Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

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

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
List Price: $14.00
Our Price: $4.49
You Save: $9.51 (68%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.60 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Lisa See
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2006-02-21
ISBN: 0812968069
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks

Book Reviews of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

Book Review: An average attempt at historical fiction....
Summary: 3 Stars

I had mixed feelings about this novel. Parts of it intrigued me and there were times when I felt a connection with the characters but for the most part I felt that Ms. See did too much "telling" and not enough "showing." I ended the novel without getting a true sense of who the characters were and what made each of them tick. I was also disappointed that Ms. See did not develop some of the story lines a little more fully. For example, I wish she had written more about Lily's wedding night and her marriage. I realize that the book was primarily about the friendship between Lily and Snow Flower but I think that these events were paramount to shaping Lily's life and her interactions (given that husbands defined women). I wouldn't have minded if Ms. See lengthened the novel to add these details.

Finally, I felt that Lily lacked emotion. She seemed entirely too stoic to me and I think that was a big part of why I felt a lack of connection with her.

I don't regret reading this novel but I would recommend Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth" over this for anyone who may be deciding between the two.

Summary of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared 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 deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
Lisa See is the author of Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior, and Dragon Bones, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles.


From the Hardcover edition.

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Great Fiction Equals Great Memories
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao ImageThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot D?az
Riverhead Hardcover; Published: 2007-09-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.72
Price in other shops: $24.95
A Person of Interest: A Novel ImageA Person of Interest: A Novel
by Susan Choi
Viking Adult; Published: 2008-01-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.47
Price in other shops: $24.95
Run ImageRun
by Ann Patchett
Harper; Published: 2007-09-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.35
Price in other shops: $25.95
Body Surfing: A Novel ImageBody Surfing: A Novel
by Anita Shreve
Back Bay Books; Published: 2008-01-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.40
Price in other shops: $14.99
The Witch of Portobello: A Novel (P.S.) ImageThe Witch of Portobello: A Novel (P.S.)
by Paulo Coelho
Harper Perennial; Published: 2008-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.57
Price in other shops: $13.95
Suite Francaise ImageSuite Francaise
by Irene Nemirovsky
Vintage; Published: 2007-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $14.95
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel ImageSnow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
by Lisa See
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2006-02-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Shadow Year: A Novel ImageThe Shadow Year: A Novel
by Jeffrey Ford
William Morrow; Published: 2008-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.79
Price in other shops: $25.95
The Double Bind (Vintage Contemporaries) ImageThe Double Bind (Vintage Contemporaries)
by Chris Bohjalian
Vintage; Published: 2008-02-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.41
Price in other shops: $14.95
River of Heaven: A Novel ImageRiver of Heaven: A Novel
by Lee Martin
Shaye Areheart Books; Published: 2008-04-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.32
Price in other shops: $24.00
Similar Books and other products
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia ImageEat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.39
Price in other shops: $15.00
On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family ImageOn Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family
by Lisa See
Vintage; Published: 1996-08-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $15.95
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time ImageThree Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Memory Keeper's Daughter ImageThe Memory Keeper's Daughter
by Kim Edwards
Amazon Remainders Account; Published: 2005-06-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.46
Price in other shops: $24.95
Dragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries) ImageDragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries)
by Lisa See
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2004-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.40
Price in other shops: $14.95
Peony in Love: A Novel ImagePeony in Love: A Novel
by Lisa See
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2008-02-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.71
Price in other shops: $14.00
Suite Francaise ImageSuite Francaise
by Irene Nemirovsky
Vintage; Published: 2007-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $14.95
A Thousand Splendid Suns ImageA Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Riverhead; Published: 2007-05-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops: $25.95
The Glass Castle: A Memoir ImageThe Glass Castle: A Memoir
by Jeannette Walls
Scribner; Published: 2006-01-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops: $15.00
Water for Elephants: A Novel ImageWater for Elephants: A Novel
by Sara Gruen
Algonquin Books; Published: 2007-04-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops: $13.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories