Review #18: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Title: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women

Author: Lisa See

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

# of Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover (via Book of the Month)

Part of Series? No

Rating: 4/5 stars

Source: Simon & Schuster

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this novel. I did not know what to expect going into it. I picked it as a Book of the Month because of how highly rated it is on Goodreads. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women follows Tan, a women born into high society during the Ming Dynasty in China. I knew nothing of that time period in China and the customs. It was extremely well researched (assuming it is an accurate portrayal of the time). I just love all things high society – even though I’d never want to live as a woman during that time – very little to no opportunity or freedom – so it was interesting to read to see what has changed and what has not. It is not a plot-driven novel, but rather an epic spanning Tan’s life. It wasn’t as long as you’d expect (less than 400 pages). It isn’t necessarily a page turner, but I devoured it. As a woman who values the power of female friendships, this book was a greatly reassuring and comforting.

You’ll Like this if you like: Historical fiction, Chinese history, Memoirs of a Geisha (yes, I know that is Japanese, so it is not exactly the same)