Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
Lisa See is the author of Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior, and Dragon Bones, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles.
From the Hardcover edition.
In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared 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 deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
At Smarter.com, we aim to ensure we give you the most sound buying advice possible. With our 'Cumulative Product Rating' system, in order for a product to receive a rating score, it must have a minimum number of ratings to qualify.
This system is not intended to diminish the value of products with a low number of ratings and reviews, they're great, and hopefully very helpful, but if you want our advice, we want to make sure that the product you're thinking of buying has been rated and reviewed by enough shoppers like you to be a valuable indicator of product quality.
Additional Product Information
- ISBN: 9780812968064
- Manufacturer: N/A
- Reviews: Write a Review
- Shop: Compare prices
From:
Location:
Chicago
Posted:
Jun 07, 2007
Type:
User Review
|
Lovely, Bittersweet Story
This is an evocative tale of the harsh realities of life for women in Ancient China. The story unfolds lyrically and openly - much like the simple fan that contains the innermost secrets of Lily and Snow Flower.This book provides a fascinating view i
|
 4.00/5 |
|
From:
Location:
Ny NY
Posted:
May 30, 2007
Type:
User Review
|
Excellent Book
I bought Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and finished it about 2 days later. The book was well written and very entertaining. Although the begining seemed to drag at first it picked up rather quickly and was a good read
|
 5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Apr 22, 2007 Type: User Review |
Casual heartbreak
Restrained, elegant, and totally absorbing. This is a strong story, about tradition and fitting in--and also about pride and too much strength.
|
5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Apr 22, 2007 Type: User Review |
Love, love, loved it.
Beautiful story about two children and how they essentially, grew up together. I have seen many Chinese movies and movies that feature China (from the Painted Veil to The Road Home to King of Masks)but never one that dealt with this aspect. It...
|
5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Apr 20, 2007 Type: User Review |
Poignant and Sorrowful
"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" is a suspenseful and poignant novel set in nineteenth century China at a time when foot-binding was practiced and women were kept secluded.
|
5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Apr 17, 2007 Type: User Review |
A window into 19th Century rural China
There are many topics I know little or nothing about. The everyday life of a farming family in 19th Century China is one of those topics. After reading "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan", I feel as if I had a brief glance into the culture. Lisa...
|
4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Apr 17, 2007 Type: User Review |
~just a gal
I felt the author was not able to capture the delicate restraint inherent to chinese culture. I did not really enjoy this book.
|
 2.00/5 |
|
From:
Location:
Seattle, WA
Posted:
Apr 08, 2007
Type:
User Review
|
Snow Flower and the Seret Fan
Interesting to learn about the life of Chinese women, ho w foot binding was done and how difficult life was and still probably is for them.
|
4.00/5 |
|
From:
Location:
Texas
Posted:
Apr 05, 2007
Type:
User Review
|
Snowflower and the Secret Fan
This is a fantastic read! It was a wonderful way of learning about the culture of another country. I had heard about foot bindings but did not realize the pain and disfigurement involved. I just thought their feet were wrapped ace-bandage like. Not!T
|
5.00/5 |
|
From:
Location:
Saratoga, CA
Posted:
Mar 26, 2007
Type:
User Review
|
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
This has the feel of a "traditional novel" of pre-revolutionary China. But it reveals through the female narrator an entire cultural universe as it pertains to the experience, functions and status of women in the days when foot-binding was a sign of
|
4.00/5 |
Similar Products:
*Shipping costs are based on an estimate of the lowest shipping rate available within the contiguous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Only merchants with this product in stock are listed (Merchants with this product back ordered have been removed from this list).
Do you see a pricing error? Please let us know by filling out a simple form: Click here
