Publication Date June 6, 2023
I love Lisa See! Two of my faves are The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane and The Island of Sea Women. I realized that part of my fondness for these two is the amount I learned about history, China, women, and so much more – while being entertained by a fantastic story, with character I CARED about. Books that make me THINK and FEEL – that’s wondeful!
The backstory on how Ms. See came to write this is shared in the afterword. Don’t miss it! It is just so serendipitous that a book the author just happened to pick up in the early days of the pandemic prompted this story to be imagined, researched, and written.
The story is set in 15th-century China, and revolves around Tan Yunxian, a young girl from an elite family who is raised by her grandparents. Her grandmother is one of the few female doctors in China, and she shares her knowledge with Yunxian, especially the “Four Pillars” of Chinese medicine: Looking, Asking, Listening, and Touching.
Yan learns alongside Meiling, a young girl in training to be a midwife. They are incredibly close until it is time for Yan to enter into an arranged marriage. TBH I loved the story of their friendship, and despite having nightmares about foot binding, I found the detail of their daily life incredibly fascinating.
I’m grateful to Scribner and Netgalley for providing a copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest review. Five BIG stars.