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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

Review:

"See's engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends (laotong, or 'old sames') Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. While granting immediacy to Lily's voice, See (Flower Net) adroitly transmits historical background in graceful prose. Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life. Beginning with a detailed and heartbreaking description of Lily and her sisters' foot binding ('Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you have peace'), the story widens to a vivid portrait of family and village life. Most impressive is See's incorporation of nu shu, a secret written phonetic code among women — here between Lily and Snow Flower — that dates back 1,000 years in the southwestern Hunan province ('My writing is soaked with the tears of my heart,/ An invisible rebellion that no man can see'). As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle, this novel has bestseller potential and should become a reading group favorite as well. Agent, Sandra Dijkstra. Author tour. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"Lisa See...has conquered a new genre — the historical novel — with passion and grit....While the novel's plot, characters and pacing are all exceptional, the true success of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan lies in its cultural relativism." Portland Oregonain

Review:

"See's translucent prose style gleams with the beauty of 19th century Chinese culture but also makes us burn with indignation at its sexist ugliness and injustice." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"[A] triumph on every level, a beautiful, heartbreaking story." Washington Post

Synopsis:

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.

Synopsis:

Set in 19th-century China, See's national bestseller tells a story of two young women who find solace with each other, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. High school & older.
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About the Author

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.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 4 comments:
Krista Smith-Moroziuk, May 14, 2008 (view all comments by Krista Smith-Moroziuk)
Lisa See brings 19th century China to life with historical detail. It is a heartbreaking story of friendship. I did not want this book to end.
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blueviolet, January 13, 2008 (view all comments by blueviolet)
I was captured by this book from the beginning. I haven't been this enthralled with a story in a long time. It captures the beauty, pain and emotions of these brave and duty-bound young girls as they pass through the footbinding stage of life and beyond. It's a riveting although sometimes excruciating account of their lives. I can't say enough about the book. Nobody would be disappointed with this. It's excellent!
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amykile, April 24, 2007 (view all comments by amykile)
From the first page of this book I was mesmerized. I didn't want to put it down. See tells the story so vividly that I could actually envision everything from painful footbinding to the heartbrake of death. I have passed this book on to my sister and mother. You will not want it to end!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780812968064
Author:
See, Lisa
Publisher:
Random House Trade
Subject:
General
Subject:
Women
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Married women
Publication Date:
February 2006
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
269
Dimensions:
8.08x5.08x.63 in. .47 lbs.
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