Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

By Lisa See

This was such a great novel that tomorrow I'm rushing to the library to check out all the other novels this author has written. This is a novel written in China in the early 1800's and deals with foot binding, arranged marriages, and the lower status of women during that time period. The author does a wonderful job of transporting the reader back in time and in a place that few are familiar with. The main character is a female who is matched with another female and they communicate with each other in a language written on a secret fan. This language is written by women, specifically for women to communicate with each other.

Lily is a second daughter in a large family and as such is destined to be a lower status family member her entire life. When the matchmaker comes to her house, he sees potential in Lily and refers her to another matchmaker. It is predicted that after foot binding, Lily will have perfect feet and make a great wife. This will ensure her a marriage to a wealthy man and elevate the status of her entire family. Lily is also given an "old same" which is a female that is matched to her in eight different areas of compatibility. These "old sames" are to be life-long companions and communicate in "nu-shu," or the secret language of women.

Similar Novels: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Length: 288 pages

Copyright: 2006