|
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan | 
| Author: Lisa See
Creator: Janet Song
Publisher: Listening Library
Category: Book
List Price: $63.00
Buy Used: $58.00
You Save: $5.00 (8%)
Used (3) from $58.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  600 reviews
Sales Rank: 2565841
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Items: 9
ISBN: 1415921547
EAN: 9781415921548
ASIN: 1415921547
Publication Date: January 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: withdrawn library audio cd with library markings in good condition
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. 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.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. 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.
From the Hardcover edition.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 595 more reviews...
 asian women's relationship October 10, 2008
I'm not sure about some of the cultural accuracy, but this was a really good story. The women in it are also great. There were some truly sad and moving moments. I'll keep this author in mind for the future.
 My few cents October 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been interested in Chinese history for many years and am still reading various works on Chinese history. When NPR recommended this book as a good fictionalized account of an early dynastic period, I was eager to read it. I have not read any of the author's other works.
I have to say I was very disappointed in this. I never felt very connected to any of the characters and most of the details of everyday life seemed to be superficially laid into the plot.
The author's description in the back of the book on how she obtained her historical information provided the evidence that she was not much more than a reporter who dallied for a short time in China, getting translated interviews from an elderly woman. It would seem incumbent on her to have read a great deal of other factual history of the times, but there is little indication from the story of this and she provides no bibliography - something I think would be more helpful to young readers than the list of "study questions" at that back.
As for the lesbian element. I am not Chinese, nor lesbian for that matter. I've never been to China. My understanding has to be based on a number of historical writings and evidence. I've read that gay and bi-sexual interaction did exist in historical Chinese culture, especially in the more prosperous classes. It may not have been promoted, per se, but it was often over-looked. The higher classes had a great deal of idle time on their hands. As long as one produced male offspring, it often didn't matter how one got thru the day otherwise. Check out the quite well-written entry about homosexuality in China at Wikipedia.
I have to take with a large grain of salt any protestation by present-day Chinese that no lao tong relationship was ever lesbian or that this was an "impossible" situation based on Confucian or Taoist laws. Homosexuality was not a "sin" under those rules. Political social conservatism in China will, (as in the US, and Middle East) repress any historical facts that don't fit into certain biased agendas.
Snow Flower is obviously aimed at young adult readers. This would be fine if it was a better written story. It just appears that the author is capitalizing on her Chinese antecedents without doing her homework or having adequate writing talent. I can't really recommend this book.
One of the best September 30, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Rich in detail and exquisitely crafted, this is an excellent book which I highly recommend, though some parts are rather graphic (footbinding) and are not for the weak of heart.
 Memorable! September 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book, it is set in China of a hundred years ago or so and gives a vivid and compelling portrayal of a woman of a certain class growing uo in China during that time. I wont re hash the plot in this review others have done that very well. The poignancy of this story stayed with me for a long time .
The description of the foot binding process was so detailed and graphic that my feet actually ached for days, that chapter is not for the squeamish.
Capitavating historical fiction September 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the story of two young women, Lily and Snow Flower, set in 19th century China. The two are bound together as "Lo Tung" (old sames) as young girls. This connection is their greatest triumph and later their cause for greatest shame.
Lisa See weaves a tale that engages the reader and brings a better understanding of what life was like for women in the 1800s in China, when a good life was considered spending of your days in a single room and nights producing many male offspring.
The descriptions of foot binding were compelling and disturbing. In the audio commentary she discusses meeting women who went through this procedure and how they viewed it. Also she enlightens the reader with discussion of the writing style of "nu shu". Nu Shu was used exclusively by women as a form of ornamentation, song, and written communication.
Overall this was a very moving and enjoyable piece of fiction. I look forward to reading/listening to more from Lisa See. My major disappointment was that the audio book was abridged. The book was concise enough that abridgment seems unnecessary and takes away from the flow of the book.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
