Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Lady Tan's Circle of Women.

I'm not a fan of historical fiction but when I saw the premise, I was intrigued.

This is my first Lisa See book (I know, what a shock) and I've always heard positive reviews about her books so I thought about giving this a try.

This is about Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet not unaccustomed to the rigors of what it means to be a meek and mild woman. Foot binding, remain obedient and give her husband many sons. That is the way of women in ancient times, especially in 15th century China.

Ms. See writes well and builds a world of opulence and boundaries, rules, and restrictions. We follow Yunxian through her life, being taught by her grandmother, and understanding and learning the ways of treating female patients.

This is a story of female friendship, support and empowerment at a time when all women, young and old, rich or poor, were powerless.

I had never head of Yunxian until I read Lady Tan's Circle of Women. When I finished I did my own research into this fascinating and remarkable women.

I read many genres and am not surprised by the subjugation and restrictions women were bound to in ancient and medieval times, but sometimes reading about what they went through is so painful and traumatizing to read, I'm astonished (and yet not) that these women survived all the physical, psychological, and emotional abuse.

Why wouldn't we?

We're women.

Like all female pioneers in any field/industry dominated by men, all it takes is one women to speak up, to find her voice, and not be afraid or diminished by the critics and the haters.

I have loved every book from Amy Tan! This is no different. The struggles of women no matter the time period of geographic location ring true for me. This book party historical fiction part mystery was engrossing.

“Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” provides a fascinating glimpse into Chinese court life in the 15th century. Lisa See paints a picture, with well-chosen words, of a life so different from our own but with some of the same issues. The story is drawn from a real individual, Lady Tan, an educated female from an elite family, who was trained in ancient Chinese medical practices. Lady Tan wrote a book about her cases and treatments that continues to be published. Although little is known about the real Lady Tan, the author imbues her with heart and soul so we can envision the world she lived in. There are wonderfully wise depictions of female friendships and relationships, especially between Lady Tan and Meiling, her childhood friend. Meiling, from a totally different class, is trained as a midwife. The skills of the two friends complement and support one another. This work of historical fiction has been extensively researched and the writing is charming. There are a few sections of the book, particularly at the beginning and end, that are rather slow reading but, on the whole, it is wonderful read. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced readers copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Lisa See is pure magic! I love how this story came about in the beginning of the pandemic from finding a slim novel on her research shelf to delving into the life and what info could be found on Tan Yunxian a woman physician from 15th-century China.

I really enjoyed the formatting of this book broken up into Parts of a woman’s life. You meet Tan in her “Milk Days” and then journey through “Sitting Quietly” years.

A story about women supporting women. I loved getting to know the characters along the way and the different positions each one has in a household. The friendship between Tan and the midwife’s daughter Meiling was special to see grow and go through struggles some friendships can experience. Tan’s grandmother won my heart as well as her fathers concubine. Tan’s journey through medicine and marriage/parenthood was greatly supported by the ones she loved.

I’m loving all the biographical fiction coming out and Lisa See hands down delivers such a great story in this genre!

Lisa See has done it again with lyrical prose, fabulous character development and a story that will plunge you headfirst into a story about a woman who will fight hard to be seen as equal, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

See has this fantastic consistent ability to completely transport her readers within whatever setting she has chosen, and “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” was absolutely no exception. From page one, I was immediately right smack back in Ming Dynasty-era China, where I then proceeded to follow the fascinating life of Tan Yunxian. Her tale of course is woven with beauty and skill, but for me personally, it’s all about the top-notch historical immersion experience. I am not sure if I can even fathom the amount of research that goes into works like this, because the detail here impresses me on nearly every level. I feel like I am at a point where flatly saying “It’s by Lisa See” should be more than enough to let others know that they’re in for a high-quality experience.

Well, this wasn't my favorite Lisa See (I guess they can't all be slam dunks-right?). BUT I can't ignore the fact that this is a richly, expertly crafted work of historical fiction. In discussing it with a friend, she said that at times it felt like she was reading a textbook and I have to agree. That's how intricate it was in the historical details. Unfortunately, a lot of those details involved foot binding, which can really turn my stomach it its descriptions (this was a huge theme in another Lisa See book I read). I know this was very prevalent at the time and that it was a huge event in young girls' lives, but at times it felt like a bit much. Paired with the level of mistreatment in any women's life at that time, it was just overall more depressing than her other books and lacked the "emo" feels that are in her other works. In a sense, it was lacking in the "heart" category.

I know I keep comparing to her other books but there really are a lot of similarities and here I'll list those that I enjoyed: the women friendships, the women who pushed boundaries and became more than what was expected of them, and the writing style. Other aspects I loved included: her grandmother and the intricate details about TCM (traditional chinese medicine).

Like I said, this one was a heavy hitter in the historical element, lacking a bit in the character development and
overall "heart" and excitement. I'm glad I read it, I learned a whole lot, and I'm excited for her next book!

The book centers on Tan Yunxian, an upper class woman and one of only a handful of female doctors in China in the late 1400’s. In addition to offering a beautiful story about the bonds of family and friendship, the book provides a fascinating glimpse into medical care in ancient China, childbirth, and the foot-binding process. From reading the afterward, it’s obvious a great deal of research and historical accuracy went into this book. Highly recommend for historical fiction fans.

My sincere thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the digital ARC.

A woman's life in 15th Century China is very limited, particularly if she is born into an upper class family. In this book Lisa See gives us a glimpse into this life. When her mother dies Yunxian is sent to live with her grandparents. They are an exceptional couple, each is a doctor. It is decided that Yunxian will learn female medicine from her grandmother. A female doctor may not touch blood so often works with a midwife who can. Meiling is the daughter of the midwife who works with Yunxian's grandmother. The older women foster a special friendship between the two girls which carries them through their lives. Yunxian lives a life of privilege but is forbidden to practice medicine by her mother-in-law. This is a story of friendship, the intrigue of the women's courts, women managing in spite of men, and more. This book is rich with themes for discussion.
This is a review of an E-galley provided by NetGalley.

I loved this book! I think that it was an interesting and unique topic and the way See was able to weave fact with fiction during that period in Chinese history was good.

This was a really interesting historical novel set in 15th century China, with a main character inspired by a historical figure who was a woman physician from that time period. I was really fascinated by the cultural practices around medicine, not only in the sense of traditional medicine and treatments but also in the way that medical practitioners were categorized. Most physicians were men, but men could not touch women, so there were either go-betweens to facilitate communication or, rarely, women physicians were brought in to touch and speak with women patients directly. The other major medical practitioners, all of whom were women, were midwives. Midwives were less respected than physicians because they touched blood and were therefore considered polluted (neither male nor female physicians were meant to touch blood in any way). This is all to say that I felt like I was learning while reading this story, but the historical detail was woven so flawlessly into the narrative that it didn't feel didactic or anything. The main character, Tan Yunxian, is trained by her physician grandparents from a young age and also forms a relationship with Meiling, the daughter of a midwife who becomes a midwife herself. Yunxian is from a wealthy, powerful family, and she marries into an even wealthier one. We're with her as she transitions from childhood to her adolescence to her time as a young wife and eventually a young mother trying to find her place in a new household. She struggles with fertility issues, with her independence, and she even becomes involved in solving some crimes as the story goes on, all while practicing medicine (sometimes clandestinely). I enjoyed this and really felt like I was immersed in the story.

I am a huge fan of Lisa See so I was excited to get an advanced copy of her newest book. Once again, she did not disappoint. The amount of research she did for this book is astounding and as the reader, I was amazed and awed by it. The story takes place in 15th century China and was inspired by the true story of a woman physician. The author gives us a shocking glimpse of what life was like for women during this time period. They had very few rights and were basically treated like property. So the fact that one woman was able to become a physician during this time period was quite unusual. One aspect I do enjoy of this author’s books is that she consistently portrays her female characters as resilient and intelligent. She emphasizes the importance of friendship among women as a means of providing support to each other. My only criticism of this book was that I felt that some of the descriptions of the medical treatments the main character, Yunxian, administered were overly wordy not always interesting. But overall, the story was fascinating and very well written.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a Lisa See fan for over a decade at this point and honestly, no book of hers has impressed me more than this one, I am already a sucker for period historical fiction and when coupled with a region whose history I don't know and with a brilliant author, there are only good things to say. See's research is meticulous, her imagery makes this nonvisual reader see, and her characters' voices and stories capture more than my imagination, they make me want to meet them and have a conversation about the rest of their lives that didn't end up on the pages, am I maybe extra sensitive to this particular story because I am a new second time mom? Maybe, but really it's Lisa See's incomparable story telling that keeps me coming back for more, I don't think I can ever not love her stories. Hurry and get this book at your favorite store or better yet, patronize a library and pick up the rest of her work.

I’ve always loved the work of Lisa See and this new title is no exception. What little is actually know of the 15th century female physician Tan Yunxian’s life is based on her medical writings that have survived to this day. Lady Tan was an educated woman, unusual for her upper class background. Even more unusual is the medical education she received from the grandparents who raised her. This provides a wonderful springboard for See to explore the lives of upper class women and midwives of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the history and culture of that era. A fascinating read that had me searching for images and historical information about the era. Looking forward to See’s “Step Inside” resources for this title that will be on her website.

Pub date: 6/6/23
Genre: historical fiction
Quick summary: Yunxian grows up under the influence of her physician grandmother, and her medical knowledge will change her life forever - even if her mother-in-law refuses to let her practice.

I love historical fiction with medical themes, so this story was a perfect match! This fictionalization of Yunxian's story, based on her book Miscellaneous Records of a Female Doctor, really illuminated the Ming Dynasty time period to me. Yunxian and the women in her circle had their feet bound in preparation for marriage, and See showed how this tradition of "lotus feet" completely changed their lives. I enjoyed Yunxian's friendship with midwife Meiling and seeing how their relationship endured despite their trials and tribulations. While Yunxian gave a window into the elite, Meiling showed the perspective of a lower class woman.

I don't know much about traditional Chinese medicine, so I enjoyed seeing how Yunxian and her grandmother treated and advocated for the women in their circles. In her author's note, See makes the point that TCM should not be considered "backwards"; at the time this story took place, Western physicians were not able to offer much more than bloodletting.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy this book; the characters, medical themes, and sense of place are special. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Thank you to Scribner for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent this book in order to conduct an interview with Lisa See for my podcast; the interview has happened and will be posted in July after the UK publication of the book. It will be up at http://wormholepodcast.com

I have written a review of the book and briefly featured it on Instagram and TikTok,

This will be a big hit at our library! I love Lisa See's ability to take little known periods of history and make us care about them. I could also see this being a great book club pick.

A BIG THANK YOU to Scribner for the ARC of Lisa See's Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, scheduled to be published on June 6th, 2023. This novel tells the moving and fascinating story of women living in 15th-century China, at a time when the societal expectations governing the roles of women dictate that they dutifully fulfill their familial and matrimonial obligations above all else. The novel centers around Lady Tan, following her journey as a girl to a young woman who will ultimately become a physician of women and girls across all levels of society. Her story is inspired by the true story of Tan Yunxian and based on writings in Yunxian’s own words, Miscellaneous Records of a Female Doctor.

One of the most impressive aspects of this novel is See's vivid and immersive descriptions of life in 15th-century China. She transports readers to a world of opulent mansions, intricate rituals, and political intrigue. See's writing is lyrical and richly detailed, capturing the sights, sounds, and smells of the time period. Readers will feel like they are right there with Lady Tan and her companions as they navigate the treacherous waters of life.

Tan and her confidantes are complex, multi-dimensional women who are fully realized on the page. See explores the challenges and joys of female friendship, as well as the struggles faced by women in a society that does not value them as equals. Lady Tan, in particular, is a captivating and inspiring character, who uses her power and intelligence to subvert expectations and fight for the rights of women. Overall, See's attention to detail and masterful storytelling make for a truly immersive reading experience. Fans of historical fiction, particularly those interested in stories about strong female characters, will find much to love in this book. ★★★★★

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 6 June 2023
#HistoricalFiction #LisaSee #LadyTan #CircleofWomen

Based on the true story of ancient Chinese physician, Lady Tan Yunxian, we go through the four stages of her life: milk days, hair pinning days, rice and salt days, and sitting quietly days.

This is my favorite Lisa See book so far! I was hooked from the very beginning. Learning the inner life of an elite 15th century Chinese woman was absolutely fascinating. All the details: the isolation, the clothes, the footbinding; it was all intriguing and educational as well. Lady Tan is a great character as she brings the traditions of the times but shows some pizzaz as well. The medical details was interesting as well, as it was learning an entirely different approach to medicine. I highly recommend this saga that is traditional, with a touch of feminism as well!

“Friendship is a contract between two hearts. With hearts united, women can laugh and cry, live and die together.”

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women comes out 6/6.

Completely fascinating look at the life of a female doctor in chinese history. Lady Tan's Circle of Women continues See's tradition of rich storytelling focusing on complicated, strong female characters.