Lady Tan's Circle of Women

Written by Lisa See

Narrated by Jennifer Lim and Justin Chien

*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!*

From “one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot” (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China—perfect for fans of Lisa See’s classics Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.

According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

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.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions 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? A captivating story of women helping each other, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jun 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797150345

Lisa See

Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the Historymaker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women.

Reviews for Lady Tan's Circle of Women

[Becki Basley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful written Well researched book Lisa see Never disappoints! This time she raritets about a woman doctor in china during a time when foot binding for High ranking when was the norm

[YamunaMeleth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful storytelling- first book that’s captured me in a while

[Bonnie N Eldon Wurban · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great insight into the culture. I loved the characters - I miss them now that I've completed the book. Lol

[Joyce Harout · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing story. Beautifully written and narrated. I was bothered by some of the customs of Chinese history, but of course, I respected them as they were real and accepted by everyone back in the day.

[Tracey Gatt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a wonderful book. Beautiful writing, a must read for all women!

[pat daniel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Made me love my life. Read for bookclub. Be fun discussion!

[nehajha566 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

the story and the audio is the best one i listened this year so far, really well written and narrated !

[Bonnie Paetow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book. So fascinating. So many parallels to today’s world.

[Ann Bush · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story was interesting about very early Chinese women doctors.

[Antoinette Nowakowski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazingly, this book is relevant in our modern world. And I wish all girls of hair pinning age (14 to 15) would read this and understand that the cares of women have changed little over the centuries. Insightful and bright.

[Anne Wallace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful history and story love it! Great story and family

[Fav · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lisa See never disappoints ! I recommend any of her books

[Bekah Page Turner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an extremely interesting book. It is likely to cause you to feel a wide range of emotions while reading it. In my humble opinion it has a satisfactory conclusion. I would recommend this book.

[Sasha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We need more books like this!! I couldn’t stop thinking about it!

[Winston Green · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author again does a wonderful job of taking us to a time and place a little known or understood. She creates rich characters with talent and flaws. It’s interesting to follow their progression through time and circumstance. For me, it’s a novel it gets better as you progress through it keep going you will be rewarded.

[julie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book!! So interesting!! Lisa See is masterful writer!!

[Julie Minich-Castro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I have ever read!

[Sheri Lin Poisson ONeill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This has been one of my favorite books that I have read in a very long time. The writing was tremendous. The author created fantastic, well developed characters and brought me into the Ming Dynasty, of which I'm not familiar with and I fell in love. I learned so much reading this book. I knew absolutely nothing about foot binding, or the medications and medicinal herbs that were used by doctors. I gained so much respect for the main character. The author so beautifully described everything that I felt as if I was in the palaces. I felt the anguish of the people as they suffered through smallpox, I felt the choice as they solved the medical remedies, I respected Lady Tan as she grew into her true self. I am just so in awe of this book I can't even recommend it highly enough. It is so beautiful. It took my breath away. And let's talk about that cover. How stunning.

[Dana Bearden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Learned so much about the ancient Chinese culture. Engaging story!

[tee. · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a beautiful and compassionate story! Loved it from the beginning to the end. The narrator was great.

[Sheri Edelman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was Pleasantly surprised and listened to book in less than 3 days.

[Jim Andersen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the story and descriptions of what life was like for those living in the Ming dynasty. It was a fascinating book and I loved the narrator's voices for each character.

[Yomaira Reyes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very good book! Not my typical genre but well worth the read.

[Elizabeth McCune · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Transported me to another time and place. So much has changed - so much is still relatable. A beautiful book I will think about for years to come.

[Betty Brunson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story. Great character development. I felt like I was right there . So interesting. One of my favorite books.

[Roxana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting historical fiction novel - audio narration was great

[debbaworks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully read, this is an engrossing historical novel of China in the 15th Century and of one young woman who aspires to be more than an incubator for babies. The characters are richly drawn with a great deal of heart and compassion. I was swept away but the story. There is a bit of a mystery to be solved, which keeps the tale intriguing, but mostly it is about the company of women. I loved it.

[Rosemary Banks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Just erased my review because I think the author is doing mad appropriation. The majority culture has gotten away with this for too damn long and I’m mot here for it!