Women’s Struggles And Relationships In Traditional China, Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2018. When I pick it up, it's strange how light it feels in my hands, for it records so much joy and so much grief. Too many decades were condensed into too few pages. I am such a fan of Lisa See because I love how she can recreate the culture in China, especially for women, which makes her books so enlightening. Anyway, this book tells of the story of how two people can become one, and how human mistakes can change people’s lives. By the time I was forty, the rigidity of my footbinding had moved from my golden lilies to my heart, which held onto injustices and grievances so strongly that I could no longer forgive those I loved and who loved me. On every page, she provides fascinating details of the lives of women in China.” — San Diego Union Tribune, “In her fourth book, See has triumphed, writing an achingly beautiful, understated and absorbing story of love…Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is so rich in psychology, feminine high stakes and marital intrigue that it evokes the work of Jane Austen. Once Snow Flower returns home, the girls pass notes to each other often through Madame Wang. I ended up enjoying this book because it was so beautifully written and it took me deep into a world so unlike my own; thank goodness for that! The girls learn how to behave as women and perform domestic duties, and Snow Flower, who knows the families that Lily and Beautiful Moon will marry into, tells them about their future husbands. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Chapter 5 Summary. In our county, we call this type of mother love teng ai . Further, Lily may be able to marry into Tongkou (a richer town) and be eligible for a laotong match. In Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, the plot points may be described as follows: When Lily and Snow Flower turn 15, Snow Flower travels to Lily's home for the Catching Cool Breezes festival. Instant downloads of all 1364 LitChart PDFs Along the fan's many folds, the two women have recorded their lives' significant events in Nü Shu, a secret written language used and understood only by women.Daughter DaysThe story begins in the home of a family in rural China. I at first thought it might be depressing but not at all. Lily and Snow Flower are destined to be friends, but they become sister, and as we know sisters have fights, but for Lily her ignorance leads to her to become prideful. It handles the harsh relationships that maybe develop between mother and daughter well as they clash with society's expectations. This has got to be one of the most beautiful, yet heartbreaking books that I have ever read. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. She has such a way with words and I love the way she can make you fall into the book so easily. See created an entire lifetime of a woman's experience in ancient Asia and beautifully crafted her character in a way that made Lily's climb from oppression to honor realistically come to life for me, a large-boned, large-footed Caucasian with "feet that flap like fish." The two girls--Snow Flower and Lily--have a friendship that is beautiful and is fun to pick out little pieces from my own childhood/current friendships that I recognize and adore. My fingers trembled as I opened the folds. Then I had an ex-boyfriend make the infuriating statement that rich women have small feet. She spends time with her siblings doing chores and vying for the attention of their mother. I tried to read it. One of the most important themes of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the theme of friendship. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. There's a problem loading this menu right now. I've experienced the other types of lovepity love, respectful love, and gratitude love. Read and reviewed in 2008. Review updated in 2020 - without rereading the book - to focus on "secret" languages. Snow Flower will marry out to the town of Jintian, but the girls worry that Snow Flower's husband isn't a good match. The Nǚshū aspect was what most intrigued me about this book, though I did wonder how much the men knew. It is very well researched and craftily written to reveal a history long hidden from Western eyes. Both of these people see something special in Lily and recommend that great care be taken in her foot binding. 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. The subject matter is horrific but the story is truly engaging. That fall, Lily travels to Jintian to visit with Snow Flower. I learned a lot from reading this book about the ancient Chinese customs—foot binding for women, secret writings women shared, the treatment of women in terms of their worth and much more. Snow Flower is unhappy in her marriage; her mother-in-law is cruel, the work is difficult, and her husband is violent. What I know is embroidery, weaving, cooking, my husband's family, my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, and nu shu . In her introduction to the novel, See writes that Lily, the narrator, was born on June 5, 1824—"the fifth day of the sixth month of the third year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign". Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017, I had a delightful time reading this book about two young Chinese girls who swore their allegiance to each other when they were very young. The role of women in China up to the fifties. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship. Lily realizes that while she had assumed she was benefiting most from the laotong with Snow Flower, Madam Wang had actually made the arrangement to save Snow Flower’s reputation. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Inside you'll find 30 Daily Lessons, 20 Fun Activities, 180 Multiple Choice Questions, 60 Short Essay Questions, 20 Essay Questions, Quizzes/Homework Assignments, Tests, and more. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. This book has been well researched and draws you into the lives of people who lived this way in China's past. Aunt reads the note on the fan to Lily, which is a request to be "old sames." The language was known as nu sh. During … Set in China in the early to mid -19th century, this book tells of a deep friendship between two women, Lily and Snow Flower. The Victorians constricted the waist line to 19 inches which damaged internal organs and even today women have to wear very high heels when working in some jobs which also can damage the feet and shorten the calfmuscles. Married out to men that they didn't know, they were forced to work constantly for their in-laws and then treated abominably if they gave birth to daughters and not sons. It was sad, yet fulfilling, true and honest, yet fictional. In August, Snow Flower is supposed to visit Lily for a festival, but Lotus, a woman from the mountains, arrives instead with the fan. I enjoyed the story itself, but felt the last part of the book was rushed. Lily and Snow Flower maintain a very close friendship despite the fact that they are both girls. Snow Flower is to marry a butcher; the marriage is a step down in status for her. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is achingly beautiful, a marvel of imagination of a real and secret world that has only recently disappeared.
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