This novel follows the lives to two young Chinese girls in 19th century China who are laotongs, or old sames, kind of preordained best friends. They live in separate villages and communicate through a secret language invented by women for women called nu shu. They use this language through embroidery on handkerchiefs and written within the folds of a fan passed to each other. We follow their lives through painful footbinding, arranged marriages, love, loss, sickness and secrets. One of these girls ascends to wealth and respect while the other lives in poverty.
The chapter on the footbinding is fairly detailed but not too gruesome and the Chinese rituals and rites were fascinating to read about since I didn't know too much about them. I liked the book and while it repeats what we know about China, that boys are a blessing and girls are a burden to the family, it does shed a different light and questions the power that women ultimately have in the Chinese family of old. I also ask myself if one of the girls grows up to be a hero, villian or victim. Or maybe all three. If anybody else has read this I would love to know what you thought.
2 comments:
I loved this book! I thought it was very well-written. The chapter on the foot binding was hard for me because of my daughter. She was almost the age that they started the process and I just couldn't imagine choosing to do that to my own child...it just broke my heart.
Although I had read other Chinese themed stories (The Bonesetters Daughter, etc.) and was familiar with Chinese culture, I thought this author did a wonderful job describing it in a way that Westerners could understand.
Hey, Disco! I liked how the author showed how similar women's friendships are, despite huge cultural differences. We all have, sometimes unfair, expectations of our friends, in 21st century Sububia, or China of old. My heart broke for the way these friends failed each other.
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