Snow Flower and the Secret Fan in Retro Chapter Chicks

Feb 03, 2015 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, asia, spring-cleaning-challenge-2016

"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 woma "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 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 experience these often overwhelmingly harsh relationships in the way that these women did! Not for an instant can I imagine having to yearn for my mother's love with the feeling that it was something impossible to attain. And, I most certainly could not fathom bending to my mother-in-law's every command and needing to act as a lowly "visitor" in her home even as the wife of her own son. The cultural practice of footbinding was truly horrific and cringeworthy. If you, like me, decide to google any images, please consider yourself forewarned that it really does look as awful and disfiguring as you would no doubt imagine. Yet, a young girl's future and her marriageability depended heavily on the result of this archaic practice.

The one relationship that I found endearing and one that transcends both time and culture is that of a true friendship. This is so beautifully demonstrated in the bond between the narrator, Lily, and Snow Flower, her "old same". Lisa See really brings to life the nuances of their lifelong friendship which began as little girls with a contract sealing their fates in a laotong relationship. "A laotong match is as significant as a good marriage… A laotong relationship is made by choice for the purpose of emotional companionship and eternal fidelity. A marriage is not made by choice and has only one purpose – to have sons." We see the girls grow up together and experience the joys of childhood friendship – laughing, dreaming, and mourning together. The women's secret form of writing, or nu shu, begins with the communication between the little girls on the folds of a special fan that will provide a chronicle of their extraordinary relationship throughout their lives. As married women, they experience both the happiness and the sorrow of giving birth and living under the heavy thumbs of their husbands and mothers-in-law in households that scorn rather than cherish them. And, as with some friendships, these women experience the differences in social standings within a community and suffer from misunderstandings and ultimate betrayal. Can a friendship really withstand anything?

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the culture of China during this period and those that enjoy reading about the various connections between women. If you've ever had a true friend, this book will truly speak to you and perhaps make you just a tad nostalgic about the carefree days when you could hope and giggle with your own "bestie". 
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Mar 22, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own

I saw the movie years ago and just ordered the blu ray actually.

You don't get as much detail in the movie of the foot binding as you do in the book. This is a horrific thing done to these children. Breaking their little toes and curling them into these tiny little things so you can find a better marriage! What is wrong with people? I know there are a lot of different things done in different cultures but I don't care. Moving on!

The story is of the special bond between two little girls that are ...more

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May 23, 2020 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: china

This is the fascinating story bringing you to 19th century China. Lily is 80 years old and is reflecting on her life in this story.
Lily and Snowflower are pared together and become laotong. They do everything together, even the most horrific procedure of foot binding. Lily and Snowflower endure the pain and the hardship together. This is of one of many pains and tribulations they experience together, even though they both marry and live apart they still are laotong.
This is the compelling tale o ...more

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Jan 12, 2018 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

To me, a good historical fiction book lets you engage in all of your senses and transports you to the time in which the book takes place. You should fully see the sights, hear the sounds, feel the textures, smell the aromas, and even taste the foods. Lisa See does this completely with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I was immersed in a world that is so very different from my own, yet much the same in ways. The book revolves around the lives of women - our duties, our dreams, our friendships, our ...more

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Nov 04, 2008 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, movie, historical-fiction, own, concierge, strong-women, women-writers, friendship, library, china

Our own "sworn sisterhood" (book club) had much to discuss on the topic of "footbinding" and other ways modern women are "bound."

See takes us to 19th century rural China, when marriages were arranged, feet bound and having sons was a woman's only means of achieving purpose in life. Lily and Snow Flower become "old sames" (Laotong) at age 7 and pledge their never-ending love and devotion. They communicate using "nu shu" - a secret women's language - writing verses in the folds of a fan. But a mis ...more

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Jun 19, 2022 Theresa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: needlework-textile-and-craft, historical-fiction, east-asia, dragons-spotted-in-the-wild, women-s-history

Initially I was not particularly enamored by this story, a novel written as a memoir of a very old chinese woman's life in 19th Century. This was a woman whose feet were bound as a young child and her and her family destiny tied to the perfection of her 'golden lillies', as her tiny bound feet were called. Indeed the foot-binding process, its pain and risks, and the lifelong limits and maintenance, is detailed and omnipresent, as an accepted and desired event through the novel. Rarely have I fel ...more

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Jun 16, 2024 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, cultural

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, Lily 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 paints a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men.
Throughout the novel, readers will experience a blossoming friendship between two women that will run the course of their lifetime. The love ...more

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May 19, 2015 Celia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A story about friendship and what it means to be a woman. The Chinese culture of the 19th Century and how it relates to women is also chronicled. Foot binding and preparations for their eventual marriage are detailed. This book has something unique too - the friendship generated between laotong- old sames, whose 8 characters are a perfect match.

The friendship of Lily and Snow Flower is so special. Of course, it has its ups AND downs. A misunderstanding between them does occur and their friendshi ...more

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Jul 30, 2014 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it it was amazing

4.5 STARS

"n 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 storie ...more

1 like · Like · see review