Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

A Novel

By: Lisa See

Narrated by: Janet Song

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

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. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.

Lily is haunted by memories of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.

In 19th-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu ("women's writing"). Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames", in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become "old sames" at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

©2005 Lisa See (P)2005 Books on Tape Inc.

Critic reviews

"Engrossing....Both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle." (Publishers Weekly)

Friends

Love this book about friends, who are female, in a time that it was hard to be. Foot binding was was such a cruel practice.

Hisorically interesting and disturbing.

What made the experience of listening to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan the most enjoyable?

The personal dialogue of a woman who has lived her life according to social norms and yet was successful in her own expectations of love and loyalty.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Snow Flower and how she was oppositional to the imposed norms of her society and yet kept her loyalty to her friend.

Which character – as performed by Janet Song – was your favorite?

The fictional narrator of the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The authors words in the very beginning " memories from a woman who is not yet dead," grabbed me immediately and carried through her story. There are many moments that were moving when she survived personal pain and self sacrifice.

Any additional comments?

This story is so riveting for girls and women today. I was disturbed for days reading how women were treated as property and stability for the family. The footbinding was really gruesome and never realized what the girls were subjected to.

Story is wonderful but narrating is mechanical

While I love this story the narrator made it painful to listen to. She sounded very mechanical. There was no emotion or voices or anything. She just sounded like a robot.

To suffer, to love, to live

This book has now positioned amongst my favorites... I'm crying.
It's remarkable, how it takes you through a journey of life; how it paints the scenery of a context so far removed from your own, so far away, so long ago, and still manages to make you feel with every fiber the struggles and joys... and relate...
I truly recommend to reflect on this reality presented through story, and how it relates to one's own context, one's own story, as well as our close one's. Through themes that go back to generations... how do we live?
The narrator's performance is remarkable as well. The delivery of the lines, the inflections that she gives to each character, to each sentiment, are truly admirable and touching.
It has really gone deep in my soul...

Worthwhile and wonderful

Both the writing and the narration are exquisite. This is an interesting and heart-breaking story. I will be reading more by Lisa See!

Beautiful Historical Fiction

If you’re looking for something different or something atypical to your usual genre of choice, this is the book. It’s a beautiful story about friendship and love. It’s also a historical fiction so there are a lot of new interesting things to learn about.

beautiful

it catches you from the beginning and carries you all the way to the end in beautifully haunting details.

ok book, terrible narrator

The book was OK. References to Memoirs of a Geisha are inevitable, and it's not quite as good as Geisha. I kept waiting for some deeper meaning, which never came. But an enjoyable story if you're travelling, on vacation, etc. I'd recommend picking up a paper copy, though, because the narrator on this recording is terrible. She has one of the most annoying, over-enunciating voices I've heard, which takes away from the decent writing.

And that is why this book became a movie

I do love Lisa See's books. This one transports you back to China in the 1800's where you get to meet two soul mates or "same as" Lily and Snow Flower. I could not put the book, it was mesmerizing. Lisa See's research, her feel for the culture, her talent of explaining the inner workings of a different culture to a non-asian reader is truly awesome. She captures the sheer, raw humanity with this story an I especially like the wonderfully, discreet way she writes about "bed business" and this makes this such an excellent book to read in a book club. I would highly recommend the book. The narrator did a great job.

Descriptive, Interesting Story, Nice Narration

I found this book to be interesting, informative, and well written. Admittedly, the plot is not that great because not a lot happens and it's all very subtle. However, the details are brilliant and it really gave me a sense of life at that time for these women. I love Janet Song's narration - I've listened to several of her performances and I think she's the perfect choice for this specific book.