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Loading... Lady Tan's Circle of Women (2023)by Lisa See
   No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) MPerfetto | Dec 21, 2023 |  There is a lot about foot binding through the story which is sometimes graphic. (  ) tangledthread | Dec 16, 2023 |  ) shazjhb | Dec 9, 2023 | 4 stars I made several attempts to read this book. It begins with a timeworn Lisa See trope; two little girls from different backgrounds become friends at a young age. I couldn’t find much enthusiasm for reading the soap opera events of fractured friendship as the girls grew up. Also, as the book is totally focused on the lives of women, foot binding is once again described in detail. I hadn’t forgotten Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I was reluctant. And, I was interested. The historical setting is fascinating. The book is set in 15th century China, a much earlier era for Lisa See. (Her author’s notes are almost better than the book.) It is the story of the upper class Tan Yunxian who becomes a physician following in her grandmother’s footsteps. Yunxian is rigorously educated in the treatment of female complaints, but is restricted by class and custom from contact with blood. Labor and delivery of children must be accomplished with the help of a midwife. Yunxian’s childhood friend, Meiling, becomes a midwife under her mother's supervision. The book is balanced between the extreme restrictions of the privileged upper class Yunxian and the deprivations of the lower class Meiling. It was an inside look into the lives of women in male dominated culture. Eventually, I was completely drawn into the detailed lives of Lady Tan (Yunxian) and Meiling. ( ) msjudy | Dec 9, 2023 | ) KallieGrace | Nov 29, 2023 | no reviews | add a review
DistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Literature.
Historical Fiction.
HTML:INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century Chinaâ??perfect for fans of See's classic Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women. According to Confucius, "an educated woman is a worthless woman," but Tan Yunxianâ??born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and lonelinessâ??is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinationsâ??looking, listening, touching, and askingâ??something a man can never do with a female patient. From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purposeâ??despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with itâ??and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other's joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom. But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wifeâ??embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights. How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be cons No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.21)
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