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.

An interesting look into the lives of women in rural China in the 19th century.
"A brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful." It's a good thing that some things have changed.

Registered and reserved as my one book a month RABCK for November.

November's RABCK was won by mcsar, so I'm off on a trip to Canada.

The book arrived quickly and in great shape. Thank you. I look forward to reading this. I love books set in old China.

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Reserved for Women in Fiction VBB.

A very interesting novel. I have heard of the term nu shu before, but did not really know that it was a whole writing system and had its associated traditions and customs. My great grandmother had bounded feet. While she was alive, I was too young to know and ask about her childhood and the customs. I often wished I had the chance to hear her stories.

Here is your pick from the Women in fiction VBB. Sorry it took me so long to send. Happy reading!

This very interesting book arrived today, and I hope I won't take long to read it... it sounds fascinating. Thank mcsar, for sharing it with me.

This was such an interesting book. I can't say it's a pleasant read, not at all, but it's greatly written and gripping. Once I started it, I couldn't let it go.
This is a must read for women, to understand how far we've come and how far we must go to become truly independent selves, whatever that means in the culture we live in.
It talks about traditions that I did not know, like foot binding and nu shu, and talks about the rewarding but sometimes hard relationships between women. I relate to the concept of laotong, not on the contractual level, but on the concept of having a female relationship in my life that transcends boyfriends and family, and know too well how looking to ones self to give advice to others can be damaging. This book taught me a good lesson on how you must continue to care for the people you love like they were precious flowers and for me, that's the essence of a good book, to teach you something that will carry on after you put it down.

This book is travelling to your as part of the Wishlist Tag Game. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks for the wishlist book Nakipa! And the cool stamps - Yoda & Voldemort!

Sadly, the book arrived badly damaged. Somewhere between Portugal and Finland, the package had gotten soaking wet. It wasn't tripping water any more, but the book was soaked through and still wet even in the middle. I did the only thing I could which is putting the book in a plastic bag and inside a freezer. I will ask my colleague if the book can be saved. I hope so but can't really tell yet. :(

After two year's of trying, I have to declare this book unsalvable :( It is ruined, and therefore it belongs to the book cemetary, sadly so.