From the Bookshelf of Clean Reads…

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Lisa See

Finish date: March 1, 2008

Why we're reading this: After reading this, get online and google footbinding practices of the Chinese. It is unbelievable they u…more
[close] After reading this, get online and google footbinding practices of the Chinese. It is unbelievable they used to survive that.
It is the story of Lily and her laotong, Snow Flower. Although fictional, the customs woven into the story are accurate and interesting.
A good book club read.

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What Members Thought

Mar 04, 2017 Marla rated it really liked it

Shelves: asian, recommended-to-me, book-about-books, award-winner, zz-2017, historical-fiction, with-reservations, challenged

Wow, this is an intense book about a woman's life in historic China.

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.

Likes:
* Life in 19th Century China
* Girls become laotong at age 7
* Friendship of Lily & Snow Flower
* Nu shu ~ women's writing
* Fan with secret women's writing
* Obey, obey, obey, then do what you wan ...more

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Aug 28, 2008 Beth Given rated it it was ok · review of another edition

As I settled into this book, I had high hopes. There's this mystique I find when studying the Far East — I really enjoy learning and reading about Chinese history and culture in particular (though obviously it’s tempered with plenty of my good ol’ American historical novels — it’s been a couple years since I’ve read anything like this). Besides, nearly everyone on my Goodreads list give this novel good marks. I expected to love it.

Or at least like it.

Okay, okay. So I didn’t hate it. It was too i As I settled into this book, I had high hopes. There's this mystique I find when studying the Far East — I really enjoy learning and reading about Chinese history and culture in particular (though obviously it’s tempered with plenty of my good ol’ American historical novels — it’s been a couple years since I’ve read anything like this). Besides, nearly everyone on my Goodreads list give this novel good marks. I expected to love it.

Or at least like it.

Okay, okay. So I didn’t hate it. It was too interesting — culturally speaking, anyway — to hate. I found the whole description of foot-binding (something to which I had been really quite ignorant) to be gruesome yet completely fascinating. The exploration of nu shu, a secret woman’s language that allowed communication between friends, was intriguing (and I especially appreciated the Author’s Note at the end of the book, that told the reader a little bit about how she learned about this little-known piece of Chinese culture and history). I enjoyed contemplating some of the themes raised (e.g., identifying yourself through your children, mother-love, and how our relationships can lift us up). And the whole mystique I mentioned earlier was there for me, too; See’s writing seems to lend itself to creating that other world.

But the plot … yeah. I didn’t feel like it really went anywhere. Granted, when the main character is almost entirely confined to the women’s upper chamber since childhood, this book obviously isn’t going to have many action-packed sequences. Nevertheless, I still expected more … something. More learning or growth from her experience in the mountains, perhaps. Or more of a climax when it had been so anticipated: it’s obvious from continual foreshadowing throughout the story that the friendship between the main character, Lily, and her laotang (best friend) Snow Flower will be severed in some way — and when it finally was, I was left a little confused. The reason felt too petty for me to get worked up over, even though Lily certainly was (which I couldn’t quite understand, given her childhood experiences and the way she’d rallied to her friend’s aid before), and I felt I really couldn’t identify with her. Lily does come to regret her choice to end the friendship, but it comes a little bit too late.

Yes, this is definitely a tragic book. That’s something I really don’t mind if it’s softened with some hope somewhere … but there’s not, really. For me, this one was interesting but not terribly compelling. ...more

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Oct 18, 2007 Christina rated it it was amazing

Chinese culture really fascinates me, and this book was no exception. It is about a young girl growing up in a poor area of the country. Based on the shape and status of her feet, she gets the opportunity to form a lifelong, official friendship with another girl from a well off family. The story follows both girls through the agony of foot binding, their relationships with their mothers and mothers-in-law, being matched to their husbands, having children and the revolutions all around them while ...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Jenn rated it it was amazing

I loved this book, even though it was really sad. I love all that cultural stuff about a woman's place and foot binding and superstitions -- so fascinating! I thought it was great how it was told from the point of view of the main character as an old lady and how she would drop little hints throughout saying how things were going to get worse, etc. ...more

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Jun 07, 2008 Vanessa Neal rated it liked it

Shelves: read-for-book-club

Ok, so, sorry to Kristy and Lara, but I didn't love this book. I really wanted to because two of my favorite people really liked it. I had a really hard time reading about the footbinding and the worthlessness of these women in their culture at this time. And even though the friendship of the main characters was very strong, I still felt that these women could choose nothing. (husband, friends, whether they wanted the bones in their feet broken...) And I hated the feeling that Lily had wasted so ...more

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Oct 10, 2007 Deanna Smith rated it liked it

I am a big fan of Amy Tan, so I was curious to read an Asian tale by a different writer. Lisa See's writing didn't flow for me, but at the same time, the cadence of her words seemed to fit the story. While I enjoyed the book, in the end, it was very anticlimactic for me. A story that I expected to be depicted in vivid, saturated colors was instead told in washed out pastels. ...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Wendy rated it really liked it

I loved stepping back in time with this book. I lived in Japan for three years and caught a glimpse of Japanese culture and tradition. This book allowed me to understand what it was like to be a woman in nineteenth-century China. It made me grateful to live in america in the 21st century and grateful for the wonderful friends that I have to help me through this life's challenges. ...more

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Dec 09, 2007 Danica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

I thought this book was excellent. It has the feel of a tragedy, but moved me a lot. It's a fictional story written like an autobiography about a Chinese woman in the early 19th century. Some of the cultural things I learned shocked me. It really does read like a story, though, not like a historical novel. Really good! ...more

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Sep 14, 2008 Anna rated it liked it

This book opened my eyes to the process of footbinding, and left me shuddering. I've always wanted size 10 feet and had to settle for 9 1/2 so, I am definitely glad I was not born in China at this time and had to aim for 7 CM!! Interesting historical fiction; it had a sad ending although realistic. ...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Amz rated it did not like it

I learned so much about asian culture from this book. It really made me appreciate where I live and the time period I live in. That said, a few events in the book for me, were hard to swallow...

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Dec 03, 2007 Heather rated it liked it

I loved learning about the Chinese culture and the practice of foot binding. However, I was disappointed in the main character at the end of the book.

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