Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Beyond the Book: Background information when reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

A Novel

by Lisa See
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (10):
  • First Published:
  • Jun 28, 2005, 272 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Feb 2006, 288 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Beyond the Book

This article relates to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Print Review

The practice of foot binding began around 970 BC. Bound feet were described as 'lily feet' because they were considered so beautiful and were symbolic of gentility and high-class.

The process began for a girl between 3 and 11 years. The four small toes were broken and turned under and bound, then the arches were broken so the foot could be pulled straight with the leg. Overtime the feet would shrink so they could fit in 'lotus shoes' 3 inches long. In the 1600s the Manchu Dynasty attempted to end foot binding but it was not officially banned until 1911, when the New Republic was formed. The history of foot binding

Nu shu literally means 'woman's writing'. It was developed by women of the Hunan province in secret over hundreds of years (women were forbidden any formal education). The characters are rendered in a more cursive style than written Chinese. The last woman proficient in Nu shu (believed to be the world's only female-specific language) died in 2004 in her 90s, ending a 400-year-old tradition. More about Nu Shu.

Filed under

This "beyond the book article" relates to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. It originally ran in July 2005 and has been updated for the February 2006 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    "I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been ...
  • Book Jacket
    Prophet Song
    by Paul Lynch
    Paul Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize–winning Prophet Song is a speedboat of a novel that hurtles...
  • Book Jacket: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    by Lynda Cohen Loigman
    Lynda Cohen Loigman's delightful novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern opens in 1987. The titular ...
  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Book Jacket
The Rose Arbor
by Rhys Bowen
An investigation into a girl's disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense.
Who Said...

It is among the commonplaces of education that we often first cut off the living root and then try to replace its ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.