Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts. Stream or download thousands of included titles. I was reading this novel about a year ago and lost my book. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017. Out of self-preservation, I jumped ship. Witness her transformation as you enter a world where appearances are paramount, virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder, women beguile powerful men, and love is scorned as illusion. In this audiobook, Pearl S. Buck recreates the life of one of the most intriguing rules during a time of intense turbulence. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. There was a problem loading your book clubs. ", " Fiction that speaks to the her-story of foot binding, relationship bongs between women, and traditions in empirical China. The narrator was decent but very nasally. ", " I have always been fascinated by the era in Japanese culture and ritual, most especially the act of foot binding. Kimiko Glenn, Lisa See is an excellent story teller. So I went and purchased paperback and started reading the book again. ", " Great book. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s written a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. Please try again. Alexandra Allwine, This book was beautiful and sad and opened my eyes to the pain and subjugation that women suffered in China up to comparatively recent times. By: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. There were some themes explored that were uncomfortable for me, including physical abuse, customs such as foot binding and oppression of women, along with violence of nature and of war, but it was penned through the first person view of Lily's quill in such a way as to not be sensationalized but simply a representation of the lives of women in this place in historical remote China. Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, Important Notice about Copyrighted Materials. It's 1938 in San Francisco: A world's fair is preparing to open on Treasure Island, a war is brewing overseas, and the city is alive with possibilities. I tried for two months to "get into it", but it was boring and bland and I did not care about the woman. Because it is forbidden they hide their words in a large fan and send it back and forth over the years. I had previously read Lisa See’s novel and of course loved it. Someone narrating 11 hours of a culturally rich story should attempt to get that correct as it was very much the heart of the story. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. I read this in less than 2 days as I could not put it down. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. For years I have been looking for a book that I would enjoy as much as Memoirs of a Geisha. By: I had previously read Lisa See’s novel and of course loved it. The book was made into a movie and it left out the essence of the story of Snow Flower. Exspecially the detailed part about foot binding and what preparations the women had to make for there young daughter. The reasons for Lily's abandonment of her life-long friend for many years was hard to fathom, and its resolution didn't ring true for me. If you receive an error message, please contact your library for help. Modify Series Recording. This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous, physical work, and the men take care of the children. ", " Great book about 2 friends who live very different lives but come together At the same time it is educational about the world in China during that time period. Like the heroine in the drama, Peony is the cloistered daughter of a wealthy family, trapped like a good-luck cricket in a bamboo-and-lacquer cage. In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, an “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. ", " A great book. I LOVED Snow Flower and the Secret Fan! It was sad, yet fulfilling, true and honest, yet fictional. Both girls take very different paths when it is time for them to marry, but they continue their friendship through letters and their secret fan. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames", in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now). This book tells the story of the realm of women during early 1800's China. She was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the History Maker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. Amy Tan. However, about halfway through, I realized that I could no longer tolerate the narrator's voice, and the plot was not enough to keep me hanging on. It is very well researched and craftily written to reveal a history long hidden from Western eyes. But when a misunderstanding arises, their relationship suddenly threatens to tear apart. By: We will be discussing at my next book group and I’m dying to see what the ladies have to say. I learnt so much about old Chinese culture which I find fascinating. Mineko Iwasaki, Anders als Snow Flower akzeptiert sie die Traditionen - gute wie schlechte - und hinterfragt nie, ob ihr Leben gerecht oder lebenswert ist. The lives and relationship of Lily and Snow Flower has moments of happiness, great sadness, despair and the heartbreaking realisation that it can be too late to make amends, no matter how hard we try. ", " Very good stuff; I liked it as well as Memoirs from a Geisha - I'm surprised it's not better known, but maybe it's because there's no movie...very short, but there's a lot packed into it - abrupt at times, but not enough to get irritated about. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on the fan and compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. I loved it. The barbaric ritual of foot binding on children just seven or eight years old was brought to life here in graphic description and I shuddered to think of what terrible pain these children must have gone through, not only as the bones in their feet were broken but also what complications they suffered all their lives because they were never able to walk properly. I sobbed for their losses. A truly moving story about the hardships of being a woman in nineteenth-century China. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Audio CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged. Amy Tan, Narrated by: You will get an email reminder before your trial ends. This booked peaked my curiosity, I plan on reading more. I did not particularly enjoy the narration style; it was read in an unusual monotone delivered in a somewhat staccato style, though this was completely a personal preference. ", " I loved this book. It really was fascinating though! $14.95 a month after 30 days. Grace Lee, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest with nothing but heartache, talent, and a pair of dancing shoes. ", " I still think about the characters in this book .. Together they endure the agony of footbinding and reflect upon their arranged marriages, their loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. Important Notice about Copyrighted Materials. I am very surprised. ", " A wonderful read weaving historcial fiction around the lifetime friendship of two Chinese girls. Through See's pen, the reader steps into a world far removed from the Western world of today. Arthur Golden. The theme of the book is about female friendship, but I found it difficult to relate to the selfishness of the main character. Women’s Struggles And Relationships In Traditional China, Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2018. What a disappointment! Tom Hanks, By: From the tender age at which both girls suffer the tortuous pain of having their feet bound, through their years as young wives and mothers, and finally as old women, they communicate through the use of secret womens' writing on a fan. Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames", in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. I enjoyed the story itself, but felt the last part of the book was rushed. Kekla Magoon, Narrated by: I learned a lot from reading this book about the ancient Chinese customs—foot binding for women, secret writings women shared, the treatment of women in terms of their worth and much more. Weina Dai Randel, Narrated by: Subscribe. Mineko Iwasaki, I Own The Paperback, I’ve Seen the Movie, I’m Grateful I Bought The Kindle Edition, Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018. ", " Oh, I really really liked this story! Maybe that's how their friendships really are, but it made me somewhat uneasy at times. Overall a good read though. Pearl S. Buck, Narrated by:
Landline Phone Service, Omegaland Tarot, Mimi Piggy, Antaresia For Sale, Ray Sahetapy Dan Sri Respatini, Cordarrelle Patterson Stats, Aspen Brewing Blonde Ale, Night Shift Brewery, Roger Rent,