Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To skim through this book or to read it too quickly would be an injustice to the beautiful words. The protagonist who is also the narrator is a wonderful story teller who takes us through eighty years of her life. Her words are ambrosial - melodic. Through Lily we are transported in time, we are in China, we are women. We cannot relate in an emphatic way because we have not suffered in such a way. However, through descriptive words we are able to vividly imagine the pains of foot binding, the love of sisterhood, and the beauty of nu-shu. The author is very talented in weaving a story full of historical integrity. She carefully chooses her words and is cleverly descriptive. We are both educated and entertain. We feel love, anger, and sadness. This was a beautifully tragic story. It will live in your mind, even after you close the book.

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