Lisa See

This was my introduction to Medieval Chinese culture and wow.  I was totally fascinated (and occasionally horrified---footbinding?  Ew.) from beginning to end.  The lives of women during that era were tremendously limited and carefully conscribed.  Great learning experience and a powerful story of friendship and betrayal in addition.

Copied Blurb:

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared 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 deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. 

This is a haunting tale about a lifelong friendship between two women, which takes place in Imperial China.  Through the cruelty of footbinding, arranged marriages and the birth (and sometimes death) of children, you see the characters grow and change, but you also find yourself asking questions about the roles of women in different societies and how women are valued.

Excellent but sometimes very disturbing book....

I find this a difficult book to write about. Set in rural China in the 1800s, it is the story of women and their lives in that society. It is sad and a bit depressing to hear of the restrictive ways they had to live, being considered inferior to men.