The Lotus Shoes: Friendship & A Historical Tale In 1800s China

It is the 1800s China and women having bound feet, also known as “golden lilies” are what secure women a good marriage. Little Flower is sold as a maidservant or muizai to Linjing who is in the respective affluent Fong Family. Little Flower has dreams and hopes that one day she will be free and that her golden lilies & her embroidery will get her out of it. Unfortunately, Linjing, jealous of Little Flower, does everything she can to sabotage Little Flower. When a huge scandal rocks the Fong family, both Linging and Little Flower are cast out to ethe Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s gift of embroidery catches the eye of a handsome nobleman. Will Linjing destroy Little Flower’s life once again, or will she be a friend and help her?

Research, Story & Characters

You can tell reading The Lotus Shoes, Jane Yang did an excellent job of the research to create this story and make life in 1800s China come to life. I liked reading from Little Fower & Linjing’s point of view, though I liked Little Flower’s a little bit more. I feel Little Flower did a lot more growth by not allowing her circumstances and life keep her knocked down and she suffered so much, her American tutor Abigail Hart was also a good character even if we didn’t see her a whole lot. Linjing didn’t do a whole lot of growth till the end, and I also felt that the story dragged at parts but those were my only gripes with the book. I do love the twist about the scandal rocking The Fong Family. The epilogue is my favorite part of the book. If you enjoy historical fiction, grab a copy of Jane Yang’s The Lotus Shoes available now, wherever you get your books! I look forward to our Q&A Jane!