Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Lady Tan's Circle of Women

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.

Content Warnings

story_singer_101's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional

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

4.0

This is a well-done book that takes the reader into the life and world of 15th-century China--with all its beauty and flaws. I appreciated how this book delved into Chinese medicine and that it didn't shy away from or romanticize the problems that 15th-century China faced. This is a book that deals with topics like foot-binding, concubines, slavery, pregnancy trauma, sickness, and sexism. It is also a book about the humanity of women, the value of female friendships, and the ways that women shine even in highly repressive contexts. I had been looking forward to reading it for a while now, and I'm glad I finally did. It's a well-told story, and I appreciated how the perspectives of the characters didn't seem to be too highly modernized to make it more palatable to a modern audience. That same lack of modernization, though, may cause pretty strong culture shock for some readers, especially if they aren't already aware of some of the cultural practices and issues of the time. So read the book. It's worth it. Just make sure you can handle it first.

Content Warnings