Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
By: Lisa See, Smore By: Sarah Brewer
When and Where
Social Context
Political Context
Modern Context
Significance to Peers
Literary Value
Review
Lisa See does a phenomenal job of not only telling the tale of two friends, but also describing the horrific historical acts in the 1800s of China. See lets the two concept flow together in a way that makes the reader want to keep reading, but while also drawing plenty of emotions out through her strong use of imagery. Every moment of the girls' lives were somehow written about, which at times, got tedious to read, but overall allowed me to grasp the feelings and ideas See wanted the reader to reach. Many life lessons are present in the book, such as friendship can overcome anything, you are who you surround yourself with, and patience leads to reward. These themes, and many others that can be drawn out from this novel, are all ones that can be related to life today. Even though the story takes places two centuries ago and many traditions are not the same, the girls go through struggles that girls today still face. See's use of universal themes make the novel more interesting because any reader can connect to the relationships and conflicts the characters go through.
Overall, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" was without a doubt worth the read. The reader get a lesson in a dark history, but also realizes they relate to those characters and their situations. Lisa See has an impeccable eye for detail. She describes several parts of Lily's life which makes it seem like Lily is an old friend next to you telling this story; it flows so well and does a great job of keeping the reader interested.
Recap
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Peony in Love by Lisa See
- The fifth novel by Lisa See
- Written after SFSF
- Also Focuses on the difficulties women faced in China (this novel is set in 17th-Century)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- Set in Japan
- About a Geisha working before and after WWII
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
- About Friendship of a Chinese-American boy and Japanese girl