Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

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 nineteenth-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.

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.

Shanghai Girls, Peony in Love, Snow Flower and the Hidden Fan, Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior, and Dragon Bones are among Lisa See's New York Times bestselling novels. She penned the libretto for the Los Angeles Opera's production of On Gold Mountain and acted as curator for the Autry Museum of Western Heritage's On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience exhibit, which was also shown at the Smithsonian Institute. She was voted National Woman of the Year in 2001 by the Association of Asian American Women. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781400060283
ISBN 10	1400060281
Title	Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author	Lisa See
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Random House (NY)
Year published	2005-06-28
Number of pages	258
Prizes	Commended for Book Sense Book of the Year Award (Adult Fiction) 2006
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.