A review by bendercath
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

I really sided with the main character for the entire book … I felt like I was cheering for her and hopeful for her. And now, at the end, I really wish I knew more about the history of this woman and this time. I loved the relationships and how real the emotions seemed, yet at times during the story, I felt like we were definitely hearing this with 2023 ears and not the sensibilities of 600 years ago. Still, I found myself wondering how women in history have not risen up more with people like Lady Tan around! And the whole foot binding thing … yuck! So so so brutal. I just do not get how that lasted for so many centuries.

The other thing that really struck me in this book: how through eternity, we have tried to understand the human body. And we don’t really know that much even now, despite humanity’s endless attempts.

All in all, a lovely book, easy to follow as an audiobook. I definitely learned something new.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings