Lady Tan's Circle of Women (B&N Exclusive Edition)

Lady Tan's Circle of Women (B&N Exclusive Edition)

by Lisa See
Lady Tan's Circle of Women (B&N Exclusive Edition)

Lady Tan's Circle of Women (B&N Exclusive Edition)

by Lisa See

Hardcover(B&N Exclusive Edition)

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Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Lady Tan's Circle of Women is beloved author Lisa See's latest historical fiction novel. Raised by her physician grandmother, Tan Yunxian is taught Chinese medicine. But when she finds herself in an arranged marriage, expected to focus on domestic life, she must find a way to escape societal expectations and help the women around her. This is a moving story of female empowerment and friendship, sure to delight See's many fans.

This Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition includes an original bonus essay exclusively for Barnes & Noble customers, and will have special endpapers created for this edition.

The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See’s classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.

According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinationsólooking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781668033456
Publisher: Scribner
Publication date: 06/06/2023
Edition description: B&N Exclusive Edition
Pages: 368
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

About The Author

Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. Some of her most famous books include Dreams of Joy, Shanghai Girls, Peony in Love, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which was adapted into a movie. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles.

Hometown:

Los Angeles, California

Date of Birth:

February 18, 1955

Place of Birth:

Paris, France

Education:

B.A., Loyola Marymount University, 1979
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