In nineteenthcentury china, sevenyearold lily is paired with a laotong, old same, in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. The question and answer section for snow flower and the secret fan is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The movie added a modern story with the same basic plot ruined the film not enough detail in either story made it hard to connect to the characters recommendations i recommend the book to anyone interested in the ancient chinese culture and to all girls young and old i do.
In her introduction to the novel, see writes that lily, the narrator, was born on june 5, 1824the fifth day of the sixth month of the third year of the daoguang emperor s reign. Jan 02, 2007 snow flower and the secret fan, by lisa see, was set in nineteenth century china, amongst ageold traditions. The author sees snow flower and the secret fan as a novel about love and regret, but do you think theres also an element of atonement in it as well. Snow flower and the secret fan is a lovely, delicate story of two women in nineteenthcentury china, who pledge themselves to be soulmates for life at the young age of seven. This 39page guide for snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 17 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Snow flower and the secret fan lisa see random house, inc. Its often difficult adapting a novel, especially a literary one like lisa sees snow flower and the secret fan, into a movie. Snow flower, two sons and a daughter and a lot of miscarriages. Snow flower and the secret fan by hannah james on prezi.
Praise for snow flower and the secret fan a subtly stirring novel. This study guide consists of approximately 47 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of snow flower and the secret fan. They meet at set dates to visit the temple of gupo or to go back to their families for the catching cool breezes festival. It is at the heart of lisa sees period bestseller snow flower and the secret fan, and has inspired a film that carries the concept into the present day. Lisa see had written about the girls life in china when girls were having their feet bound and then they used to spend the rest of their lives in isolation with only one window through which they can see.
Lily is the main character and firstperson narrator of her life story. Snow flower and the secret fan inside snow flower and the secret fan. The novel snow flower and the secret fan is written by lisa see which had taken place in china in 1800s. Snow flower and the secret fan major character analysis. Snow flower and the secret fan lisa sees official website. Snow flower and the secret fan by see, lisa and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
It is a story so mesmerizing the pages float away and the story remains clearly before us from beginning to end. Snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see, paperback barnes. Top 8 quotes from snow flower and the secret fan free. Snow flower and the secret fan by anna weber on prezi. I had just turned five and felt as though i had crossed a big threshold. This was the beautiful narrative of two friends, lily and snow flower. Lily endures excruciating pain in order to have her feet bound. This novel is a perfect example that everybody needs love in their life. May 07, 2007 the author sees snow flower and the secret fan as a novel about love and regret, but do you think theres also an element of atonement in it as well 9.
Although the truth is stretched to accommodate the relationship, the laotongs are supposed to have eight characters that. In nineteenthcentury china, when wives and daughters were footbound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote hunan county developed their own secret code for communication. Summary lisa sees novel snow flower and the secret fan takes place in china during the 1800s. Its a subject hes returned to recently with 2007s digitally shot double feature a thousand years of good prayers and the princess of nebraska, and in snow flower and the secret fan, he takes a step further, setting the film entirely in china. Themes themes there are two repeated themes in snow flower and the secret fan the second theme is one of gender equality, which can be seen not only in this novel, but in most asian cultures of this times period, and even though lily lived to a very old age, she still felt very. This was a relationship that could begin with the agreement of their parents before birth, and persist independent of marriage, children or the changing fortunes of life. In a time when beauty was judged by tiny feet, the two girls endured the grotesque practice of footbinding. Dec 06, 2011 snow flower and the secret fan featurette. The wellproduced snow flower and the secret fan has certain things also going for it in its rare thoughtful exploration of the friendship between two women, coupled with how china has a. Love can be expressed in the most indirect, but effective ways. Love is one of many themes in snow flower and the secret fan. Snow flower and the secret fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful.
In rural hunan province, a county in china, lily and her friend snow flower are a laotong pair whose sisterly relationship is far stronger and closer than a husband and wifes. Snow flower and the secret fan summary from litcharts the. Find books like snow flower and the secret fan from the worlds largest community of readers. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does.
She is one of five children, born the second daughter, a status considered to be low in the family. In rural hunan province called puwei nicknamed the common beauty village, a county in china, lily is. A hearth where mama and aunt did the cooking occupied a corner on the opposite wall. The novel begins in 1903, when lily is 80 years old. Choose from 129 different sets of snow flower and the secret fan flashcards on quizlet. Snow flower and the secret fan in my opinion i think of lily as being a tragic heroine. Amy tan, author of the joy luck club and the opposite of fate. Sees book is about the lives of two sworn friends in the 19 th century, lily li bingbing and snow flower my sassy girls gianna jun, and the film adds a presentday thread in which the same actresses play women living in shanghai, with lily preparing to transfer to new york and snow flower struggling after a failed relationship with a.
Occasionally, in the midst of notes about childbirth and marriages, lily and snow flower wonder how to understand the value of their secret writing in relation to the mens outside world. Snow flower and the secret fan book summary and study guide. Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river. Instant downloads of all 1296 litchart pdfs including snow flower and the secret fan. Its clear that the people who made the bigscreen version of snow flower and the secret fan encountered many challenges.
Buy snow flower and the secret fan reprint by see, lisa isbn. As the narrator, she becomes the filter through which we must read all other characters in the novel, including lily herself. Snow flower and the secret fan, by lisa see, was set in nineteenth century china, amongst ageold traditions. Snow flower secret fan by lisa see, first edition abebooks. With the period detail and deep resonance of memoirs of a geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships. This was a beautifully written novel and a great story. They communicate in a secret written language, and together they endure the agony of footbinding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood until a misunderstanding arises and threatens to tear. Both of these people see something special in lily and recommend that great care be taken in her foot binding. Snow flower and the secret fan 2011 rotten tomatoes.
Read free book excerpt from snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see, page 1 of 4. Snow flower and the secret fan 2011 pg drama, history. Snow flower and the secret fan summary from litcharts. I read snow flower and the secret fan about 4 or 5 years ago and loved the book. Lily lily is the narrator and main character of snow flower and the secret fan. Theres definitely something to be said for reading a book all the way through in one sitting i read this for deweys 24hour readathon.
Book club questions for snow flower and the secret fan. Snow flower and the secret fan study guide from litcharts. Directed by wayne wang, the film stars gianna jun, li bingbing, archie kao, vivian wu, and hugh jackman. You get more absorbed, your mind more focused, like a moviewatching experience especially one in the cinema. Snow flower and the secret fan summary and study guide. Snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see overdrive. But apart from who i was with snow flower, i was resolved to be an honorable wife, a praiseworthy daughterinlaw, and a scrupulous mother. Browse 129 sets of snow flower and the secret fan flashcards. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts.
With the detail and emotional resonance of memoirs of a geisha, snow flower and the secret fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all timefemale friendship. Lily is one of the pair of characters central to snow flower and the secret fan, and she is also the narrator of the entire story. Jun 03, 2014 snow flower and the secret fan buy or rent. She was taught to honor duty and ones place in society even when events challenged that sense of duty and place i. In the story, we are told again and again that women are weak and worthless. An interactive data visualization of snow flower and the secret fan s plot and themes. How to condense so much action into a seamless whole. Top 8 quotes from snow flower and the secret fan free book. In her introduction to the novel, see writes that lily, the narrator, was born on june 5, 1824the fifth day of the sixth month of the third year of the daoguang emperors. Jul 15, 2011 snow flower and the secret fan, a movie based on the lisa see book, explores foot binding and the relationships of two pairs of women during two periods of history.
Snow flower and the secret fan is a 2005 novel by lisa see set in nineteenthcentury china. Discussion questions snow flower and the secret fan. Snow flower and the secret fan, random house llc, 2005 258 pages. There is also random house readers circle bonus content, sure to inspire discussion at book clubs everywhere. We will be laotong snow flower and the secret fan ost rachel portman duration.
In what ways did lily and snow flower show their strength and value. In hunan, when two women were best friends forever, they were laotong. But looking at our secret fan with its messages written between snow flower and me over many years, i see that i didnt value the most important lovedeep. Jul 01, 2005 a nuanced exploration of womens friendship and womens writing in a remote corner of imperial china. Book club questions for snow flower and the secret fan lisa. Snow flower and the secret fan is a 2011 historical drama film based on the novel of the same name written by lisa see.
Snow flower and the secret fan quotes showing of 69 read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river. Centuries ago, two sworn sisters are isolated by their families, but. Snow flower and the secret fan, lisa see snow flower and the secret fan is a 2005 novel by lisa see set in nineteenthcentury china. At the end of her life, lady lily lu, the 80yearold matriarch of tongkou village, sits down to write her final memoirone that will be burned at her death. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see book club. Snow flower and the secret fan quotes free book notes. Snow flower and the secret fan random house readers circle. For your reference, we provided these snow flower and the secret fan quotes with page numbers using the following version of the book. Snow flower and the secret fan is achingly beautiful, a marvel of imagination of a real and secret world that has only recently disappeared. Get all the key plot points of lisa sees snow flower and the secret fan on one page. From the director of the joy luck club, and based on the bestselling novel, comes a timeless portrait of female friendship. A story set in 19th century china and centered on the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women. Learn snow flower and the secret fan with free interactive flashcards. Jul 20, 2011 the chinese, who have been innovators in so many areas, are now revealed to have formalized the bff relationship as long ago as 1839. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading snow flower and the secret fan. Snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see, paperback.
National public radio named dragon bones as one of the top ten books of. Read snow flower and the secret fan 2006 online free. Freebooknotes found 8 important quotes from 6 key chapters of snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see. Its a gripping, period story taking place in the later 1820s in china. Goodreads members who liked snow flower and the secret fan. In lisa sees first novel, flower net, she introduced one of her most popular and fascinating characters, liu hulan. Snow flower and the secret fan random house readers. The story focuses on the rigorous lady lessons endured by laotongs sworn sisters lily and snow flower. Vogue its hard to imagine that someone could write a better novel. Lily lily is one of the pair of characters central to snow flower and the secret fan, and she is also the narrator of the entire story. Snow flower secret fan by lisa see, first edition abebooks passion for books.
89 761 963 135 205 297 692 424 131 789 1152 596 832 593 599 767 1453 212 43 179 1051 956 438 419 1136 624 1477 1309 467 1005 140 627 802 6 1113 1174 973 998 995 1298 483