Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

This was a story we read in my book club last month. I'm a little unsure how to blog about it so here goes...

This is a story that takes place in 19th century China during a time where girls bound their feet to achieve "golden lilies" (3-3.5 inches from toe to heel) and had arranged marriages. Girls were confined to the upstairs room of the home until they were married. During this time a secret writing called nu shu was created as a way for women to communicate with each other without the men knowing. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is told from the perspective of Lily as an old woman who is reflecting on her life experiences with foot binding, her special laotong relationship with Snow Flower, and her arranged marriage.

I liked the story and found it interesting to learn about a different culture during a different time. I can't believe the whole foot binding process and the amount of pain these women suffered for the sake of beauty. I suppose we have our own painful and seemingly ridiculous rituals that we undertake for beauty, like diets, plucking eyebrows, shaving/waxing, body piercings, corsets, high-heeled shoes...but in my opinion they're not nearly as extreme as foot binding.

I also frequently became frustrated with the way women were viewed in the story, especially baby girls. It was repeatedly stated that it is better to miscarry than give birth to a baby girl, which I find particularly offensive as I am about to have my own baby girl in about a week and I can't imagine anything more exciting and joyful than the prospect of having a daughter. And then of course the fact that I am female puts me on the defensive and makes me irritated at the general societal attitude toward women, that we are useless, weak, unintelligent, and just another mouth to feed. And of course it was worse if you were a poor woman. I am so happy that this is no longer the attitude toward women, especially in the United States.

Overall this was a very interesting story. It was difficult to read at times because it didn't follow the usual plot development of typical Western writing, but I still enjoyed the flowy, less plot driven Eastern style. It's always fun to learn something new about another culture.

4 out of 5 stars