Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (by Lisa See)

This was a novel about two girls growing up in a very remote part of Hunan province in China in the late 19th century. It is a coming-of-age story as well as novel of friendship in a specific time period. The novel follows the life of Lily, the narrator, her her laotong, Snow Flower through their lives, from the point where they are matched together and their feet are bound (fasinating and horrifying at the same time - the desired length of foot was 3 inches!!!) to their deaths. It was a very well written account of the trials of the lives of these two Chinese women and the misunderstanding that threatens to destroy their relationship.

I really enjoyed this book, both for its historical account of China and women and also for the story of friendship. The writing style is quite good and very descriptive. The lives these women led were grueling but despite their pain and suffering, these women found contentment in each other.

I also loved the afterword, in which See discusses the practice of foot-binding, and how it is no more horrific than many practices of societal beauty today (burkas in the Middle East, elongated necks in Africa, cosmetic surgery in the U.S.).

This novel is however, for an older audience not only because of some graphic content, but also because of the experiences the women have that require a little more life-experience to truly understand. I'd say 16 years+.