Lady Tan’s Circle of Women in On The Same Page

Jul 19, 2023 Carolyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2023, historical, gender-issues, asia

Lisa See’s latest novel is based on the real life of Tan Yunxian, a female practitioner of Chinese medicine in the 15th century, who went on to publish a book on her cases. Born into an aristocratic family Yunxian had her feet bound as a child, and started learning the rules of behaviour for women and the skills needed to become an accomplished and pleasing wife. However, when her mother died, she and her half-brother were sent by her father to live with her paternal grandparents.

Yunxian’s gran Lisa See’s latest novel is based on the real life of Tan Yunxian, a female practitioner of Chinese medicine in the 15th century, who went on to publish a book on her cases. Born into an aristocratic family Yunxian had her feet bound as a child, and started learning the rules of behaviour for women and the skills needed to become an accomplished and pleasing wife. However, when her mother died, she and her half-brother were sent by her father to live with her paternal grandparents.

Yunxian’s grandmother was a hereditary practitioner of Chinese Medicine using observations and pulses to diagnose conditions which she treated with her knowledge of pharmaceutics. Since Yunxian was bright, she decided she was suitable to carry on the tradition and be trained in this knowledge. She also introduced her to Meiling, the daughter of a midwife who would herself become a midwife and later work with Yunxian to help women through pregnancy and childbirth, also becoming her lifelong friend.

This is a very immersive, well researched historical novel. Taking us from Yunxian’s childhood through to her arranged marriage at 15, to her isolation in her husband’s family compound, surrounded by relatives and concubines jealous of her and subject to her mother-in-law’s rule and under pressure to produce a son. By contrast Meiling’s life in a lower class, as a midwife and later wife of a tea seller, might have been more difficult financially but she was freer to go where she wanted and to enjoy the world around her. Their enduring friendship is one of the strengths of the novel, even if it becomes constrained at times.

It was interesting to read about Yunxian’s education in traditional Chinese medicine and how it focuses on treating ying/yang imbalances to effectively treat illnesses. I was also fascinated to learn that a type of vaccination (variolation) was used to protect children from smallpox (also practiced in India from the 11th century). Yunxian’s mother-in-law initially refused to allow her to continue her education in medicine believing doctors (men) were more important, even though they had to sit behind a screen when treating women, without touching them or seeing their ailments, but would later see the benefits when Yungxian could diagnose and treat conditions baffling the doctor.

I really enjoyed the world Lisa See recreated for us in this novel. The details of life in China for wealthy women at the time felt very authentic. There is an intriguing mystery woven into the tale that culminates late in the novel with a demonstration of how the judicial system worked at that time. Some of the details of foot binding in children and the life-long pain, just to please men, who only ever saw women’s feet in delicately embroidered slippers, might be too much for the squeamish (in which case definitely do not google images of bound feet as I did), as may the detailed descriptions of child birth. However, apart from marriage, these were the most important events in a woman’s life and both would have a major impact on her future and position in society.

If you enjoy historical novels, make sure you read Lisa See’s afterword about how the novel came about and visit her website for photos and information https://lisasee.com/step-inside/lady-.... ...more

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Sep 16, 2024 Joy D rated it really liked it

Shelves: zzck, asia, reviewed, women, historical-fiction, xaucm, family, medical

This book is historical fiction based on a real person, Tan Yunxian, and set in China in the 15th century. Yunxian’s mother died when she was a child, and she was sent by her father to live with her grandparents. Her grandmother, one of the few female doctors, taught her Eastern medicine in the treatment of women. The family followed Confucianism so the emphasis for a woman’s life was that of being a good wife and mother. Yunxian and the midwife’s daughter, Meiling, become forever friends. The s ...more

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Jun 29, 2023 Natalie [genreneutralreader] rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars. I really loved this book.

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Feb 26, 2024 Colleen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lakeville-book-club, burnsville-book-club

There is soft happiness in sadness and deep sadness in happiness.

Fierce joy attacks yang; fierce anger damages yin.

Liver-related conditions that are affected by the different types of anger and the ailments connected to Lung emotions - sadness and worry.

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Feb 02, 2025 Alix rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, literature

I enjoyed this. We'll written and researched. I did try to look in to the real Lady Tan and found discrepancy but nothing that can't be called fi finalization l, which is fine.

The fact that any of these women lived past the age of 30 is absolutely astounding. Besides the dangers of foot binding, everyone's health was incredibly fragile from small pox and other diseases to giving birth was a chance to lose one's life.

See does an excellent job of emersing you in the day to day lives of women insid ...more

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