"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (2005, 258 pages)

Please leave a Comment if you have seen the Movie

how does it live up to your expectations?

Last month I read and really enjoyed Lisa See's most recent book, Shanghai Girls.  Shanghai Girls is a historical novel set in Shanghai and California, starting in the 1930s and ending in the 1950s.   As soon as I finished Shanghai Girls I added Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (set in China in the 19th century) and Peony in Love  (set in the 17th century) to my to be read list.   I was really happy when I saw hardback editions of both of these books for sale for 85 percent off the list price.    I decided I would read them in the order Lisa See wrote them.

The narrator of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is Lilly, in her 80s at the time she tells the story.   The second important person in the novel is Snow Flower.   The novel is a beautifully told story of the relationship of these two women.   I knew that marriages were arranged by professional matchmakers in this era but I did not know that matchmakers also arranged what are meant to be life time friendships between women, normally starting about the time of foot binding, about 8 or so.   The two women bound together are called "old sames".   This book is the story of the life long relationship of Lilly and her old same Snow Flower.   

Central to the book's plot and themes is the practice of foot  binding, which begins when a girl is about 8, takes up to six months to complete (all the bones in the toes have to be broken) and in the process killed  ten percent of the girls who under went it. The purpose of foot binding is to make the girls more attractive as marriage partners and as submissive daughter in laws.   Lower class girls (called "big feet girls) do not get their feet bound.   The process is horribly painful and is described in  in a fashion that made  me cringe.   It leaves those who feet are bound near half cripples for the rest of their lives.    The novel lets us see the very degrading way in which women were treated in China in this period.   A woman who gave birth only to female children was considered worthless.   In one very brutal scene the husband of Snow Flower beats her so severely that she miscarries.   He justifies his action after the fact by saying the child would probably have been a girl.   The saddest part of this is that no one including his wife sees any problems with his actions.

Just like in Shanghai Girls a lot of things happen to the central characters, most of them bad.   I learned a lot about life in China in the 19th century.   It made me see how foot binding was a  central element in the life of Chinese women.   This practice continued well into the 20th century.    

Snow Flower and The Secret  Fan is a very good historical novel.   It lets the reader see and feel what it might have been like to live in 19th century China.    It is just a bit predictable that something bad is going to happen soon in the novel but I could not predict what the bad event would be.   Unlike in  Shanghai  Girls there is closure in this book.    This novel and two of her others are currently being made into movies.  

I enjoyed this book a lot.   I was interested in seeing what would happen to the characters,   I learned a good bit about life in China and I am for sure glad my three daughters will not have to have their feet bound!-   I will read another of Lisa See's novels, Peony in Love  soon.    


Mel u