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| Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
Paperback
Author: Lisa See
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Release Date: 2006-02-21
ISBN-10: 0812968069
ISBN-13: 9780812968064
List Price: $14.00
Average Customer Rating:
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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
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.
Buy this book!
| Customer Rating: | Lisa See's novel, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," takes us into remote 19th-century China, where girls had their feet bound in a ritual of beauty that started at age 6 and took two full years to complete. From foot-binding onward, girls and women lived secluded in a second-story chamber of their household.
At 80, the narrator, Lily, is the senior woman of a wealthy household, powerful enough that she can speak her mind about her life's treasures and errors. Born in 1823 in the Hunan province, Lily started off as "a second worthless girl" in a poor farming family. Because her feet were high in the arch and potentially breathtaking, she had the potential to marry well and elevate the status of her family. She could also enter a second formal match, to another woman, a lifetime best friend called a sworn sister or laotong.
"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" is the story of such a friendship.
Snow Flower becomes Lily's sworn sister, or "old same," meaning perfect match.
Rural, 19th-century China was a culture in which education and scholarship was limited to the male elite. Women were isolated from anyone who cared about them personally. What they said and how they communicated was rigidly formalized, learning the calligraphy of men was prohibited, so they developed a secret writing called nu shu. Only in nu shu and only to each other could they write or speak from the heart.
The first communication between Snow Flower and Lily was inscribed on a fan in the code of nu shu. The secret fan became the journal of their lives.
That fan guides Lily as she records her memoirs. She filters her memories through the late-life awareness of what mattered and what didn't. And what mattered most of all was the friendship with Snow Flower.
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Disappointing
| Customer Rating:  | | I was hoping this book would be like an Amy Tan book. I had a hard time getting through it though. I was disappointed. It's not that good. |
Snowflower and the Secret Fan
| Customer Rating: | This book was very interesting and a real eye opener on ancient Chinese culture. It brought about a lot of great discussion at my book club.
I received this book later than usual. It was mailed on October 10th, but was not delivered until October 21st.
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SNOWFLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN
| Customer Rating: | I HAVE PURCHASED 2 OTHERS FOR FRIENDS, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. LISA SEE IS AN INCREDIBLE WRITER, I AM ON HER 3RD BOOK NOW, I HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS BOOK FIRST.
THANK YOU |
Phenomenal Women Book Club (Houston, TX)
| Customer Rating: | Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was a wonderful, loving, and tragic story of friendship and betrayal that teaches the reader much about compassion and forgiveness. We felt that Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was a book that truly transcended time and culture. This plot, with two women at its center, encompasses the hurt, pain, anguish, and undying compassion two women felt for each other. The author's ability to paint `true and clear' pictures of her characters allows you to see into their soul; thus developing a deeper understanding of both the men and women portrayed in the book.
This is a memorable piece that allows you to experience feelings that you have faced either through your own life or the life of a loved one. After reading it, many of us were forced to rethink the experiences we've had in the 20th century and how they are reminiscent of the events shown in the book: dishonesty, betrayal, a desire to survive, illness. All of these ultimately ending up with a common denominator of devotion and forgiveness.
Many of us cried as we completed the book because we came to the realization that this would not be a happily ever after tale. "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" was a great story with twists and turns you might not anticipate. Through this book many can better understand how far women have come since the days of foot binding; it also shows us how far we have not come from sharing a sisterhood of secrets, compassion, betrayal, and unconditional love as sisters. This was an excellent story and we highly recommend it. |
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