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Overview
American writer Lisa See’s 2005 novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, tells the story of a friendship between two girls as they grow into women in 19th century China, where girls have their feet bound as a mark of beauty and obedience, and women are meant to quietly endure their suffering
. Told from the perspective of an eighty-year-old woman looking back on her life, the novel explores the power of friendship, the specific pain of coming of age, and the way in which storytelling and language can give women a voice in a world where they are expected to be quiet. Upon publication, See’s novel won praise for its nuanced perspective on Chinese womanhood. A film adaptation of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was released in 2011.
