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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Written by Lisa See Review by Wendy Zollo
Set in 19th century China in a secluded village, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the graceful story of Snow Flower and Lily’s life experiences from the time they are paired as laotongs, an intimate friendship meant to last their all their days, and one that is more precious between two women than even marriage.
See’s research takes a fascinating journey, providing details on the painful binding of the girls’ feet, the obligations of their birth families, arranged marriages, and the general worthlessness of women—which is balanced only by their ability to produce sons. Her prose abounds with a distinctive luminosity that allows her imagery to flow effortlessly. The high point of See’s exploration into Chinese culture, and the key to Snow Flower and Lily’s relationship, is nu shu, a secret written language for women. It is through these words that they are able to reveal the truths of their lives and sustain each other through separation, being “married out,” rebellions, and the entrenched lies of traditions, status and disloyalty. But most of all, this is a story of love, hurting, tenderness, and the misunderstandings that become tangled up with true devotion.
See has written not only a mesmerizing and alluring tale of a complex relationship, she has chronicled the ways of a culture in a beguiling torrent of words.
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Reviews of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
- Historical Fiction
- 19th Century
- Female Friendships
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About this Book
- Reading Guide
Book Summary
A brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.
Lily is haunted by memories – of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness. In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu ("women's writing"). Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames," in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become "old sames" at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, 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 lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.
Chapter 1 Milk Years
My name is Lily. I came into this world on the fifth day of the six month of the third year of Emperor Daoguang's reign. Puwei, my home village, is in Yongming County, the county of Everlasting Brightness. Most people who live here are descended from the Yao ethnic tribe. From the storytellers who visited Puwei when I was a girl, I learned that the Yao first arrived in this area twelve hundred years ago during the Tang dynasty, but most families came a century later, when they fled the Mongol armies who invaded the north. Although the people of our region have never been rich, we have rarely been so poor that women had to work in the fields. We were members of the Yi family line, one of the original Yao clans and the most common in the district. My father and uncle leased seven mou of land from a rich landowner who lived in the far west of the province. They cultivated that land with rice, cotton, taro, and kitchen crops. My family ...
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
- Lily endures excruciating pain in order to have her feet bound. What reasons are given for this dangerous practice?
- Did See's descriptions of footbinding remind you of any Western traditions?
- If some men in 19th-century China knew about nu shu and "old same" friendships, why do you think they allowed these traditions to persist?
- Reflecting on her first few decades, Lily seems to think her friendship with Snow Flower brought her more good than harm. Do you agree?
- Lily's adherence to social customs can seem controversial to us today. Pick a scene where you would have acted differently. Why?
- Lily defies the wishes of her son in order to pair her grandson with Peony. ...
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Beyond the Book
The practice of foot binding began around 970 BC. Bound feet were described as 'lily feet' because they were considered so beautiful and were symbolic of gentility and high-class. The process began for a girl between 3 and 11 years. The four small toes were broken and turned under and bound, then the arches were broken so the foot could be pulled straight with the leg. Overtime the feet would shrink so they could fit in 'lotus shoes' 3 inches long. In the 1600s the Manchu Dynasty attempted to end foot binding but it was not officially banned until 1911, when the New ...
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Read-Alikes
- Genres & Themes
If you liked Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, try these:
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About this book
Spellbinding, unforgettable, and an important chronicle of modern China, The Bathing Women is a powerful and beautiful portrait of the strength of female friendship in the face of adversity.
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A sweeping, evocative epic of two women's intertwined fates and their search for identity, that moves from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village.
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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Written by Lisa See Review by Wendy Zollo. Set in 19th century China in a secluded village, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the graceful story of Snow Flower and Lily’s life experiences from the time they are paired as laotongs, an intimate friendship meant to last their all their days, and one that is more precious between two women than even marriage.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.