| Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Contributor(s): See, Lisa (Author) |
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ISBN: 0812980352 ISBN-13: 9780812980356 Publisher: Random House Trade OUR PRICE: $16.20 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2009 Annotation: In 19th-century China, when wives and daughters live in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county develop their own secret code for communication. This work offers a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Historical - General - Fiction | Literary - Fiction | Psychological |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Physical Information: 0.82" H x 5.84" W x 8.2" (0.66 lbs) 288 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - Chinese - Sex & Gender - Feminine - Topical - Friendship |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 112895 Reading Level: 6.5 Interest Level: Upper Grades Point Value: 16.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Lily is haunted by memories-of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness. In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu ("women's writing"). Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames," in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become "old sames" at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship. |