This is certainly not my normal type of book but I thought I'd give it a go anyway and I am pleased that I did. The writing in this book was beautiful. The story was portrayed in a beautiful manner despite all of the negative traditions and emotions that Lily endured. I didn't get bored of this book and it gave me a good insight into some of the Chinese traditions and the way of life in the past. I surprisingly didn't find it too hard to take in what was happening - even though a lot of things were incredibly shocking - there was wonderful descriptions on how life was during the time and Lily helped me to understand her way of life through her experiences. Interesting and touching, a well written book.