Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you loved Memoirs of a Geisha I bet you'll love this book.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a story of love, lies, hurt, sorrow and joy... it really does role it all up into one.

Snow Flower and Lily are Old sames living in two different villages in China (they were born in the same month and the same year and become like sisters, but closer) and the story follows the two of them as they live and grow and marry. It tells us about their lives, their loves and their pains.

You learn to love the character Lily (who narrates the story) and her laotong Snow Flower. You get to know the two of them, and when they have a falling out I’m sure you’ll pick your favourite one. One girl comes from a poor past to prosper in her new life, when the other is the opposite. It tells the story of how a family would love one so much that they would lie to protect you. But most of all it will tell the story of how one girl endured all misfortunes and was a loving laotong to please another.

At the start of the book I was reminded so much of Memoirs of a Geisha (one of my favourite books) that I couldn’t put the book down. When the girls are young they endure the act of foot binding, a horrific ritual performed on young girls in China when they are about 6 or 7 years old. The way the author portrayed it really made me feel like I was seeing it myself. You read about their agony of how their feet break to be shaped into what was called “golden lilies”.

Truly and amazing book to read and I look forward to reading more of Lisa See’s books.

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