Lady Tan's Circle Of Women

 Lisa See is the author of Lady Tan's Circle Of Women. This book takes place during Lady Tan's life in China during the 14th and 15th century. Chinese medicine is typically conducted by men and by men behind a curtain. The male doctors are not allowed to look at or touch the women. Lady Tan's grandmother and grandfathers are doctors and she is learning from them. After her mother died from an infected bound foot and her father goes to another town to work for the government, she is in her grandparent's care until her marriage at age 15. Her grandmother made sure that Lady Tan made a friend with the midwife's daughter. The two girls form a life long friendship. The descriptions of the foot binding are horrific to read. The toes are folded back to the heel and bound with strips of cloth. As the bones eventually break the feet are so deformed it hurts to walk. This is so barbaric but without bound feet a woman will not be able to get a good marriage. Even more barbaric to read about Lady Tan binding the feet of her 3 girls. At age 50 Lady Tan writes a book about 40 or so common illnesses or women's issues and how to resolve them with herbs and teas and foods. Actually a Chinese woman wrote this book and it is available to read in English and Chinese. In the story Lady Tan goes to Beijing to attend the birth of the Empress. There is a true story about the Emperor of Japan punish a midwife who was attending the Empress for giving birth to her own child within sight of the Empress. She was flogged. If Lady Tan was there is fiction. Times were tough in China. Gender roles were strictly enforced. Some people managed to lead happy lives but not all.