Yet another amazing novel from Lisa
See! Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
tells an inspirational and heart warming story of the true bonds of friendship
and family. Set in 19th century rural China, two young girls will
embark on a life long journey, all of which begins with a few words on a fan. One
of these young girls, Lily, comes from a humble farming family who does not
expect great things from their second daughter until a matchmaker sees her
feet. The matchmaker believes that after her foot binding is complete Lily will
have perfect little golden lilies, which will lead to a prosperous marriage and
honour for her family. Her laotong Snow
Flower comes from a very different life; she is of a family of great wealth and
status. The ‘old sames’ form an intimate and a lifelong contract declaring them
as friends until death. The girls then go through all of life milestones
together, from the painful foot binding years beginning at age 7; through the
hair pinning days where they would create their dowries for their upcoming
marriages; into the rice and salt days of marriage and childbirth and finally
into the sitting quietly years, at least for one of them. Throughout their
lives as laotong the girls send a fan
between them on which they write messages in nu shu, the secret language of women and tell each other their
dreams, their hopes, their accomplishments as well as their sorrows and troubles.
The two girls find solace in their friendship, developing a special bond until
one day; a misunderstanding threatens to destroy a lifetime of love and their laotong relationship forever.
☆☆☆☆☆
I absolutely adored this novel by Lisa
See! The story was beautifully written, both the narrative as well as the
poetry that the girls exchange on their fan and in their letters.
“Two birds
in flight – hearts beating as one.
The sun
shines upon their wings, drenching them in healing warmth.
The earth
spreads below them, all theirs” (p. 112)
The prose creates vivid images in the
readers mind and I could almost picture these two young women sitting in their
women’s chambers writing to each other wanting nothing more than to be with
their laotong, sharing their lives
with each other. I think that See did not only write a beautiful story, but
that she wrote stunning poetry as well. The characters in this novel were
amazingly lifelike and they elicited true, raw emotion throughout the book. I
found it to be amazing how See researched this novel as she travelled to these
small, rural villages where she spoke to women and families from this era about
their lives. She spoke to women much like Lily and Snow Flower, women who had
gone through the process of foot binding and who found their husband through a
matchmaker. See was able to take these women’s stories and transform them into
a wonderful piece of literary art.
I would highly recommend this book to
anyone who enjoys Asian culture as this book is filled with information about
the Chinese culture in the 19th century as well as to anyone who
simply enjoys a fantastic read.
Born
November 6th 1479 in Toledo, Spain, Juana was the third daughter of
King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, she was never
expected become heiress to either throne of Aragon or Castile, but upon the
deaths of her parents, she inherited both. At the age of 16 in 1496, Juana was betrothed
to Philip, Duke of Burgundy, son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. Juana and
Philip were formally married October 20th 1496 and their marriage
was a fruitful one producing 6 children: 2 emperors and 4 queens. Their life
together was an unhappy one, blamed mostly on his infidelity and her political insecurity.
Philip constantly tried to usurp her birthright to the thrones of Aragon and
Castile, which led to her mental instability and eventual insanity. Upon the death
of her mother in 1504, Juana became Queen of Castile. Juana died April 12th 1555 in
Tordesillas, Spain at the age of 75. 
Born amid her parents' ruthless struggle to unify and strengthen their
kingdom, Juana, at the age of sixteen, is sent to wed Philip, heir to the
Habsburg Empire. Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her dashing young
husband, and at first she is content with her children and her married life.
But when tragedy strikes and she becomes heir to the Spanish throne, Juana
finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to
involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, Juana vows
to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it costs her everything.
