Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa SeeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Month Read In: January 2022
Challenge:
Beyond the Bookends January 2022: Adapted to Screen
PopSugar 2022: Author Read in 2021
Methodology: Audiobook read by Janet Song, via Library on Libby
Genre- Literary: Historical, Cultural
I don't remember putting this on my digiTBR back in 2018, but after reading The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane off of a challenge list, I had to read more of the author. Therefore finishing this book in January satisfies PopSugar's 2022 prompt "A different book by an author you read in 2021", and as it was adapted to screen, it also satisfies Beyond the Bookend's 2022 January prompt.
The characters and their development is all seen from one perspective. It is a first person tale from Lily's perspective of the life of women in this particular Chinese locale during the time period of that oh so dreaded foot binding. That really seems to have been a very long time ago, yet a large portion of their history too. So tragic. There were often times that I had to walk away from the book because my own feet ached, my own heart ached. The worst part was the fact that women were indoctrinated into believing that the size of their feet affected their worth and value. Heart-breaking. I gave character a 7.
The atmosphere See put together made me feel like I was there. I wanted to grab Lily and Snow Flower and their female relatives and run far away. My own 21st century thought processes and beliefs inserting themselves into the story. Rated as 7.
As See wrote, from the first perspective of Lily, she was talking to me, telling me her tale. The language took me back in time to a more delicate way of speaking, of thinking before one speaks. Taking care to be sure you are saying what you want to say in the best possible way. We get too impetuous and say whatever comes to mind, my own mouth getting me into trouble more times than I care to admit. Rated writing as a 9.
The Life and Lessons of Lily from before her hair-pinning days, through her rice and salt days and into her sitting quietly days was a look into a lifestyle we often romanticize. The plot shares the dangers to women in this time and place and the strength of character they develop to get through it. Rated plot 8
As I said before, there were times where I just had to walk away. What they were subjected to, the lack of freedom they truly had. I don't think I'll ever be the same. Intrigue rating 7
Logic. What is my 21st century logic against the logic of 19th century China? This stuff did not happen forever ago! According to the math, Lily was born in 1824. America was born by then! We look back into history and recoil at the atrocities that happened within our own country and it reminds us of the railroads and the stories of Chinese immigrants in California. Lily's story was taking place at the same time America was expanding across the continent. Talk about perspective! I rated logic 7, but again, that is probably because I am pitting their world against my own 200+ years later.
In conclusion, my enjoyment of this book was rated a 9.5. I truly enjoyed this look into the past, the life a fictitious character of that world could have experienced. It puts our own hardships in a different light and helps us see our own societal restrictions in comparison. We still have a long way to go, society. A long way to go.
CAWPILE final rating: 7.79 = 4 Stars
View all my reviews
The characters and their development is all seen from one perspective. It is a first person tale from Lily's perspective of the life of women in this particular Chinese locale during the time period of that oh so dreaded foot binding. That really seems to have been a very long time ago, yet a large portion of their history too. So tragic. There were often times that I had to walk away from the book because my own feet ached, my own heart ached. The worst part was the fact that women were indoctrinated into believing that the size of their feet affected their worth and value. Heart-breaking. I gave character a 7.
The atmosphere See put together made me feel like I was there. I wanted to grab Lily and Snow Flower and their female relatives and run far away. My own 21st century thought processes and beliefs inserting themselves into the story. Rated as 7.
As See wrote, from the first perspective of Lily, she was talking to me, telling me her tale. The language took me back in time to a more delicate way of speaking, of thinking before one speaks. Taking care to be sure you are saying what you want to say in the best possible way. We get too impetuous and say whatever comes to mind, my own mouth getting me into trouble more times than I care to admit. Rated writing as a 9.
The Life and Lessons of Lily from before her hair-pinning days, through her rice and salt days and into her sitting quietly days was a look into a lifestyle we often romanticize. The plot shares the dangers to women in this time and place and the strength of character they develop to get through it. Rated plot 8
As I said before, there were times where I just had to walk away. What they were subjected to, the lack of freedom they truly had. I don't think I'll ever be the same. Intrigue rating 7
Logic. What is my 21st century logic against the logic of 19th century China? This stuff did not happen forever ago! According to the math, Lily was born in 1824. America was born by then! We look back into history and recoil at the atrocities that happened within our own country and it reminds us of the railroads and the stories of Chinese immigrants in California. Lily's story was taking place at the same time America was expanding across the continent. Talk about perspective! I rated logic 7, but again, that is probably because I am pitting their world against my own 200+ years later.
In conclusion, my enjoyment of this book was rated a 9.5. I truly enjoyed this look into the past, the life a fictitious character of that world could have experienced. It puts our own hardships in a different light and helps us see our own societal restrictions in comparison. We still have a long way to go, society. A long way to go.
CAWPILE final rating: 7.79 = 4 Stars
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment