Reviews tagging 'Death'

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

99 reviews

abitterknitter's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

nehaanna's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

sdg87's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Miscarriage

kappafrog's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love the idea behind this book of fleshing out what Tan Yuxian's life might have been like. This was rich with historical details. I really appreciated how See struck a balance between making the female characters in a deeply patriarchal world sympathetic while not being afraid to show the ways they perpetuated many of their culture's harmful practices against women. While this did make the protagonist less likeable the older she got, I still found it a compelling story. We as modern readers (rightly) find footbinding disgusting, but it was reality for centuries of women in China, and See did a good job exploring the realities of how women had to cope with that system.

At the core of this book is the way communities of women in Ming China could band together to support each other, and that made for a very good read. I'd also note that the relationship between Meiling and Yanxian came across as pretty sapphic, with Yanxian frequently struck by Meiling's beauty. I thought it was realistic that they didn't pursue a relationship, but I felt like the romantic aspect between them was an important part of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Alcohol, and War

nellebelle's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Infertility, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Gore, Miscarriage, and Grief

Minor: Abortion and Alcohol

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See is a captivating historical novel about friendship, resilience, and the lives of women medical professionals in the 15th century.

The story also explores chronic pain through the lens of bound feet, adding depth and authenticity to the narrative. While some parts are difficult to read due to the harsh realities of the time, the bonds between the women and their dedication to healing make this a compelling and inspiring read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Classism

Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Blood

Minor: Miscarriage and Murder

shamzy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This was a real page-turner for me. I absolutely loved it. Lisa See’s research into historical facts was incredible! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Medical trauma

gingoffthehing's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

There are some very detailed medical situations that turned my stomach, but  it was an amazing story and I learned so much about Chinese culture and medicine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

allydee's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

lisettemarie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism