful job weaving in d...more

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Erika rated it:

06/12/08

Read in July, 2006

recommends it for: no one

I had high hopes for this book, but ended up feeling deflated and disappointed. Two aspects of the book were interesting: descriptions of the practice of Chinese footbinding, and an exploration of 'nu shu,' the written language Chinese women developed to communicate exclusively with each other.

Unfortunately, the book also has two major problems: a boring story, and "cheap gimmicks" instead of complex characterization.

The story deals with two girls who are matched as 'old s...more

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Rachel rated it:

07/12/08

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: those wanting a fast, emotionally rich read about friendships/culture/women in rural 1800s China

A truly gripping tale about women living in rural China in the mid- to late 1800s. The author is wonderful at drawing the reader into this foreign landscape and culture and making you feel for the women in the story. The story is narrated by a woman at the end of her life. She's basically telling the life stories of herself and her soul-mate. As such, she sprinkles the story with little hints about what is to come later, without actually telling us how this will come to be. This built a lot ...more A truly gripping tale about women living in rural China in the mid- to late 1800s. The author is wonderful at drawing the reader into this foreign landscape and culture and making you feel for the women in the story. The story is narrated by a woman at the end of her life. She's basically telling the life stories of herself and her soul-mate. As such, she sprinkles the story with little hints about what is to come later, without actually telling us how this will come to be. This built a lot of suspense and raised a lot of questions in my mind as I was reading. I never felt a dull moment in the entire book. I was always deeply concerned for the characters and wondering what would become of them ... when they cried, my eyes got misty; when they were happy, my heart felt joy. I kept taking advantages of little bits of time here and there to read a few more pages and find out what would happen next. For me, these are all signs of a very good book!!!!

I just finished reading "What is the What" a couple days ago as well. Finishing them at the same time got me thinking. I think Lily's and Snow Flower's life stories are just as worthwhile reading about, in concept, as Achak Deng's ... the girls had to trek all over the place and survive starvation in the cold winter, and experienced many sorrows, disease, and war .... all in BOUND FEET. And when it comes to bad luck stories, I'd say Achak ain't got nothin' on Snow Flower. Both books took place mainly in countries with customs/culture very different from my own. In each book, I'd say I learned equal amounts about the sorrows and history of the Dinka people in Sudan in the 1980s/90s and the Yao people in China in the 1800s. And both are supposed to be works of fiction, based on true stories of real people and historic events. Happily, Lisa See's book drew me in and made me love the characters ... I cried for them, learned a lot, and felt deeply moved by the experience. Meanwhile, I contemplate Dave Eggers' book of FICTION, based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng. With Dave Eggers' book, I had to read an extra 300 pages and never felt like I understood or had "gotten to know" most of the characters in the book, including Achak. I got a better feel for the man by reading the info and viewing the pictures on his web site (www.valentinoachakdeng.org)

Viewed side by side, you can clearly see how "What is the What" sinks miserably in that famous Sudanese mud, while "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" (to use a prominent word from Lisa See's book) soars.
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Soledad rated it:

04/15/08

Read in January, 2008

Have you ever wanted to know how it would have been if you would have lived in another time, like the Roaring Twenties, or ancient Egypt or Rome? Well the book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, took me to 19th century China. I felt like I had lived with Lily and experience her hardships, like her foot binding. This book made me realize how lucky I am to have been born in the 20th century, and to the culture I was born in. Everything that Lily and Snow Flower experience makes this book ...more Have you ever wanted to know how it would have been if you would have lived in another time, like the Roaring Twenties, or ancient Egypt or Rome? Well the book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, took me to 19th century China. I felt like I had lived with Lily and experience her hardships, like her foot binding. This book made me realize how lucky I am to have been born in the 20th century, and to the culture I was born in. Everything that Lily and Snow Flower experience makes this book one of the best books I have read in the past couple of years. There way of life, what was expected of, having no choice in their future, it amazes me to know that similar situations still happen in 2008. Anyway, this book tells of the story of how two people can become one, and how human mistakes can change people’s life. Lisa See brings to life a world that has long be gone, the landscape and food of 19th century China are reborn in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. The setting of the book, and the imagery all add to the emotional rollercoaster you experience in this book. You also get a first hand understanding of the culture Lily and Snow Flower grow up in. The only thing that these women were expected to do was learn to cook and clean, obey their mother, father and older brothers. They were also expected to marry, with a guy that the family thought would be proper. They were also expected to get their foot binding when they were six years old. They had no free will, and were not encouraged to think about anything other than caring for the home, children, and satisfying their husband. Lily and Snow Flower were lucky to be laotong, or “old same.” Lily and Snow Flower also had the privilege to learn the language that had be made by women for women in Chain, a way to communicate with each other without the men knowing what was being said. The language was known as nu sh. Lily and Snow Flower are destined to be friends, but they become sister, and as we know sisters have fights, but for Lily her ignorance leads to her to become prideful. But if you wish to know more about the life of Lily and Snow Flower you must read this book, it will make you smile and cry, but it will give you a sample of the incredible life of women in 19th century China. ...less

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Nichelle rated it:

03/24/08

bookshelves: book-club-books

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Nichelle by: Book club suggestion
recommends it for: Any home school mom/SAHM/WAHM, or history buff.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This is the first non-Christian, adult fiction book I have read in years. This book renewed my love for reading.

Although this novel was set in Ancient China, for me, themes resonated with current events in my life.

While I do have a car and can go out anytime I wish, I can also relate to the "upper room." I am a home school mom and spend most of my day in an "upper room" homeschooling my children. In the evenings, I am at my desk in the same "upper room" w...more This is the first non-Christian, adult fiction book I have read in years. This book renewed my love for reading.

Although this novel was set in Ancient China, for me, themes resonated with current events in my life.

While I do have a car and can go out anytime I wish, I can also relate to the "upper room." I am a home school mom and spend most of my day in an "upper room" homeschooling my children. In the evenings, I am at my desk in the same "upper room" working from home as a medical transcriptionist. If I am not careful to remember to schedule a lunch date with a friend or hit up some new model homes I have not explored yet, I (and my many friends who are home school moms) relegate ourselves to the inner chambers of our home, yes, even in second millennial America!

Even as footbinding was a way of securing their daughter's futures, home schooling is also an effort to lift our children's minds above our country's mediocre emphasis on the education of our children. They broke their daughter's bones and bound their feet. We break off perceived negative cultural influences and bind our children's minds with classical literature, Latin, and logic.

As a bereaved mother myself, there were other parts of this book that touched me personally as well. "Mother love" is eternal and transcendent. It can be harsh, but it is also desperate. The ceremony that takes place before the daughters marry out where they cry and sing and thank their mothers for raising a "worthless daughter" is touching because they are honest that they really do not consider their daughters to be "worthless" despite of what society thinks of them. Losing a daughter to death, marriage, or any other circumstance is always heartrending.

Lily, in many ways, reminded me of a close relative of mine. One misunderstood statement can produce a VERY long grudge. She answers hurts that she cannot relate to with stereotypical platitudes, "Just try harder." On the other hand, like Lily, when she perceived a gap in Spring Moon's life after the death of her mother, she went into overdrive trying to fill it, probably confusing the girl's reluctance to marriage as simply grief over Snowflower's passing. This close relative and another friend in my life sometimes work so hard at "helping" that they cannot actually see the real pain and end up adding to it.

Lisa See is a fascinating story teller. Nothing in this book was predictable and it always kept me on the edge of my seat.
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Ferina rated it:

(review of isbn 9793269499)

07/12/07

bookshelves: fiction, myfavorite

Read in July, 2006

Membaca buku ini, membuat saya bersyukur bahwa saya hidup di jaman ketika perempuan dihargai hak-hak dan pikirannya, didengarkan perasaan dan keinginannya. Snow Flower sedikit banyak memberi gambaran sebuah sejarah Cina di abad 19, ketika perempuan harus menjalani berbagai tradisi yang membatasi mereka sebagai manusia.

Lily, seorang anak perempuan dari keluarga miskin, dalam usia belia harus menjalani tradisi pengikatan kaki untuk mendapatkan bentuk kaki bunga lili yang sempurna. Kaki yang ke...more Membaca buku ini, membuat saya bersyukur bahwa saya hidup di jaman ketika perempuan dihargai hak-hak dan pikirannya, didengarkan perasaan dan keinginannya. Snow Flower sedikit banyak memberi gambaran sebuah sejarah Cina di abad 19, ketika perempuan harus menjalani berbagai tradisi yang membatasi mereka sebagai manusia.

Lily, seorang anak perempuan dari keluarga miskin, dalam usia belia harus menjalani tradisi pengikatan kaki untuk mendapatkan bentuk kaki bunga lili yang sempurna. Kaki yang kecil mungil seperti bunga lili dipercaya akan membawa keberuntungan, bisa memikat laki-laki dan sangat berharga dibanding perempuan yang tidak menjalani tradisi pengikatan kaki, yang hanya disebut perempuan berkaki besar dan tidak akan dipilih menjadi seorang istri. Perempuan berkaki besar hanya akan menjadi seorang pelayan. Bahkan, seorang perempuan dengan bentuk kaki yang tidak sempurna, hanya akan menjadi seorang ‘menantu kecil’.

Ternyata, bentuk kaki yang sempurna dan memilik seorang laotong, akan meningkatkan ‘harga’ seorang perempuan untuk mendapatkan jodoh yang baik. Namun, tidak semua perempuan bisa mendapatkan bentuk bunga lili emas. Salah mengikat kaki, hanya akan membuat penderitaan anak perempuan semakin besar. Kesakitan, infeksi malah mendatangkan kematian, atau jika bertahan, kaki rusak - seperti kaki Mama Lily. Tapi, Mama Lily selalu berkata, “Hanya melalui rasa sakit kaudapatkan kecantikan. Hanya melalui penderitaan kaudapatkan kedamaian.” (Hal. 59)

Ketika seorang peramal datang ke rumah Lily - peramal diperlukan untuk menentukan kapan sebaiknya proses pengikatan kaki di mulai - ia melihat ada sesuatu yang istimewa dalam diri Lily. Maka dipanggillah seorang Mak Comblang, Madame Wang, untuk memastikan keistimewaan itu. Sebuah keputusan pun dibuat, Lily akan mendapatkan seorang laotong, kembaran sehati, seorang gadis cilik yang punya delapan sifat yang sama dengan Lily, yang menjalani pengikatan kaki di hari yang sama, yaitu Bunga Salju.

Bunga Salju berasal dari keluarga yang tingkatannya lebih tinggi dari Lily. Tapi, hal itu tidak membatasi persahabatan sehati mereka. Bersama Bunga Salju, Lily menjalani hari-hari bagaimana sakitnya di awal-awal pengikatan kaki, pergi ke Kuil Gupo setiap tahun, membordir dan menjahit di ruang duduk lantai atas, sama-sama menunggu datangnya perjodohan dan pernikahan, membuat mahar, dan yang paling penting saling berbagi rahasia hati melalui sebuah tulisan di kipas sutra, nu shu. Lewat nu shu, mereka saling mengungkapkan cerita, perasaan, kebahagiaan bahkan kesedihan.

Jawaban dari berbagai pertanyaan terungkap, mengapa hanya Bulan Salju yang berkunjung ke rumah Lily? mengapa Lily tidak diperkenankan datang ke rumah Bulan Salju? siapa sebenarnya Madame Wang? mengapa justru Lily, yang dari keluarga miskin mendapatkan jodoh yang terpandang? mengapa jodoh Bulan Salju hanya seorang tukang jagal?

Tapi, salah penafsiran membaca nu shu, membuat persahabatan mereka terputus. Kesombongan dan rasa egois membuat semuanya hancur. Bertahun-tahun mereka tidak saling berkirim kabar berita lagi, tidak saling mengunjungi dan malah menyimpan dendam di hati. Sampai akhirnya terungkap kebenaran, semua sudah terlambat, dan hanya tinggal penyesalan.

Di hari tua, Lily menuturkan kisah hidupnya, bagaimana cinta dan sayangnya ia kepada laotong-nya yang melebihi dari sebuah pernikahan.

Sebuah kisah yang indah, menggambarkan sebuah cinta. Bahasa-bahasa yang halus membuat kisah ini begitu ‘menyentuh’....less

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Sara rated it:

06/14/07

bookshelves: fiction

Read in April, 2007

Ever since reading Memoirs of a Geisha, I've been looking for a book that will let me relive that excitement. So I was hoping that Snow Flower and the Secret Fan would fit the bill for my craving for Asian drama :)

I would have to say that this book did not. I found it difficult to get invested in the characters who seemed somewhat flat to me. The narrator wasn't engaging enough to make me feel a connection to her. Really, the strength of the book in my opinion was the detail it spent in deve...more

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Christine rated it:

05/28/08

Read in May, 2008

each time that i opened this book and began reading i felt instantly transported to 19th-century china. i could easily describe my imagined version of lily's home because i feel as though i lived there on my journey through lily's life. i also really enjoyed the lessons learned about women and friendship. i say "lessons learned" because one of the book's most endearing assets is the fact that is told through the eyes of lily as an older adult. you get the benefit of feeling like your e...more

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Robin rated it:

04/14/08

Read in February, 2008

This is an interesting book that although is a fictional novel it has many true events of Japanese culture from years past...It is a good and fast read, although it is somewhat depressing in parts

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Holly rated it:

11/01/08

Read in November, 2008

I finished this book in about three days. I really enjoyed the writing style. I like that it is all technically in the past, being told from the point of view of an old woman reliving her youth, but the language is so rich that it seems like everything is happening as I read it. I love the descriptions; See weaves beautiful visuals with her words, and engages all my other senses as well.

After reading the bit about foot binding, my own feet ache. I'm kind of surprised it didn't give me bi...more I finished this book in about three days. I really enjoyed the writing style. I like that it is all technically in the past, being told from the point of view of an old woman reliving her youth, but the language is so rich that it seems like everything is happening as I read it. I love the descriptions; See weaves beautiful visuals with her words, and engages all my other senses as well.

After reading the bit about foot binding, my own feet ache. I'm kind of surprised it didn't give me bizarre dreams... Throughout history, women have suffered much for the sake of what's currently considered beautiful and through a desire to attract a husband. All throughout the book, women are described as having golden lilies, or lily feet, and swaying gracefully as they walk on them. Merely thinking of the kind of pain endured to achieve this, and the amount of pain that surely must be endured throughout the rest of these women's lives, makes me slightly nauseous. I have seen x-rays of bound feet, and I saw examples of shoes for bound feet in a museum once. They looked like tiny doll shoes.

From a certain perspective, I am quite inspired by the story. I think it's amazing the amount of things women had to take care of in that time period. They made all their own clothes, plus clothes for most of the members of their husband's household. They made shoes, they cooked, they could embroider in beautifully intricate patterns. They may not have been fully literate, but many women did know the secret writing, which is impressive as well. Women were pregnant every few years, miscarriages were a frequent occurrence, and the ideal was to have five children reach adulthood. Women today are amazing, but the women from this time period were in many ways capable of so many more useful, common domestic tasks. Considering the amount of women I know who cannot even sew on a button, cook anything that doesn't come out of a box, or understand the basic tenants of housecleaning, this is impressive to me.

All in all, this book left me feeling rather melancholy. It makes me sad to imagine Lily spending the second half of her life trying to make up for the misunderstanding between her laotong and herself, but never really feeling like she managed. It was still a great book, fantastically written. I know this story will stick in my head for sometime to come....less

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Erin rated it:

07/08/08

bookshelves: favorites

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: Mindi, Corinne, Marika

A gem of a book, an incredible tale of friendship and what it means to be a woman. This is the story of Lily, who at eighty years and known as "one who has not yet died", sets out to tell about her life, and most importantly, her connection with her friend Snow Flower. At the age of seven she and Snow Flower are paired in an emotional match that will last a lifetime, called a laotong, or "old same." They learn to communicate through a secret language created by Chinese women...more

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

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