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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005)

by Lisa See

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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11,094437567 (4)592
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"). 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.… (more)
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» See also 592 mentions

English (422)  Spanish (4)  Catalan (2)  Danish (2)  Italian (1)  Dutch (1)  German (1)  All languages (433)
Showing 1-5 of 422 (next | show all)
This book really is a historical novel…not just a novel. The author, with Chinese ancestry, herself, traveled back to China to research into the background of early Chinese customs and culture. She interviewed one of the last known living woman, still alive in 2003, to have her feet bound in the traditional Chinese fashion, and ate the foods mentioned in this novel. The secret writing of women, called nu shu, was real and written in secret code between women, and was often written on fans between their contractual laotong (life friends), such as Lily and Snow Flower were in this novel. Their secret messages were written on this fan and passed back and forth throughout their lives.

Although a small book, this was well written. Her writing style is very fluid. I believe this would be a terrific read for any young teenage girl, as this is a story of deep-hearted love between sisters…friends, coming of age in a time when women were not viewed favorably at all in China.

MOVIE: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011), starring Li Bingbing as Lily; Jun Ji-hyun as Snow Flower; and Hugh Jackman as Arthur, who is not in the book, is set up a little differently and is in the Chinese language, so has sub-titles. You follow three stories: 1) Nina and Sophia (step-sisters) in modern day New York where Nina lays dying in a hospital bed...Hugh Jackman makes a brief appearance as Nina's boyfriend and hopeful book deal; 2) The telling of Lily and Snow Flower; 3) and Nina and Sophia’s early growing up days. I felt like there was a lot missing from the movie. In my opinion, the book, of course, was way better. ( )
  MissysBookshelf | Aug 27, 2023 |
Very good.. but very sad at the same time.... ( )
  fyreglo | Aug 26, 2023 |
I read this through the haze of sleep deprivation and baby blues that comes with the first two weeks of being a new mom. As such, I found the book both profoundly moving, and palpably, viscerally almost unbearably sad. See is very evocative -- I usually do very poorly with historical fiction, especially set in an era about which I had little a priori knowledge, but I found myself very invested in the characters. ( )
  settingshadow | Aug 19, 2023 |
; Excellent. Chinese women lives & foot binding
  ndfan19 | Aug 17, 2023 |
What a gifted story teller. Another from a book group, this title gave us a lot to talk about. Being a woman–especially in foot-binding era China–is not easy but it can still make for a beautiful story. ( )
  rebwaring | Aug 14, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 422 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (18 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Lisa Seeprimary authorall editionscalculated
Ridder, SusanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Song, JanetNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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I am what they call in our village "one who has not yet died" -- a widow, eighty years old.
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No matter how scared I was of her words, I wanted to cling to those wings and fly away
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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"). 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.

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Friends Snow Flower and Lily find solace in their bond as they face isolation, arranged marriages, loss, and motherhood in nineteenth-century China.
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