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A review by loxeletters
Lady Tan's Circle Of Women by Lisa See
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a pleasure to read, and I finished it quickly. Having previously read and loved See's Snow Flower, it was interesting to see the differences and parallels between the two books.
I adored the friendship between Yunxian and Meiling, though it didn't feel as deep or strong as in the other book. Of course, the focus of this one was quite different! Seeing the world as described by a woman brought-up in a wealthy family was certainly interesting, and I enjoyed the poetic language the protagonist used due to her upbringing. Yunxian could be frustrating as a character, seen mostly in her treatment of Meiling, but I felt she grew quite nicely. The entire topic of her medicine was fascinating. Some aspects (the concubines, especially) were infuriating to read about, yet felt realistic and true to the time. The mystery aspect surprised me pleasantly and, after I had seen one twist towards the beginning of the book coming, I was later absolutely surprised by other twists that were set up masterfully.
The ending gave quite a generous amount of pages to tying up various plotlines, which almost felt *too* simple, but the postscript revealed new questions which left me with much to think about.
Sometimes I felt I had to put the book down to give my mind time to process all the things that were happening quite quickly - especially with the large time skips between each of the four sections. However, I feel this speaks more to the extreme readibility which made me devour the book in essentially four long sittings than detract from its quality.
While I think I would have liked to see some more development in the relationships that weren't with her family, I enjoyed this book greatly and look forward to reading more of See's work.
I adored the friendship between Yunxian and Meiling, though it didn't feel as deep or strong as in the other book. Of course, the focus of this one was quite different! Seeing the world as described by a woman brought-up in a wealthy family was certainly interesting, and I enjoyed the poetic language the protagonist used due to her upbringing. Yunxian could be frustrating as a character, seen mostly in her treatment of Meiling, but I felt she grew quite nicely. The entire topic of her medicine was fascinating. Some aspects (the concubines, especially) were infuriating to read about, yet felt realistic and true to the time. The mystery aspect surprised me pleasantly and, after I had seen one twist towards the beginning of the book coming, I was later absolutely surprised by other twists that were set up masterfully.
The ending gave quite a generous amount of pages to tying up various plotlines, which almost felt *too* simple, but the postscript revealed new questions which left me with much to think about.
Sometimes I felt I had to put the book down to give my mind time to process all the things that were happening quite quickly - especially with the large time skips between each of the four sections. However, I feel this speaks more to the extreme readibility which made me devour the book in essentially four long sittings than detract from its quality.
While I think I would have liked to see some more development in the relationships that weren't with her family, I enjoyed this book greatly and look forward to reading more of See's work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism