Lisa See never disappoints. And in the footsteps of her other great novels (THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN, CHINA DOLLS, THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE and many more), LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN is a dazzling mix of historical research, fleshed-out female friendships, realistic portrayals of familial bonds, and the ultimate heroine story --- an individual’s struggle to become what they were intended for.

See’s heroine is Tan Yunxian, who lived during the Ming dynasty in China. The real Yunxian was a rarity: a female doctor. Intelligent and inquisitive, she was mentored early in life by her grandparents, both doctors themselves. Restricted by her gender, she practiced herbal medicine amongst the women in her small circle. She kept a journal of her patients and their treatments, entitled Sayings of a Female Doctor, but she was not allowed to publish it. In See’s novel, we have a fictional imagining of Yunxian’s life.

"...a dazzling mix of historical research, fleshed-out female friendships, realistic portrayals of familial bonds, and the ultimate heroine story --- an individual’s struggle to become what they were intended for."

LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN begins when Yunxian is eight years old and learning the four phases of a woman’s life: Milk Days, Hair-Pinning Days, Rice-and-Salt Days, and Sitting Quietly. These lessons are in preparation for her ultimate arranged marriage and include wisdom of the day, such as obeying one’s husband and mother-in-law, but are tainted by a smell that is emanating from Respectful Lady’s feet. What unfolds next is Yunxian’s introduction to medicine, good and bad.

After years of binding her feet, Respectful Lady has developed an infection that is rotting her body. Foot binding is a recurring theme in the book, as Yunxian binds her own, as do her daughters and the women she treats. Bound feet are a symbol to a husband that a wife is willing to make herself attractive for him and a test of endurance for a woman, whose role in the household is to experience the pain of childbirth and produce a son. Respectful Lady’s demise as a result of this tradition piques Yunxian’s interest in the human body. And her grandparents step in to begin to teach her the decoctions and remedies that they administer every day to their patients.

At the same time, Yunxian strikes up a friendship with Meiling. When they are separated after Yunxian moves to her husband’s home, her letters to Meiling are intercepted by her controlling mother-in-law. Over the years, their friendship eventually rekindles, despite the fact that Meiling is now a highly skilled midwife, a different class of people.

A pact between Yunxian’s grandfather and her husband’s family allows her to commence serious studies of medicine, but only within the walls of her in-law’s home. An apt pupil with a precocious mind, Yunxian excels at learning about the yin and yang of the body. In time, she does venture to the Forbidden City to assist with women’s issues amongst the court. And she is pivotal in a smallpox outbreak that mimics the one that took her brothers years before.

The actual Yunxian lived to be a ripe 93 years of age. In the novel, Yunxian’s Sitting Days --- the days when one waits for death --- were nothing of the sort. Rich in tradition and the nuances of ancient medicine, LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN is a tribute to women supporting women and following one’s heart. Needless to say, See doesn’t disappoint.