This author made you see what it was like for a woman to live in China in this time period. The book evoked many emotions and much fodder for discussion for book clubs. Interesting to compare this story to how women live today. Paperback version has an interesting essay by the author in the back of the book with questions for discussion.

I love books of other cultures so this one ranks very high for me. Although it was very hard to read through the foot binding it was a gripping story that I could not put down. It is a book that I will remember and I'm sure I will reread Snow Flower and the Secret Fan again and again.

discover the true meaning of friendship between women

This book is an interesting examination of women's culture in old China. It illustrates a different way of life. Although far removed from our American culture in time and place, it brings up many issues of interest to us today. How do women form and nurture relationships--between friends, sisters, mothers and daughters? How do women react to cultural definitions of beauty? How do you reconcile love and the pain that it can cause?

"Snow Flower" is an excellent book for a book club to read and discuss.

This was the most enjoyable book our group read this year.

This was a deeply moving book...the friendship the women share and the hidden suffering of women in China is facinating. I could not put it down, and I hated to see it end. There is so much to discuss!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a pleasurable and easy read. The footbinding stuck in my mind for weeks, though. Still not sure I'm over it.

This was a fabulous, insightful novel set in 1800's rural China. It was a little slow going in the beginning but well worth the initial effort. It is beautifully written; sad as well as uplifting. We found ourselves intellectually enlightened and emotionally drained. It made for a wonderful discussion.

A great read although some of us in club were very disturbed about the feet binding. Wonderfully written, a story of loyalty and trust and how women bind together.

I can't wait to share this with others in my bookclub.

We haven't read too many books on asian culture, but this book takes you inside the walls of a household of dominating men and how the females endured pain and suffering to be worthy of a husband. As painful as it was to read how their little feet were bound everyday, it really opened up our eyes into their world.

I truly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down.
It is a curtural trip to China in the late 1800's. Very different from the other books we have read. It gets you thinking about your own female relationships. Great Book!!!!

Told from the view point of a poor farmers daughter in nineteenth century China, this novel follows the lifelong friendship of two girls as they endure endless challenges throughout their lives. We follow the narrator (Lily) through footbinding, marriage, her children, and the deaths of many of her loved ones. This is a beautifully written yet sometimes painful to read story. The author does an amazing job of transporting the reader to another time and place. Everyone in my book club enjoyed this book. We had plenty to talk about and I would definitely recommend this to other book clubs.

An amazing story of courage and friendship.

I absolutely loved this book. Even though it's fiction it's a poignant look on the role of women in China. It was well written. When I lend this one to friends, I request that it's returned as soon as they're finished. I would never want to part with my copy.

A must read for women, really illustrates what we need to be - should be as a true friend.

I felt the beginning was slow but 1/2 way through the book i couldn't put it down. I wanted to read the next chapter. It was very interesting and moving. Should make for good discussions at the meeting about roles of women/wives.

This was one of the first books we read as a club. It was an eye-opener to all of us concerning the lives of women in China. It was told in a beautiful and sympathetic way.

I loved it- I read it in less that a week- a little slow at first and then I didn't want to put it down.

The majority of our group enjoyed. This book was insightful to us in two ways. Life in China and how poor communication between friends can ruin a friendship or set a friendship back.

Snow flower and the secret fan is a love story between 2 friends! It is about the undieing friendship and love 2 little girls create and keep throughout there lives!

I found myself thinking about these characters all day long and wishing I could grab my book to find out what would happen to them next. For me, the true sign of a great book.

This is a beautiful book that explores women's friendships and relationships. While I was reading this book, I hardly came up for air... I was completely enthralled. It just captured me and exported me to another time and place. I love when books do that. Can't wait to read Shanghai Girls.

I couldn't put this one down! The morale at the end really stuck with me.

I really enjoyed getting locked into this book. The story is not only interesting but informative too. The kind of book where you come away and feel that it was really worth your time. The characters were involving and would recommend to all!

This was one of the first books our book club read and after many years still remains at the top! We still refer to it. I love reading books with a historical flair...I learned so much about ancient Mandarin China while being swept away with the story line. Great discussion, plot and characters...truly significant...a must read.

Two young Chinese girls, from diverse financial backgrounds, learn and grow together. Foot-binding is explained as the young girls must bear that horrific, painful ritual. Strong bonds are formed as these girls become women and grow to have families of their own. Friendships change, secrets are kept, feelings are hurt, truth is uncovered....I sobbed uncontrollably while reading this.

“Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel” by Lisa See

Enticing! I bought this book because it was pretty! Lucky for me, this book, judged by its cover, was a good one. Ms. See has written a lovely story about life long friends, Lily and Snowflower. Because it takes place in early 19th Century China, we are exposed to the many rituals, customs, and ceremonies of the women in this culture. Because of the rigid codes of conduct for the women of this time period, we learn of their secret written code known as “NuShu”, which dates back 1,000 years.

We feel the pain of food binding and learn why it was a custom: “Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you have peace.”

This beautifully written novel will touch your heart, educate your mind and remain in your memory for years to come.

Get it! Read it! Devour it today!!!
(from my 'book bagg' blog @ www.keepitsimplesweetee.com/books.htm)

This for sure went on all our top favorite's list

Started a bit slowly but rapidly drew me in to a place and era in which I had no previous exposure. It truly made me stop and think about my longest female friendships. The description of foot binding actually made me feet hurt. What a cruel way to place value on a woman. I really enjoyed the book and am planning on sending a copy to my longest term girlfriend.

Excellent book. Opens your eyes to a whole new culture and lifestyle. Really makes you appreciate the day and age you live in!

Wow!! This is an amazing book. It is a story about women in China and their relationships to their families, husbands, and each other. They must first obey their father, then their husband, and then even their son. Their feet are bound to become more “marriageable” – the smaller the foot, the better the marriage prospects. We’re talking about 7 cm here! The lives of these women were very harsh, and some were unbearable. Their hardships, work, pain, and desire for love came through very vividly in this novel.

I recommend this book be read by all women.

Snowflower & The Secret Fan is a GREAT read. Or listen on CD. I was riveted in both formats. I believe it's Lee's best book.

I like the book. It was a quick read and interesting and the information on foot binding was fascinating. However I did think the characters could have been developed better.

Wish I could rate half points as, to me, it was somewhere between a 3 and 4.....however, opted for 4 since it really WAS a good read....Touching.....Educational....Wonderful descriptions and wonderful characters.

The book is about a lifelong, intimate friendship between 2 women in China. Their story begins just before the age of 6 through the end of their life. The book draws you to experience each phase of their lives. You begin the journey with traditional footbinding. A painful and sorrowful story that parallels our own modern day stories. We may not bind our feet, but we still have our own forms of bondage that we suffer through.

Snow Flower caught my attention at the very beginning and never lost it. The lifelong relationship between the two main characters, Snow Flower and Lily has many unexpected twists and setting it in 19th century China with foot binding, arranged marriages and the cloistered existence of women was eye opening and poignant. How fortunate we are to live in modern day America.

The friendship and betrayal became so real to me that I literally wept at the conclusion. I was not the only one, several of our book group did the same!

Very impelling book. Did not want to stop reading it.

Because of the cultural differences in China compared to how I was raised in the U.S., it was difficult to read about such subserviance from the women and know they held no value other than to birth male children (hopefully). However, the story was beautifully written and extremely compelling to find out what happened next. The friendship between Lily and Snow Flower touched my heart, even through the most innocent of misunderstandings causing both severe reprocussions AND a society's acceptance of Lily and the standards she set for all women in her village. Great read and strongly recommend it!

Wonderfully written book. Writes about an aspect of Asian culture in the 1800's I didn't know much about. The subject matter could definitely lead to interesting discussion!

Just beautifully written!

Like most lives there are good times and bad times. Lisa See tells these events in a straight forward manner, never glossing over the pain of footbinding and the many consequences that are a result of this tradition in Chinese culture of the 15th century. However she balances the story with the deep friendship and simple joys of life.
Generated great discussion on having Sames and Sworn Sisters, as well as rituals of different cultures.

I really didn't want to read this book when our club selected but am so glad that we read it! This is one of the best books our club has read!

Our discussion for this book was one of our most detailed and longest. We got to talking about alot of different issues that came from reading this book.

This is my third Lisa See book. As usual it depicts the time and cultural traditions of China in a readable manner filled with characters filled with strengths and flaws. The whole laotong-relationship was new to me, and I found it both enlightened in its acknowledgement of the need women have for a friend to share their lives and confidences with especially in such a male-dominating culture--and disturbing in the way it was almost a competing marriage complete with physical intimacy. The whole foot-binding trauma, the premarital rituals, and the women's writing were vividly described.

This book was a huge hit for our bookclub everyone loved it!It was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. This books leads to a great discussion.We recommend this book to Everyone!

Amazing story of the power of women even in a time when women had to hide behind men. Read this book!

Wow....what an insightful book. It was very well written and I actually came unbound at times when reading through some of the tragic portions. I do believe I actually shed some tears and found myself pondering the lives of these two women throughout the days.

Awesome book!

An inspiring look into the power of the human soul.

This book is about the love and friendship between two Chinese girls/women, Snow Flower and Lily, that spans throughout their lifetime. It's set in 19th century China, which was a very oppressing time for women. A time when they had virtually no worth at all in their families, villages and society unless they were able to bear a son. Never the less, they found beauty and love in simple things and triumphed above it, sometimes if only in their own hearts. This story is beautiful, thought provoking and heart wrenching. Some of it is hard to read, the foot binding is graphic and disturbing. I definitely cried and found myself thinking about Snow Flower and Lily after the book ended. The overall consensus of our book club was that it was a good book, just really sad.

This is a well written, historical fiction. The content is difficult and somewhat depressing though. I would recommend it, but realize it isn't light reading.

This book was extremely well written, but is not something I would have picked up on my own. I enjoyed learning more about the culture of 19th century Chinese women. It made me very thankful to be born in this particular time period and country. The characters were great, but it was just one of those books that make you want to smack the main character because she is so frustrating in some of her faults.

Painful to read at times, but very interesting! I learned a lot about this time period in China that I did not know before!

Great book that made for deep discussions for my book club.

A tale of old china involving the lives of laotongs. Laotongs means Old sames or means friends for life. It is about their journey through life as daughters, sisters, friends, wives and mothers. I found this book interesting and thought provoking with some drama thrown in.

We liked this book overall. The footbinding part was hard for us to read, but we had a really good discussion, comparing the themes in the book to women\\\'s experiences today.

good book. Very informative on foot binding in the culture of women.

My favorite book club book.

If you liked Memoirs of a Geisha, you will love Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. A beautiful story of culture that compares the difficulties that class/caste/money can cause - but it\\\'s more about a wonderful relationship, how it develops, and how it comes full circle. One of the best books I\\\'ve read.

I enjoyed the book, but had real trouble getting beyond the foot binding description. That remained on my mind throughout the remainder of the book and diminished the story for me

Very interesting and informative novel on woman in China, the oppression they suffered from the male dominated society and they ways of coping with women's secret communications and sister groups.

Although I found this book had very slow start, after the plot started to thicken (about 30% in), I couldn't put it down. Part of the reason I think I had trouble getting through the first third of the book is because I know very little about Chinese culture or traditions during the setting of this novel.

After the 'slow' start, I became more entwined with the story and realized the first third of the book was extremely useful and necessary because it helped set the stage and truly develop the characters.

The author succeeds in painting a picture not only of this era in Chinese history, but also how destructive anger, stubbornness and selfishness can be. My heart went out to both Lily and Snow Flower. I was fully attached to both characters and found the ending beautiful.