Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Audiobook By Lisa See cover art

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

A Novel

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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.

Lily is haunted by memories–of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.

In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (“women’s writing”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become “old sames” at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.©2005 Lisa See; (P)2005 Books on Tape Inc. Historical Fiction Friendship China Heartfelt Literary Fiction Tearjerking Psychological Fiction Genre Fiction Marriage Chinese Historical Fiction

Critic reviews

“Lisa See has written her best book yet. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is achingly beautiful, a marvel of imagination of a real and secret world that has only recently disappeared. It is a story so mesmerizing the pages float away and the story remains clearly before us from beginning to end.”—Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings

“I was mesmerized by this wondrous book–the story of a secret civilization of women, who actually lived in China not long ago. . . . Magical, haunting fiction. Beautiful.”—Maxine Hong Kingston, author of The Fifth Book of Peace

“Only the best novelists can do what Lisa See has done, to bring to life not only a character but an entire culture, and a sensibility so strikingly different from our own. This is an engrossing and completely convincing portrayal of a woman shaped by suffering forced upon her from her earliest years, and of the friendship that helps her to survive.”—Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks on Friendship to Deepen Your Bonds


Friends are the family we choose. When we’re going through hardships or have something to celebrate, our friends are often the people we turn to first. So much of literature, art, music, and film is dedicated to romantic love, but the love between friends can be just as (if not more) rewarding. Of course, plenty of authors "are" writing about friendship, in all its many forms. Here is our list of the very best audiobooks about friendship across genres.

Featured Article The Best Audiobooks on Friendship to Deepen Your Bonds
Beautiful Storytelling • Rich Historical Context • Authentic Narration • Deep Female Friendships • Cultural Insights

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What a wonderful view into life for women in China half a century ago! I feel the reader did a great job and I was sad to have the book end.

Loved it!

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Previous reviewers who loved this story (as I do) have already stated the obvious - it is heartfelt, insightful and brings us into the inner world of Chinese women's culture. I was drawn in immediately and never let go - the ending was heartbreaking and touching at the same time. It makes a poignant statement about the nature of friendship, loyalty and unconditional love. This was a book I was sorry to end.
Some reviewers have not enjoyed the reader - I felt that her reading was excellent and added greatly to the characters and the sense of place and time. I'd recommend listening to the sample to determine if the reading is not to your liking, but I loved it.

A portrait of unconditional love

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I wasn't sure how to rate this. I loved this book when I read it myself. In fact, it's one of my favorites. The written story deserves a 5. I listened to it to refresh my memory after it turned up on my book club list and I was extremely disappointed. I don't think that the reader did it justice. There was something about her voice or enunciation that made it very difficult to listen to. If I hadn't already known what a good book it was, and if I hadn't needed the refresher, I don't think that I would have listened to the whole book.

Great writer - wonderful story - poor reader!

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The Narrator is HORRIBLE in this book! She has no ability to portray a story. Who hired this person? PLEASE AUDITION ME! I WOULD DO A MUCH BETTER JOB!!!

5 Star Worthy EXCEPT for the Narrator!

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Beautiful story with some very sad moments, resulting in the acquisition inner truth and much wisdom.

Being born a girl in Japan in olden times.

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