A great read, excellent research, a story of friendship, family and a bond between women. 4.6 ( )

Fantastic book about the life of various sorts of women living in China during the 1400s. I learned so much, and came to admire these disciplined Chinese women who lived lives unthinkable for women in the West today. Lady Tan was an exceptional woman (a revered doctor), and I feel honored to have been able to share in her story of personal triumph against difficult odds. ( )

Book on CD performed by Justin Chien and Jennifer Lim.
4****

See based this work of historical fiction on a real woman physician in 15th century China, Tan Yunxian. The novel tells the story of Yunxian from her childhood in 1469 through her later life in about 1510.

What a fascinating woman, and a marvelous story! I learned much about the lives of the wealthier, highly educated class in this era of Chinese history, in particular the secluded lives of the women in this class. See gave us glimpses of the world outside the compound’s walls through the experiences of a midwife who lived in the town and was free to travel.

Be sure to read the author’s notes / acknowledgements at the end of the novel, because See explains her extensive research there, which I found as fascinating as the novel.

The audio version is performed by two talented voice artists: Justin Chien and Jennifer Lim. Lim does the majority of the voice work, and she really brings these women to life. ( )

Absorbing historical fiction set in China in the 15th century.

Although this is fiction, the novel was based on the true story of Tan Yunxian, raised in an elite family and trained in the ancient ways on how to be a wife and mother. Her upbringing, however, was framed by her grandmother, one of only a few female Chinese doctors, and she teaches Yunxian medicine specific to female patients. Most of the illnesses of women relate to childbearing and Yunxian learns about those along with a girl of her own age in training to be a midwife. Meiling and Yunxian become forever friends who share in each other's joy and anguish throughout their lives.

Yunxian is married out in an arranged marriage and is subject to a mother-in-law who forbids the friendship and also prevents her from treating the women and girls in the large household compound known as the Garden of Fragrant Delights. Confined to the grounds, Yunxian finds ways to reach her destiny despite many travails.

This novel was epic in scope and evoked all the feelings. I often find books that show how women were treated and seen in the past to be difficult to stomach. As a heath care professional, I also have to shudder at some of the thoughts and practices about disease and treatments that were common in that era, 5 centuries ago, and in a country that I know little to nothing about as far as beliefs and culture. The descriptions about the people, the class differences, the foot binding, the concubines, the feelings about children, and so many other details were absolutely fascinating. I should have been doing so many other necessary chores but could not put this down. I will be thinking of this book for a very long time. This ultimately was a book about women helping women during the Ming dynasty era, but also is true of the way women still support and care for each other because it is true that only women can understand some things about women's health.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jennifer Chen and Justin Chien while also following along in the e-book. The narrators did a marvelous job of voicing the characters. Their inflection, intonation, and expressiveness added to my enjoyment of the story. It is an excellent production. ( )

This is an engrossing look into China during the 15th century during the Ming Dynasty. It is the factually correct story of Yunxian Tan, a female doctor at a time when women were educated only in the art of caring for their husband and children. She is born into a highly educated and respected family with both of her paternal grandparents trained as doctors. Her mother dies when she is 8 and she is taken to live with them to learn all there is about medicine. When she marries, her mother-in-law objects to her practicing medicine due to their high social standing.

Her friendship with a midwife and her mother introduces her to childbirth. Bearing many children was considered a wife's duty, and if she didn't comply or produced only daughters, concubines were introduced into the family unit as second-class members. There was much jealousy and jockeying for position among the concubines. The practice of food binding is described in detail when one out of ten died as a result of this excruciatingly painful procedure.

There are so many fascinating facets to this novel. The prevalence of smallpox was responsible for many deaths and subsequent scarring for those who survived. Throughout the years, Yunxian is able to treat patients from what she learned from her grandparents, including the use of many herbs. The "real" doctor is an unethical man who is never allowed to bloody his hands. The concept of different classes is fully explained ( )