A review by life_full_ofbooks
Lady Tan's Circle Of Women by Lisa See

emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love historical fiction and I especially love historical fiction that is based on facts and from which I learn something. Lisa See’s newest book fits the bill perfectly. 

Taking place in China during the middle of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) this is based on the true story of Tán Yǔnxián, a female doctor of women. When she was 7 she went to live with her grandparents, both of whom were doctors, and her grandmother taught her everything she knew up until she was married at the age of 15. Her grandmother also fostered a friendship between young Yǔnxián and the midwife’s daughter, Meiling, who didn’t have the status as Yǔnxián, but who had the ability to help teach her compassion for the working woman. Behind the back of her husband’s mother Yǔnxián treated the women of the compound and women perceived to have a lowlier status. Following 5 decades of Yǔnxián’s life we watch her mature from young girl, to young wife, to lady of the compound and we also watch her mature as a friend and as a doctor. Throughout their lives Yǔnxián’s and Meiling’s friendship never dwindles despite their class and standing differences, and Yǔnxián realizes other women who would otherwise be considered lesser than (concubines, servants, etc) are also part of her circle helping to lift her when things seem at the worst. 

Ms. See does a phenomenal job preserving the life of this amazing woman while weaving it with a fictional story. I’d like to think that Yǔnxián actually had a circle of women that included a midwife, a concubine, and a servant, in addition to some other women. Stay for the note at the end of the book, it made my eyebrows raise in shock and had me loving what I’d just listened to even more.