Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Posted on 08 March 2017 by Lisa See

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. Free Read Books Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See – kino-fada.fr Wow I just finished this book and wanted to come write about it immediately so I don t forget how it made me feel First off, the language is beautiful and so fitting for the context The two girls Snow Flower and Lily have a friendship that is beautiful and is fun to pick out little pieces from my own childhood current friendships that I recognize and adore My next thoughts are not necessarily critiques of the book, but of the way the Chinese thought I had a real problem with hearing over Wow I just finished this book and wanted to come write about it immediately so I don t forget how it made me feel First off, the language is beautiful and so fitting for the context The two girls Snow Flower and Lily have a friendship that is beautiful and is fun to pick out little pieces from my own childhood current friendships that I recognize and adore My next thoughts are not necessarily critiques of the book, but of the way the Chinese thought I had a real problem with hearing over and over how worthless a woman is if she cannot produce a son If that were still the case, I would be as worthless as they come It bothered me that daughters were considered better off if they died than to live And I thought Lily perpetuated that as unfeeling as the patriarchs who instilled that thought process to begin with And don t get me started on footbinding I know this is a cultural thing that I cannot begin to comprehend such as people who think that is just the way life is, but still, how could...I had high hopes for this book, but ended up feeling deflated and disappointed Two aspects of the book were interesting descriptions of the practice of Chinese footbinding, and an exploration of nu shu, the written language Chinese women developed to communicate exclusively with each other Unfortunately, the book also has two major problems a boring story, and the use of cheap gimmicks instead of complex characterization The story deals with two girls who are matched as old sames, sort I had high hopes for this book, but ended up feeling deflated and disappointed Two aspects of the book were interesting descriptions of the practice of Chinese footbinding, and an exploration of nu shu, the written language Chinese women developed to communicate exclusively with each other Unfortunately, the book also has two major problems a boring story, and the use of cheap gimmicks instead of complex characterization The story deals with two girls who are matched as old sames, sort of a best girlfriend relationship that is meant to last for life Unfortunately, the story of their friendship is just not compelling, and I kept feeling like the author missed the opportunity to tell a really interesting story within the context of the world she creates Aside from bein...My grandmother used to say that my big feet meant I had a good foundation I d stare longingly at her size six feet when she said this and curse my genetic inheritance from elsewhere in the family tree Then I had an ex boyfriend make the infuriating statement that rich women have small feet I pointed out that his celebrity c...An Excellent Choice for Book ClubsI had a hard time putting down this book and felt utterly transported to a village in the Hunan province in central south China during the early to mid nineteenth century The narrator, 80 year old Lily, who refers to herself as one who has yet to die, tells the story of her life She has outlived her family members and relates the story of her formative years and her relationship with another woman, Snow Flower This well written tale is related with clarity An Excellent Choice for Book ClubsI had a hard time putting down this book and felt utterly transported to a village in the Hunan province in central south China during the early to mid nineteenth century The narrator, 80 year old Lily, who refers to herself as one who has yet to die, tells the story of her life She has outlived her family members and relates the story of her formative years and her relationship with another woman, Snow Flower This well written tale ...For my entire life I longed for love I knew it was not right for me as a girl and later as a woman to want or expect it, but I did, and this unjustified desire has been at the root of every problem I have experienced in my life What a sad yet beautiful book this was I adore historical fiction that can really immerse me in another time and place and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan did just that Transported back to 19th century China, I believe I arrived at a better understanding of a womaFor my entire life I longed for love I knew it was not right for me as a girl and later as a woman to want or expect it, but I did, and this unjustified desire has been at the root of every problem I have experienced in my life What a sad yet beautiful book this was I adore historical fiction that can really immerse me in another time and place and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan did just that Transported back to 19th century China, I believe I arrived at a better understanding of a woman s position in this society I learned what it was like to be a daughter, a sister, a wife and a daughter in law I am admittedly grateful for not ever having to ex...I tried to read it It was so non compelling, who were these little mice of women, what were they up to, why should I care MAKE ME CARE The plot didn t, the characters didn t and so I couldn t get past about page 50 My mind kept drifting off and by the time I was conscious of reading again I wouldn t know what had happened so I had to reread it again and again up unto the fourth rereading of the same pages Exactly the same experience I had with Rushdie s Satanic Verses So I gave up I tho I tried to read it It was so non compelling, who were these little mice of women, what were they up to, why should I care MAKE ME CARE The plot didn t, the characters didn t and so I couldn t get past about page 50 My mind kept drifting off and by the time I was conscious of reading again I wouldn t know what had happened so I had to reread it again...I ended up enjoying this book because it was so beautifully written and it took me deep into a world so unlike my own thank goodness for that This story takes place in China s Hunan Province in the 1800s and isabout the inner lives of the women than the men I had a complete misconception of what foot binding entailed It s completel...This has got to be one of the most beautiful, yet heartbreaking books that I have ever read The subject matter is horrific but the story is truly engaging.The main storyline in this book is about the horrible patriarchal practise, foot binding, that took place in China in the past The graphic descriptions in this book are certain to turn anyone s stomach I would like to know who decided that 7 centimetre long feet were sexy The obsession with feet truly perplexed me how could young men kn This has got to be one of the most beautiful, yet heartbreaking books that I have ever read The subject matter is horrific but the story is truly engaging.The main storyline in this book is about the horrible patriarchal practise, foot binding, that took place in China in the past The graphic descriptions in this book are certain to turn anyone s stomach I would like to know who decided that 7 centimetre long feet were sexy The obsession with feet truly perplexed me how could young men know nothing about their future betrothed wives except what size their feet were Obviously foot binding was a practice to control women, which was a point I made to a feminist I was talking to when a man suddenly interrupted our conversation and accused us of waging a war against men Also, it s so sad how c...I actually wavered between giving this book a rating of 3 or 4 stars This is not because Lisa See was unable to portray the life in this feudal Chinese society well, because much of this was vivid and interesting The oppression of women, including the horrors of footbinding, isolation and servitude to men and one s in laws were all clearly and often dismayingly illustrated.One problem with this novel is how much better the tale could have been related if written in the third person, rather tha I actually wavered between giving this book a rating of 3 or 4 stars This is not because Lisa See was unable to portray the life in this feudal Chinese society well, because much of this was vivid and interesting The oppression of women, including the horrors of footbinding, isolation and servitude to men and one s in laws were all clearly and often dismayingly illustrated.One problem with this novel is how much better the tale could have been related if written in the third person, rather than the use of...Ever since reading Memoirs of a Geisha, I ve been looking for a book that will let me relive that excitement So I was hoping that Snow Flower and the Secret Fan would fit the bill for my craving for Asian drama I would have to say that this book did not I found it difficult to get invested in the characters who seemed somewhat flat to me The narrator wasn t engaging enough to make me feel a connection to her Really, the strength of the book in my opinion was the detail it spent in developi Ever since reading Memoirs of a G...

English
08 March 2017

Lisa See