Why did I love this book?
Next to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, this is my favorite Lisa See book. The story centers around Tan Yunxian, a young woman living in fifteenth-century China.
Life was not easy for females back then—from foot binding to subservience to men and the pressures of giving birth to a son. Tan Yunxian tries to play along, but in her heart, she is a healer who desires to utilize her extensive knowledge, having been educated by her grandparents—physicians skilled in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Tan Yunxian and her small circle of female friends offer each other support as they forge their individual paths and strive to navigate a highly restrictive society. Based on a historical figure, which makes this story all the more compelling.
9 authors picked Lady Tan's Circle of Women as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
'Despite the inordinate limits placed on women, See allows their strengths to dominate their stories' Washington Post
'Poignant . . . quietly affecting' Time
In 15th century China two women are born under the same sign, the Metal Snake. But life will take the friends on very different paths.
According to Confucius, 'an educated woman is a worthless woman', but Tan Yunxian - born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separation and loneliness - is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. She begins her training in medicine with her grandmother and, as she navigates the…