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What Members Thought
I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by Janet Song. I'm torn with my rating for this book. I found it quite interesting, although the narration was fairly straightforward and sleep-inducing. But that could partially be because she was representing the main character, a true Chinese woman of the times--quiet and obedient and subservient. Lily looks back at her life, from being a child in a poor province, having her feet bound, growing up with a Laotong relationship (old same or
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Lily lived in a remote part of China, where women had developed nu shu, a women's way of writing that was kept secret from men. At the age of 7, around the beginning of her her footbinding, Lily was contracted as a laothong to a girl named Snow Flower who was perfectly matched with Lily on critical characteristics and intended to be a lifelong friend, closer in many ways than a husband. I found every detail of the lives of Lily and Snow Flower fascinating. The intricate detail of the process of
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In nineteenth-century China, a girl named Lily, is matched with a laotong, or "old same," a friendship bond that will last a lifetime. Snow Flower, Lily's laotong, comes from a wealthy family that falls on hard times. Lily is a farmer's daughter that rises to wealth. Both girls endure foot binding. A fan carries messages between the two as they live their separate lives. They share a secret women's writing, endure arranged mothers, loneliness and motherhood. Then a misunderstanding creates a rif
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Very compelling read about the formality of women's lives in China in the 1800s. Cultural differences are explained throughout the book...some were absolutely horrifying; others were not. I particularly found the passages about foot binding to be gruesome. At its core, it is a love story...the friendship between two women that lasts a lifetime.
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Mar 16, 2011
Gen
marked it as to-read
May 30, 2011
Butterflycager
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
Jun 01, 2011
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Mar 03, 2012
Lindy-Lane
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5stars,
foc-aseuro-histapestry
Jun 11, 2018
Marisa
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
histrical-fiction,
i-own
Nov 17, 2013
Helen Southall
marked it as to-read
Dec 11, 2013
Jim Townsend
marked it as to-read
Oct 15, 2014
Ruth
marked it as to-read
