Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See (Book Review)

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Library Binding
Pages: 254
Publication Date: 6/28/2004
Publisher: Random House

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★★★★☆

Lily is haunted by memories–of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.

In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (“women’s writing”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become “old sames” at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

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. 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: female friendship.

My friend and I saw the trailer for the movie version of this book, and I instantly said to myself "I want to read that" while she said at the same time "I want to see that." 

Ironically, she read the book first, after checking it out from the library, and I borrowed it from her to read once she was finished. We still haven't watched the movie yet.

The book did not, for me, live up to the promise of the movie trailer. I have the sense, after having skimmed some reviews of the movie, that this could be because the movie itself doesn't live up to the promise of the book, or even of its own trailer.

I wanted to love this book. In the end, I think that I did love this book. It's just that it took me a long time to get to that point. I'm not a fan of books that take me a long time to finish them. 

My experience with this book was unusual. When I was reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I was entirely immersed in the world of nineteenth-century China. When I wasn't reading it, I wasn't compelled to pick it up. There just wasn't enough movement in the story to make me interested.

I admit that this could be a side effect of reading a lot of young adult fiction for a long time. This is precisely the sort of book I ought to love.

February Wrap Up (2017)

February was an amazing month for me this year. I read a whopping eight books during the shortest month of the year (probably a new record for me). If one of those books hadn't taken a total of six days to complete, I might have gotten even further.

This wrap up is my opportunity to tell you what I loved, what I didn't love, and what I recommend to you. I might even try to give you an idea of what I'll be reading in March!

I read a total of 2,949 pages in February. That's roughly 105 pages every day, which meets my daily reading quota of 100 pages daily.

Of those eight books that I read, three were 5* books (big month for five-star books!), 2 were 4* books, and three were 3* books.

First up in February (and continuing from January) was Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters. I enjoyed this book and gave it a 5* rating based on my enjoyment of the story and in particular the fact that it is very different from the movie of the same title.

I continued reading the Percy Jackson series (because I had the boxed set) with Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Titan's Curse. This one was easily my favorite of the series, earning it a 5* rating from me.

The series sort of lost me after that. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Battle of the Labyrinth was slow and long, and in the end I could only give it a 3* rating. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian also received a 3* rating, but in the end the entire series is definitely one that I'd read again, meaning that it wound up netting five stars in spite of a few flops in the individual books.

In a strange twist of irony, I wound up following my stepson's Freshman reading list by following Percy Jackson with Rot & Ruin, which frankly blew me away. I gave the book a 4* rating, but I'm not sure that's altogether fair. This is a book that I'll definitely read again, and I have the rest of the series on order from Barnes& Noble right now.

I was in the mood for zombies, so I re-read my favorite book of the 21st century, Warm Bodies. The sequel was released this month and I'm waiting for it to be available from my local library so that I can read it. Maybe I'll cave and buy it (though it's expensive).

The next book that I read was Beautiful Creatures. I'd read it before, and I didn't enjoy it the first time, when it took me about five weeks to finish reading. The book is impossibly, ridiculously long. This time I managed to finish in six days and enjoyed the book more, but it held onto its 3* rating.

A trip to the library resulted in the final read of February: The Selection, by Kiera Cass. I wasn't expecting much, but this one I definitely enjoyed, and in spite of this book's many shortcomings, I ultimately chose to rate it 4* and purchased the rest of the series online. Looking forward to reading them!

February has been an excellent reading month and I am now 5 books ahead of schedule for my 2017 goal of 50 books. I'm currently reading Snowflower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See, the first book of March, and will be following that up with Jurassic Park and then (possibly) Mists of Avalon.

You can follow my full list of reviews here.

The Selection, by Kiera Cass (Book Review)

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 339
Publication Date: 4/24/2012
Publisher: Harper Teen

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

The first book in the captivating, #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series! Discover a breathless fairy-tale romance with swoon-worthy characters, glittering gowns, fierce intrigue, and a dystopian world that will captivate readers who loved Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Ally Condie’s Matched, and Lauren Oliver’s Delirium.

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.

Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

There's a formula for these sorts of books. Take one part inexperienced author, add a dash of cloudy* female protagonist, combine together with a "dystopian" setting, and voila! You have a young adult "dystopian" story.

I'd like to say that I'm not being fair, especially considering how much I enjoyed this book and how much effort I'm putting into not being influenced by the opinions of others, but that's how I feel about this book.

It's how I feel about a lot of these young adult fantasies.

I need to take a moment to explain why I use "dystopian" in quotes in this case. The setting of The Selection is futuristic and set in a time when the people of North America no longer have the privileges that we currently enjoy.

It rides on the coattails of stories such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Delirium. I honestly can't blame the author for wanting to take advantage of the popularity of these stories. Considering how much I love dystopian settings, I read this book precisely for that reason.

I'm a sucker for a good dystopia. 

There's two problems with The Selection, if you're a fan of dystopian stories. 

The first is that the setting isn't believable. As with most of these teen dystopias, this is not a story that could happen. I'm not going to discuss my personal political views, but I will establish that there are some wonderful dystopian stories written for adults that are believable, things that could actually happen. 

Most of the popular teen dystopian stories would never happen in the real world. It does not, in my opinion, mean that they are not dystopias, only that they exist within the realm of pure fantasy.

The other problem with calling The Selection a dystopia is that it lacks some of the necessary components. Dividing the people by caste lacks the "oomph" of the oppression demonstrated in other books in its category.

What I'm trying to say is that the society of The Selection just isn't that bad, and the story takes place outside of it for the majority of the story.

You need to know this if you're selecting a story based on its genre. Readers who are looking for good dystopian stories may want to give this one a pass.

Or maybe not, because I was looking for a good dystopian story.

What The Selection is is a good story, period. There are a lot of things wrong with this book. More things wrong than right, if I'm honest with you. But the story captivated me in spite of those things.

There's not a lot to say about what I loved about this book. Suffice it to say that the story pulled me through the novel from start to finish in a single day. That means something, at least to me.

If you love a good story and you can overlook a lot of flaws, I think that you'll probably like this book.