A review by mickaroni
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

5.0

I'm so bad at writing real reviews, like academic ones. This book definitely deserves one of those, but I still wanted to note that I really liked this book. It's a story of female empowerment, companionship, and self-growth. I loved following Yunxian as she grew up. I also learned a good bit about older Chinese practices, like foot-binding. I liked that, even though society's view on foot-binding has changed in modern times, the characters in this novel saw it as a thing of beauty, status, and dedication to their husbands. Things like that make you appreciate an author that doesn't write about historical events or themes with a modern lens. This book was both enjoyable and made me feel smarter after reading it!