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Lady Tan's Circle of Women

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Lady Tan's Circle of Women

By: Lisa See
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim, Justin Chien
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About this listen

 'Despite the inordinate limits placed on women, See allows their strengths to dominate their stories' Washington Post
'Poignant . . . quietly affecting' Time
'Emotional and illuminating' BookPage

In 15th century China two women are born under the same sign, the Metal Snake. But life will take the friends on very different paths.

According to Confucius, ‘an educated woman is a worthless woman’, but Tan Yunxian – born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separation and loneliness – is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. She begins her training in medicine with her grandmother and, as she navigates the male world of medicine, requiring tact and diplomacy, she struggles against the confining world of her class.

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.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of tradition, 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.

Praise for Lisa See

'This novel spans wars and generations, but at its heart is a beautifully rendered story of two women whose individual choices become inextricably tangled’ Jodi Picoult

'No one writes about female friendship, the dark and the light of it, with more insight and depth than Lisa See’ Sue Monk Kidd

'See’s thoughtful and empathetic book sheds necessary attention on this largely ignored event' New York Times

'A powerful and essential story of humanity' Los Angeles Review of Books

'A spellbinding portrait of a time burning with opportunity and mystery' O: The Oprah Magazine

'A lush tale infused with clear-eyed compassion' The Washington Post©2023 Lisa See. All rights reserved (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Medical Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking China Medicine

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All stars
Most relevant  
Knew little of Chinese culture but learned a lot from reading this novel. Didn’t feel any affinity with any of the characters but the story’s knowledge base kept my interest to the end.

Informative Read

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I loved this from start to finish. An unusual genre choice for me and i can't remember what attracted me to it as i bought it a while ago. The narration was superb, great story- telling, no extraneous description of settings or characters. A lot of historical insight but done in a "show not tell" style. Some disturbing and at times quite graphic descriptions of foot binding and corporal punishment, but there was a warning about this. A great book, am looking forward to another by Lisa See.

great story telling

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Loved every bit of this story. It was so well narrated that I just couldn’t put it down. My device went every where with me so I could continue to listen. It really made me think about how badly women have been treated through the centuries and how lucky we are today. Will definitely try more from this author and narrator.

Wonderful, moving story.

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A really inspiring story of determination to introduce an approach to medicine specifically for women by women

Resilience of women

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I so enjoyed thus story. it drew me in and all I wanted was to listen for 10 hours straight.

loved this book

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A moving insight into 15th/16th century China.
I could not put this beautifully narrated novel down. A real jewel !!

Breathtakingly beautiful

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Just finishing this interesting book. I have learned so much about ancient China culture and how some of this still echoes today. A fascinating insight into Chinese medicine and the role of women in society. A very likeable central character and illustration of the amazing level of acceptance and self discipline that was expected while self awareness and introspection is encouraged but within the constraints of acceptable boundaries and behaviour. 5⭐️

Fascinating insight into women in ancient China

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One of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to. not only is the storyline enchanting but the detail of life in 15 century China is wonderfully recounted

Phenomenal

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it is fascinating to get a glimpse into the world of women in 15th century China. At the same time it was a very hard read and I nearly gave up a few times. The cruelty of the foot binding was hard to comprehend, women who were made cripples for the sake of beauty, unbearable. Then the stories of the eunuchs and the concubines... what a horrendous time to have lived in. the story was interesting but I was angry and sad during the whole book.

fascinating and unbearable

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An absolutely gruesome and enlightening depiction of the endurance of women. I found the medical theme a fascinating perspective. Very much recommend this book to anyone who enjoys strong female characters.

Transportive, heart wrenching wonderful story telling

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