This novel is set in nineteenth-century China and tells about the life-long friendship of Lily and Snow Flower. They mainly communicate by writing on a silk fan in nu shu, a secret language created by Chinese women, which men couldn’t decipher. I loved learning about nu shu and what being a female at that time in China involved, including the emotional laotong (old same) friendship pairings, the inconceivable arranged marriages, and the (wince) horrific foot binding.
Gwenamon: A beautifully written, well-researched, easy read
Gwenonichi 
[…] then experience Peony’s afterlife. I wish this novel was half as good as See’s “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan”. But this novel is stilted, even boring at times, and often the character becomes too self-aware […]