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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - April Book Club

One of our members "rickimc" suggested what looks like a great book for our next book club.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. See's engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends (laotong, or "old sames") Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. While granting immediacy to Lily's voice, See (Flower Net) adroitly transmits historical background in graceful prose. Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life. Beginning with a detailed and heartbreaking description of Lily and her sisters' foot binding ("Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you have peace"), the story widens to a vivid portrait of family and village life. Most impressive is See's incorporation of nu shu, a secret written phonetic code among women—here between Lily and Snow Flower—that dates back 1,000 years in the southwestern Hunan province ("My writing is soaked with the tears of my heart,/ An invisible rebellion that no man can see"). As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle, this novel has bestseller potential and should become a reading group favorite as well.

I found some copies at half.com - http://product.half.ebay.com/Snow-Flower-And-the-Secret-Fan_W0QQtgZ...

Is having it read by May 1st o.k.?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Solsida on May 9, 2008 at 6:17am: It seemed like they both expected too much of the other. Lily wanted Snow Flower to just deal with her situation, because she really couldn't see another option. Snow Flower wanted Lily to accept her for who she was, without actually telling her who she was. There were so many constraints placed on them and their friendship, it's hard to imagine it couldn't have been the deep relationship they wanted it to be. Really the only thing that bound them together was intention.

It all seemed so miserable and lonely...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Solsida on May 9, 2008 at 6:10am: I think you mean Lily, not Snow Flower? I thought the book was interesting and I liked the second half better, but that could be because I had a hard time stomaching the whole foot binding thing. I also tend to like things that are more plot driven and there was more going on. I looked up the region on google images and those are some steep, steep mountains. I mean they seem to go straight up. I can't imagine trying to go up one of those on half feet like they did during the evacuation.

The other thing that has been bothering is not so much with the book, but the foot binding was so valued. It went on for hundreds of years. And, the women were not valued. So, the one thing that made them valued, their feet, more or less crippled them and subsequently proved their lack of value. I can't quite get my modern mind around it.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amy Steinberg on May 13, 2008 at 11:01pm: Maybe I just can't get my mind around it either. I keep asking myself "would I be friends with that person if they treated me like that"? And I mean both of them. Lily was judgemental and Snow Flower was a liar. I know customs were different then but in our modern world I don't think we'd keep friends like this. Do you?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amy Steinberg on May 13, 2008 at 11:44pm: Who's ready for another book?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by rickimc on May 14, 2008 at 5:46am: Me!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Solsida on May 14, 2008 at 6:36am: me too!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amy Steinberg on May 14, 2008 at 12:25pm: LOL! O.k., if you have a suggestion I am all ears. If not maybe you'd consider reading Cry to Heaven by Ann Rice. She wrote this book before she became really famous and started knocking out books once a month. It isn't about vampires or anything like that. I read it years and years ago but am thinking I should re-read. Check out the description and let me know what you think. http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Heaven-Anne-Rice/dp/0345396936/ref=pd_bbs...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Solsida on May 14, 2008 at 12:40pm: lol! interesting transition from footbinding!!!! hee hee! I'll give it a whirl, but it's a lot of pages. (yes, I'm wimpy, I know...); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by rickimc on May 14, 2008 at 2:15pm: It does sound good, but 579 is pretty long...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Solsida on May 14, 2008 at 6:29pm: Although if it's good, that's not a bad thing...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by rickimc on May 18, 2008 at 1:16pm: So are we going with this one. I'm game as long as we can get until the end of June to read it.; ▶ Reply to This