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challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
where do i even begin with this review! i loved this book, it was so beautifully well written.
i read the journey of lily through her childhood to her old age and viewed her relationship with snow flower and how both of them developed individually and as same-olds.
set in mid-1800s i read as lily and snow flower dealt with things such as footbindings, tragedies, love, death, marriage and children.
cultural and society traditions were adapted and the challenges lily and snow flower went through were eye opening.
it was a beautiful yet tragic story which leaves you with so many emotions
i read the journey of lily through her childhood to her old age and viewed her relationship with snow flower and how both of them developed individually and as same-olds.
set in mid-1800s i read as lily and snow flower dealt with things such as footbindings, tragedies, love, death, marriage and children.
cultural and society traditions were adapted and the challenges lily and snow flower went through were eye opening.
it was a beautiful yet tragic story which leaves you with so many emotions
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is intense. It took me a whole day to finish but it was very worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, War
Minor: Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was really interesting to read if you want to learn more about Ancient Chinese women lifestyles. I think this book taught me a lot about how women were raised with foot binding and the importance they put women through cleaning, knitting, cooking, raising children, and of course bearing a male heir. I loved to learn about how women were raised in compare to men. I fell in love with the relationship between Lily and Snow Flower. The ending made me so sad I wished Lily did not hold those grudges and assumptions against Snow Flower since she went through so much going through marrying an abusive husband and his family then losing 4 children. Even with her childhood of her father misusing her family and getting addicted to opium. Lily really did not have to judge her for that after losing everything with her natal family and in-laws. I really appreciate how she showed how fame/power can get to your ego if you let it. Where at the beginning Lily promised she would never misuse her power like her mother-in-law did because she came from a poor family. At the end of the day she realized a lot of people were just using or being nice to her for looks and in marrying well. Definitely read this book if you want to learn more about Ancient Chinese culture and lifestyles but do be aware how intricate and detailed her writing is while reading traumatic events.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Classism
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage
Explicit discussions of foot binding
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have been wanting to read this book for a good long while, but wanted to first finish up some other books before diving in. Reading this book reminded me why I love Lisa See's writing in general. It's so beautiful and lyrical. She has such a fantastic grasp of language and nuance when it comes to storytelling. One does not read her stories as much as step inside and live them. Like with the two previous books of hers that I have read (The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane and Peony in Love), it was a story focused on connection, steeped in the raw emotions that truly make us human.
The novel opens up with a formal introduction to our narrator, Lily, who is telling her story at the ripe age of eighty years old. Her story starts when she was five, still unaware of the life she was about to lead. A life filled with extreme joys and extreme sorrows. A life of love gained and love lost. As a young girl living in China during the 1800s, her only real choices in life are to find a good husband or to wither away (thankfully, much has changed since then). In order to ensure a good marriage, she is selected to have a laotong. A laotong, from what I understood, is almost like a platonic marriage between two girls. It binds them together forever in sisterhood and friendship and was at the time widely regarded as a distinction in society. A girl who had a laotong was seen as special. Lily's laotong was a girl named Snow Flower, who seemed to be the exact opposite of Lily. Where Lily was naive, Snow Flower was quick minded. Where Snow Flower was emotional, Lily was a voice of reason. They balanced each other out almost to perfection. As laotongs, they also communicated using nu shu, which was a secret language known only to women. They would write to each other on a fan, which would be passed back and forth between the two girls, slowly building up a history of their lives as they joined together and as they diverged and separated. Throughout the novel, we see the two girls grow side by side, navigating the tricky and treacherous waters of society that women were forced to sail. Both girls are married, but they remain close. However, Snow Flower's secret begins to grate on their bond, slowly eroding it away as a river creates a canyon. Small fractures appear in their unbreakable bond, making it more and more brittle.
Throughout the novel, we are constantly reminded of the pains and injustices women faced during this time. The passages dedicated to footbinding in particular were painful to read, but I can only imagine that it was a thousand times more painful to endure. On top of this, they are constantly told that they are worthless and burdensome as women. Women must exist in the inside realm of the home while men exist in the outer realm of society. Women must be shut away like secrets, only brought out to be displayed as beautiful objects, rather than people with emotions, desires, hopes, and dreams.
It made me wonder why we hurt the ones we love. Can love, which is sold to us as a wondrous fix, be destructive? Of course it can. I think, like any force, it can be constructive and destructive. It is dependent on how it is wielded. Snow Flower loved in a way that built upward. She loved unconditionally and unashamedly. Lily, on the other hand, was constantly filled with shame and the need to control Snow Flower. She loved Snow Flower, but never really took the time and effort to truly understand her. That, in my mind, is a destructive love. To love someone without understanding them or supporting them is not a true love. It's a possessive and selfish love. It takes but does not give. Towards the end, it was almost parasitic.
Perhaps I am being too harsh on Lily. The story was, after all, told from her perspective. I saw Snow Flower as Lily saw her. Kind and adventurous. Loving and tragic. I wonder if I would still hold the opinion I do if the story was told from Snow Flower's perspective instead.
In the end, this novel made me think about the way I connect with people in real life. It has made me want to be a better friend to those around me and to seek out genuine human connection and to strengthen those bonds that have already been formed. I think, at the end of the day, that is what everyone is truly looking for. Everyone wants to find a way to connect in a deep and meaningful way. I hope that happens to you, if you've made it this far (and even if you haven't).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a really cute book about young girls in eighteenth century China. I had to read this book for school and thought I was going to hate it like I hate all the books I read for school but I really enjoyed this book.
This is a coming of age story about girls who try to grow up in China, going through all the customs and traditions necessary while also maintaining a source of friendship. This is a great story about friendship and sisters that will leave you crying.
I was not expecting this book to be so sad and leave a major impact on my life but it did.
The story tended to drag in a few places so often I was bored and just wanted something to happen but luckily the story picked up again.
I have to say Snowflower did annoy me at times. When they were being attacked and had to live out in the mountains, all Snowflower wanted to do was bed business with her husband. Even after he beat her. I kind of agreed with Lily when she was making her letter of vituperation. But towards the end once she died, I grew to love Snowflower and I was crying at that point. It was so sad and it broke my heart.
All in all I would give this book a 4/5 stars. It was a really good book and I would recommend it to any girl who is coming of age and would like to learn more traditions and customs of China.
This is a coming of age story about girls who try to grow up in China, going through all the customs and traditions necessary while also maintaining a source of friendship. This is a great story about friendship and sisters that will leave you crying.
I was not expecting this book to be so sad and leave a major impact on my life but it did.
The story tended to drag in a few places so often I was bored and just wanted something to happen but luckily the story picked up again.
All in all I would give this book a 4/5 stars. It was a really good book and I would recommend it to any girl who is coming of age and would like to learn more traditions and customs of China.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Suicide