Seek Out Your Circle of Women Now | Lady Tan's Circle of Women Review

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Now is the time to seek out your circle of women: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women review

Rating: 5/5
Genre: Historical Novel
Topics include:
Female Friendship
Breaking Gender and Class Barriers
15th Century Chinese Culture & Chinese Medicine

The timing for this book review is truly perfect in that I feel that this book is not only relevant, but timeless in its message. Today’s review covers Lisa See’s novel Lady Tan’s Circle of Women.

Life sucks right now for a lot of us in the United States. Our futures are not very clear and that can be scary. We need each other now more than ever.

This story has personally inspired me so much and I am very grateful to have read it when I did. I also want to dedicate this review to my own circle of women that I hold so near and dear to my heart.

Shout out to my girls, I would not be here without their support.

*Today’s review does contain affiliate links in which I do receive a small percentage for any purchases made through my links* full disclosure

Synopsis

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is an inspired novelization of the life of a real woman named Tan Yunxian who lived during the Ming Dynasty in China.

The story begins with her life as a child of eight years old having survived smallpox and the deaths of her brothers and mother. Soon, we see her character through all the stages of life: milk days, hair-pinning-days, rice-and-salt days, and the days of sitting quietly, each offering their own challenges to a woman of this age.

After the death of her mother, Yunxian moves into the home of her paternal grandparents where she begins her studies in medicine. With her grandmother’s influence she becomes a doctor of women’s issues, which is unheard of during this time.

It is also at this time that she meets a friend, Meiling, who is the daughter of a midwife. Midwifery at this time is not as esteemed as we would consider today and as Yunxian comes from a prominent family, this friendship with a child of lower class is not initially accepted.

Despite this, Yunxian and Meiling continue to support each other throughout the years as well as caring for the other women in the compound and beyond.

Chinese Elite Family Culture

The story takes place in late 15th century and early 16th century China. A time where lords reigned over their family houses and concubines were common for people of influence.

The book recounts these aspects in fascinating detail, and it is apparent the efforts that See went to in her research of the timeframe.

Yunxian is part of a prominent family at this time, but she is also a woman. It is important for her to, as her mother taught her, know her place in this world.

She is allowed education, but her main priority is to bear sons to carry familial duties in the future. This theme is ever present and serves as a focal point in Yunxian’s life.

Breaking Gender and Class Barriers

Despite societal pressures, Yunxian is able to make historical achievements in medicine as a woman.

At this time, as See notes, the only known and respected doctors were men. The idea of medicine solely focusing on women’s specific issues of moon water cycles, pregnancy, birth and postpartum care is completely unheard of.

We also are informed of the differences that class can bring in a society of this time. Prominent girls and women have bound feet giving them a lily-like shape. The painful process is started at a young age and is one of the duties that mothers have in order to make sure their daughters marry into noble homes.

When we meet Meiling, we notice she has “big feet”, a denotation of her class. In spite of this difference, the characters are able to form a lasting and inspiring friendship that lasts through many hardships throughout the story.

The Value of Female Friendship

Over the course of the story, we meet many women of different classes, creeds, and lifestyles.

Yunxian herself finds lifelong friends in some obvious and not-so-obvious places. The lengths they go for one another is truly heartening and part of why I wanted to write this review in the first place.

The beautiful relationships that we experience written in See’s elegant style makes you appreciate friendship in an entirely new way. For me personally, this book has inspired me to look at my friendships more carefully and value them more deeply.

Maybe you don’t get to talk to your friends that much or maybe you don’t tell them you love them enough. As we get older, our lives change and things can get in the way.

But you can start today by choosing to be more mindful in your friendships and build on those lifelong bonds. I know that I will be.

My Final Thoughts: “Lovely and Inspiring”

As you can probably guess from my 5/5 rating, I would highly recommend this book to any woman looking for an empowering read centered on women and their achievements.

AS this was my first book by Lisa See, I was happy to find it was elegantly written and easy to understand. I ended up reading 400 pages of this book in one night! I could not put this book down and in the end, I did cry. Needless to say, I will be seeking out more of her work.

This story has inspired me as well to shift my focus specifically on showcasing and reviewing books written by other women on this website.

I created Sips of Motherhood with the intention of building a village or “circle of women” where we can discuss different topics related to motherhood and womanhood. See’s book has served to propel me forward in this goal and I am so grateful to her for this!

(If you ever see this Lisa See, thank you.)

I will end the Lady Tan’s Circle of Women review with my favorite quote from the book: