This is one of the most unforgettable books I've ever read. I was trying to find a book to take with me for our honeymoon trip and I was immediately attracted to its cover.
The story takes place in the 19th Century in China. At that time, giving birth to a girl was the greatest misfortune that could happen to you. Basically your baby’s value was less than one of a dog. As a child and an adolescent you were a source of financial trouble for your parents, once you were married you would become a slave to your stepmother, and as a mother you would be a disgrace to your family if you were not give birth to a son.
I also discovered what having "bounded feet" meant. A real torture that is comparable to excision. Like many, I guess I naively thought that Chinese bandaged their feet so that it "appear" smaller. The reality is quite different: mothers broke the feet of their daughters for 6 years as they reach the ideal length of 7 to 10 centimeters. Without this, no marriage was possible.
Lisa See describes precisely this process the barbaric process which would last for nearly two years.
I also discovered that Chinese women had developed in great secrecy their own alphabet: Nu Shu. This writing has linked women in their solitude for over a century.
Via a Secret Fan and the Nu Shu two girls who are destined to two different lives will share their hope.
This is a beautiful and touching story about two women and their friendship. ..
This story is fascinating in many respects. Lisa See has thoroughly researched the life of a Chinese woman in the nineteenth century, and I remained stunned.
Ever since, I have read all her books. If I could I would read each one of them in just one go and I’m always sad when comes the last page… She makes you travel through time with a enormous talent for describing of places, personalities and feelings…
I hope the movie will be as good as the book… Nonetheless, this is a book worth sharinge with your mom or your best friend…
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