'[An] evocative and enthralling insight into the hidden history of Chinese women.'

'Ladies, buy two copies of this wonderful book, and give one to your dearest friend.'

'A startlingly vivid novel ... so gorgeous it hurts.'

'This novel is an epic journey, as exciting and believable as it is thrillingly original.'

Lily is the daughter of a humble farmer, and to her family she is just another expensive mouth to feed. Then the local matchmaker delivers startling news: if Lily's feet are bound properly, they will be flawless. In nineteenth-century China, where a woman's eligibility is judged by the shape and size of her feet, this is extraordinary good luck. Lily now has the power to make a good marriage and change the fortunes of her family. To prepare for her new life, she must undergo the agonies of footbinding, learn nu shu, the famed secret women's writing, and make a very special friend, Snow Flower. But a bitter reversal of fortune is about to change everything.

2008-07-28 dreamy rubbish

If you're looking for something like Memoirs of a Geisha (which was a lovely story that became overly romantic in the last section) then this book is not it. It's really badly written, difficult to stick with, and glosses over some of the major cultural differences that we in the west have with the east. Foot binding is dealt with in about 10 minutes! She seems to have excruciating pain and broken feet one minute, and then she's fine the next. I thought it was silly, with not enough detail to make it a fascinating insight into this culture.