Lisa See
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005)
Author: Lisa See
Genre: Historical
Plot Summary:
This novel is set in nineteenth century China. When the book begins the narrator, Lily, explains her reasons for telling her story. She gives a biographical sketch of her life, painting a picture of a woman's life in China. The story begins when Lily was young and in her milk years, from a very young age Lily knows that as a girl she is of no worth and that she is really a burden to her family because eventually she will marry and join her husband's household, until then she is treated as a guest, a guest that is made to cook and clean and knows that they are worth nothing. Lily's fortune changes when it is time for her feet to be bound. Her mother consults a diviner to find out the most auspicious time to bind Lily's feet and in the process changes Lily's life forever. Lily is given the rare opportunity to have a laotong, or an 'old same', they will be best friends for their entire lives. In fact their friendship is even more important then their relationship with their husbands. Snow Flower and Lily grow up together experiencing life's joys and pains together, communicating with each other using a secret writing that is only known to women. They send their messages back and forth writing on a fan. They experience death, marriage, child birth, the bearing of sons, warfare, hardship, love and hate. They stick together through many hardships, until there is a misunderstanding that nearly destroys their friendship and is not reestablished until Snow Flower is on her deathbed. Lilly lives a life twice as long as most Chinese women of her time, and in her eighties recounts her story, explaining everything through hindsight. After all of the people who were once in her life are gone, she is able to understand her relationships with them and why things went wrong.
Geographical Setting: China
Time Period: 19th Century
Appeal Characteristics:
The book explores many different customs of women in China including but not limited to: foot binding, marriage, childbirth, seclusion of women and the running of a household. It is beautifully written and reads fairly quickly. The book delves into the customs of women in the time period but does not really explore much else about Chinese history. It will appeal to readers that enjoy learning about different customs. It also explains foot binding in great detail; not only how the process is done, but how by binding their feet Chinese women changed their lives and their fortunes.
Read-alikes: Chi-Tsai Chang, The Three-Inch Golden Lotus deals with issues of foot binding and how a woman married above her because of her small feet. Arthur Golden, Memories of a Geisha is set in Japan and tells of a woman's struggle to learn the art of a Geisha. This title deals with similar issues in that it describes how women were viewed in their culture and the arts that were learned in order for these women to survive. Jeanne Larsen, Silk Road is about the life of a Chinese girl that is kidnapped in China, she becomes a courtesan in order to survive. The book depicts a China that is changing, and explores the life of one girl as she struggles to support herself. Leslie Li, Bittersweet describes issues that are dealt with in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan such as childbirth, wedding customs and other events that change a woman's life. Gail Tsukiyama, Women of Silk tells of one woman's life as she works in a silk factory. This book takes place in a later time period and shows how women's lives and customs change and stay the same during a politically charged time. Spring Moon by Bette Bao Lord and The Binding Chair by Kathryn Harrison would be suitable for people who are interested in reading more novels that involve foot binding. Spring Moon is a book about a 19th century Chinese family that follows Spring Moon, the daughter, in addition to all the other members of the family. The Binding Chair is a story about a woman who marries an Australian man who is a member of the Foot Emancipation Society. Like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Imperial Women by Pearl S. Buck, is an intimate walk through the life of a Chinese girl who has a different life than Lily but allows the reader to get to know her and her struggles. The author of The Moon Pearl also gives a close personal look of young girls in this place and time period. It is, also an intimately written story with well developed characters. Empress Orchid by Anchee Min is a biography of the cunning wife of Emperor Mao Zedong. She escapes the inner world that Lily speaks of in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan to the outer world of Men, eventually becoming an Empress.
Red Flags: violence, erotic scene involving Snow Flower and Lily.
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