I have enjoyed several of Lisa See's books, and
Lady Tan's Circle of Women is no exception. She has a way of writing that draws you into the lives and environment of the characters in ancient China.
I'm going to copy the description from amazon.com. I don't usually do that, but this is a good one. Here's the thing. I went on a month-long camping trip and finished 80% of this book. Then, I got home a month ago and had the yard, the garden, the grandkids, and just generally catching up. So I just now finished this book. And we are leaving on another camping trip today. So that's my excuse (if you've made it this far.)
According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.
From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.
But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.
How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.
See's books are so easy to read. The belief system of 15th-century China is fascinating. Foot binding, how women were treated, the class system, childbirth, all of it. If you are interested in the topic, I highly recommend Lady Tan's Circle of Women.
Published by Scribner, June 6, 2023
eARC obtained from
Edelweiss+
368 pages
Rating: 5/5
