A riveting tale, set in 19th century China, of two little girls whose lives are linked by a bond stronger than blood. Lily and Snow Flower’s love for each other survives separation, terrible hardship, marriage, childbirth and betrayal. Lisa See’s novel is a compelling story of love and the human spirit, brought vividly to life by the detailed picture it presents of ordinary Chinese women’s lives in a time when their sole value was as housekeepers and goods to be traded between households. If you enjoy Adeline Yen-Mah and Amy Tan, you’ll enjoy this.�
Lily is the daughter of a humble farmer, and to her family she is just another expensive mouth to feed. Then the local matchmaker delivers startling news: if Lily’s feet are bound properly, they will be flawless. In nineteenth-century China, where a woman’s eligibility is judged by the shape and size of her feet, this is extraordinary good luck. Lily now has the power to make a good marriage and change the fortunes of her family. To prepare for her new life, she must undergo the agonies of footbinding, learn nu shu, the famed secret women’s writing, and make a very special friend, Snow Flower. But a bitter reversal of fortune is about to change everything.
Lisa See is the author of Flower Net, The Interior and Dragon Bones, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. She lives in Los Angeles. Her new novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a mesmerising novel about two young girls growing up in feudal China.
