Review: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (by Lisa See)

My Rating: 5 stars

Lisa See is one of my favorite authors!  I've loved every book I've read of hers so far and after finishing The Island of Sea Women (one of my all-time favorite novels) four years ago, I've been eagerly awaiting the day when her next book would be published.  Well, that day has finally arrived — her newest historical novel, Lady Tan's Circle of Women, came out earlier this month and as soon as I received my copy, I of course dropped everything in order to read it.  And once again, I was not disappointed, as this book met every expectation and then some.

In an essay at the back of the book (I bought the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition), Lisa See writes that there are generally three themes that run through all her novels: "stories about women that have been lost, forgotten, or sometimes deliberately covered up; the unique physiology that defines us as women; and our desire to record through writing our moments on earth."   In her latest work, all three of these themes are explored through the captivating story of Tan Yunxian, a real female doctor who had lived during the Ming dynasty in China. Yunxian was from an elite family in Wuxi who got sent to live with her paternal grandparents after her mother died when she was only 8 years old.  As one of China's few female physicians, Yunxian's Grandmother Ru was in the unique position of being able to treat female patients up close through the Four Examinations (looking, listening, touching, asking), which allowed her to help many women with their illnesses, especially those related to childbearing (this was important because male physicians during that time period were not allowed to do any of those things with female patients and instead had to rely on an intermediary to pass messages back-and-forth from afar, which often led to shoddy diagnoses and treatments).  Yunxian is taken under her grandmother's tutelage and learns everything about medicine from her, but faced with the various restrictions placed on women at the time, as well as the necessity for a woman of her status to adhere to societal traditions, she was largely prevented from practicing her trade.  Fortunately, Yunxian was supported by a "circle of women" — including her childhood best friend, a midwife named Meiling — through whom she was able to put her skills to use, helping many women and girls in the process. 

One of the things that always stands out with Lisa See's novels is the meticulous research she does in order to bring the historical aspects of her stories to life, which I absolutely admire.  Each time I read her books, I'm blown away by the amount of intricate and exquisite detail she is able to incorporate so seamlessly into her stories, to the point that I always feel completely transported and immersed in the time period she is writing about. With this book in particular, even though I was already familiar with many of the traditions and other historical elements described in the story due to having grown up in the Chinese culture, I appreciated the fact that I was still able to learn so much. I also love how See presents the historical contexts behind her characters and events authentically, and doesn't mince words to try to make things more "palatable" for readers. Of course, this means that there were quite a few scenes that were difficult to read (the ones describing the footbinding process and some of the patients' specific medical conditions especially made me cringe), but they were realistically rendered, which I appreciated. 

For me, the mark of truly great historical fiction is its ability to immerse me in the story to the point that, after finishing the book, I feel compelled to read up on the subject matter / event / historical figure at the center of the story.  I definitely did that that with this book — I was so fascinated with Tan Yunxian's story that I spent hours afterwards googling and reading more background about her (Lisa See's website has some links to sites she used in her research that were especially interesting to explore).  

I could go on, but I will stop here and end with the recommendation to read this book, since no amount of description on my part would be able to do it justice.  As a fan, I hope I won't need to wait another 4 years to read a new Lisa See book (though if that's what it takes, I will wait of course, lol), but at least in the interim, I can go back and read her backlist books that I hadn't gotten a chance to read yet (which I intend to do at some point soon).

Review: The Island of Sea Women (by Lisa See)

My Rating: 5 stars

Lisa See is now officially on my favorite authors list, despite the fact that I have not yet read every single one of her novels (which I intend to rectify one of these days).  Ever since reading her previous work The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane (a book that I absolutely adored), I had been anxiously awaiting the release of See’s next novel — even though it took 2 years, the wait was definitely worth it!  With her newest work, The Island of Sea Women, Lisa See delivers yet another richly detailed, emotional tale that explores female friendships, family relationships, and the bond between mother and daughter, all against the historical backdrop of political unrest in Korea during the 1930s and 1940s (and beyond that), as well as spanning multiple wars.  

As the story opens, we are introduced to Kim Young-sook as an old woman in her 80s, one of the few remaining haenyeo (female diver) still living on the small Korean island of Jeju.  Though long-retired from the work of diving and harvesting from the ocean that had been a way of life for her family since childhood and later in her adult life, helped her raise her own family, Young-sook continues to have a special relationship with the sea, which is like a second home to her.  As she sits on the shore sorting algae, she encounters a Korean-American family — a couple and their two children — who ask her specifically if she knows Han Mi-ja, to which she answers that she does not know her.  It turns out that Mi-ja also used to be a haenyeo, but not only that, she and Young-sook were childhood friends, once as close as sisters — but that was several decades ago.  What caused Young-sook and Mi-Ja’s once tight-knit friendship to break apart to the point of no return?  The family’s visit stirs up memories of a long ago past and a time period marked by pain, suffering, as well as tragedy, but most significantly, it leads Young-sook on a personal journey of self-reflection that unearths long-buried secrets about the two women’s relationship.

As we’ve come to expect with all of Lisa See’s novels, this story was well-researched and masterfully told in a way that gave us as readers an authentically-felt rendering of history told through richly developed fictional characters who always manage to make their way into our hearts.  One of the things I love about See’s novels is her focus on strong women characters and this story was certainly no exception — as See writes in her Author’s Note, Jeju women were held in high regard for their “strength, independence, and persistence” and all the haenyeo characters in the story, from the older generation of Sun-sil and Do-saeng to the later generation in Young-sook, Mi-ja, the Kang sisters, etc. all personified these traits and more.  I loved all of the characters, but Young-sook especially made an impact on me, even with her stubbornness and other flaws that made her difficult at times.  I also appreciated the historical elements that See was able to weave so seamlessly into the context of the story.  From Japanese colonialism to World War II to American occupation and the establishment of the Korean republic, through the Korean War all the way to modern day, each time period had an impact on the plot, but it is the April Third Incident in 1949 that plays the most significant role in Yoon-sook and Mi-ja’s story.  Prior to reading this book, I had actually never heard about the April Third Incident and was floored to find out the extent of the horrors — the burning of 70% of the island’s villages, the massacre of close to 80,000 people, the displacement of several hundred thousand residents, and then to add insult to injury, for over 50 years, survivors were forced to keep quiet about what had happened due to the threat of death or retaliation under the guilt-by-association policy.  As always, See did a tremendous amount of research for this novel and it shows.

Another aspect I love about Lisa See’s novels is the emotional depth that she is able to bring out with her stories.  I read much of the last third of this book with tears in my eyes and the ending actually tore me apart.  Young-sook is another of See’s characters whom I know will stay with me for a long time to come (much like Li-yan from The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane still comes into my mind from time to time). 

Beautifully written with wonderfully developed characters and a moving, unforgettable back story, The Island of Sea Women is yet another Lisa See masterpiece that absolutely deserves to be read.  Highly recommended without a doubt!

Received ARC from Scribner / Simon & Schuster via both NetGalley and Edelweiss.

Review: The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane (by Lisa See)

My Rating: 5 stars

WOW!!! This was the first word that came to my mind after finishing this book. I honestly can’t remember the last time a work of fiction affected me as much on an emotional level as this book did. To say that I enjoyed this book is actually an understatement – more appropriately, I ADORED this book and absolutely savored every minute I spent reading it!

Let’s start with the premise of the book, which is essentially about a girl named Li-yan, who is from the ethnic minority tribe Akha in China. Her tribe resides in a remote Yunnan village called Spring Well, located in the Nannuo Mountains -- a land that is filled with tea trees, some of which date back hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years. Li-yan and her family are tea farmers who make their living by picking tea leaves and then selling them to the local tea collection center. Outside of their regular work as tea farmers, Li-yan’s A-ma (the Akha term for mother) is also a midwife, though in reality, she does so much more than just deliver babies – she is also the village healer of sorts who is able to treat all types of ailments with her special potions. When the story begins, Li-yan is 10-years-old and as the only daughter in the family (she has 3 older brothers), she is destined to follow in her A-ma’s footsteps in becoming a midwife. All Akha follow a strict set of rituals and traditions that have been passed on for generations and any deviation from these customs are viewed as “grave sins” that bring bad luck on the entire village. Depending on the severity of the “violation,” the wrong can be righted through cleansing ceremonies and offerings, with the worst punishment being banishment from the village. With her bold personality and a strong desire to become more than what her culture has destined her to be, Li-yan finds herself constantly defying the rules and “causing trouble to her family.” As we follow Li-yan from adolescence to adulthood, we bear witness to all the trials and tribulations she encounters in her life as she struggles to stay true to her Akha heritage while at the same time understanding that she must also adapt to the ever-changing world around her.

The above summary merely scratches the surface of what this book is about – there is so much more to the story than just a young girl’s coming of age journey. In addition to being a story about culture and tradition, family and relationships, fate and circumstances, love and the strong bond between mothers and daughters, there is also an exploration of the political, economic, and social issues in China throughout the nearly three decades that the story covers. The story itself is told mostly from Li-yan’s perspective, with some sections switching over to Li-yan’s long-lost daughter Haley’s perspective. In terms of setting, majority of the story takes place in China, though a good portion of the second half takes place in the United States (specifically in Southern California).

There are so many things I love about this book! The story is captivating, with the sections on family and the bond between mothers and daughters especially touching and endearing. I was moved to tears with the ending scene (which was at the same time poignant as well as powerful) and still felt a bit sad long after I finished reading the book, mostly because I had grown so attached to the characters and the story that I didn’t want it to end. The prose was beautiful, the characters were endearing, the story was fascinating, the historical aspects were well-researched and meticulously described – all things that set this book apart as exceptional!

This is actually my first time reading Lisa See’s books and I’m glad I started with this one due to how much I was able to relate to so many aspects of this book. As someone who grew up (and currently still lives) in Southern California, it was great fun reading through the second half of the book and recognizing every single place that was referred to (and not just the cities either – the restaurants and shops were places that I’ve been to numerous times). I’m also a tea lover (in fact, I’m drinking Pu’erh right now as I write this), so I really appreciated the detail in which the author described the tea making process and all the other aspects about tea, which was a fascinating read for me. On a deeper level, as a Chinese-American myself, I was able to relate to many of the societal struggles that both Li-yan and Haley went through in the story, as I’ve experienced some of those same struggles first-hand over the years. For me, it was wonderful to see a character like Li-yan – a strong woman who loves her family and embraces her heritage as part of who she is, but at the same time, doesn’t allow herself to be chained down to the rituals and traditions to the point that she is unable to accept anything else outside of them. I also appreciated how Li-yan was able to see her own flaws and mistakes she’d made in her life and owned up to them wholeheartedly. Another favorite character for me was Li-yan’s A-ma, who represented the steadfast adherence to cultural beliefs and customs, but at the same time, demonstrated how a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter can transcend all else.

I highly recommend this book, not just to Lisa See fans, but to anyone who likes a great story with cultural and historical significance as well as well-developed characters and also emotional depth. This is definitely one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year!

Received advance reader's copy from Scribner via NetGalley (expected publication date: March 21, 2017).

(Read in February 2017)