Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is a book I picked up at Half Price Books because I remember seeing it once at Danna's house. We typically love the same reads so I thought this would be a good one.

I'll start off by saying that I began this book and then put it on hold when we decided to read Peace Like a River. I picked it up again a few weeks later so I had to get into the book twice. Overall I would say this is a very interesting book. I love reading about different cultures in the context of fiction (it's much more interesting than reading a history book), and this book's content included traditions and customs I had never heard of.

The book is the story of two young girls set in 19th century China; it chronicles their bond as "old sames" and their use of the secret language nu shu. During this time in China's history females were basically considered worthless. Their only value came from arranging their marriages to men. To make the girls more attractive to perspective husbands' families, young girls were subjected to the practice of foot binding. This process was discussed in depth at the beginning of the story and it was definitely the most fascinating (and disturbing) part of the story. I've inserted the URL to Lisa See's website below; you can go there to learn more about what foot binding is.

As I said above this book very much had my attention in the beginning, and the story of the two girls' friendship and their struggles was a fascinating one. But as I reached the conclusion of the book the story seemed to drop off quickly. The end was quick and in my mind anticlimactic. I liked it, but I would not put it on my list of books that are a must read. I would definitely judge for yourself though.

http://www.lisasee.com/snowflower.htm