Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

All the people in the book club loved Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. One woman said it was just touching, touching, touching. They felt sorry for the main characters Lily and Snow Flower who had to undergo foot binding in nineteenth century China. They had to be bound until the bones in their feet broke. It was done so that their feet would be attractive to men, and so they could get a good husband. The primary function of a woman was to get married and bear sons. The group discussed if they lived in that society would they bind their daughter's feet? Some said no, but some said yes they would probably would conform to society, even though they didn't want to bind the feet. The group talked about the "old same" relationship, the special bond of friendship between Snow Flower and Lily. Members of the group talked about their "old sames," and one member even shared what she wrote about her old same at a memorial service. The group did not like Lily's mother because she showed her no affection at all. But, one woman thought she made Lily strong. The group did not think Lily ended up being a good friend to Snow Flower. It all stemmed from a misunderstanding in a Snow Flower's message in Nu Shu, the secret written language of women. Lily ended up shaming her in front of the whole village, telling any negative thing she could say about Snow Flower. Lily found out in the end that she was wrong, after Snow Flower died. The group found Lily neither a heroine or a villain, just human. The group found Madam Wang, the matchmaker, a woman of status and a strong character. She was free to conduct business with men and travel outside the home. The other women were confined to the kitchen and a special room in the house. Everyone enjoyed discussing this book, and one person is going to read another book by Lisa See, Peony in Love.