Jane Yang's The Lotus Shoes juxtaposes privilege with poverty primarily between two young girls-the spoiled and entitled Linjing and Little Flower, her maidservant. Little Flower has an inner strength that gives her hope for a better life while not only serving Linjing but also using her skills - specifically exquisite embroidery art - as a way to cover Linjing's lagging abilities. Linjing becomes possessive of Little Flower because she realizes Little Flower is everything she is not and never will be. Further, Linjing needs Little Flower so she can have and maintain a proper marriage.
Little Flower's attempt at escape from her apparent future results in a cruel attack leaving her with mangled fingers.
Will she be able to overcome this attack?
How will Linjing survive her own soon to come downfall?
How will either of them survive the Celibate Sisterhood?
Tensions mount as betrayal and deceit abound.
The Lotus Shoes is a page turner.

This book is historical fiction centered around two young Chinese girls, privileged Linjing and her slave, Little Flower. Their intertwined lives are followed as they experience tragedy after tragedy while maturing into adults. My eyes were opened to the plight of Chinese women in the late 19th century.

Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this interesting book.

I devoured this book! "The Lotus Shoes" by Jane Yang is a stunningly crafted historical fiction novel set in early 20th-century China. The story follows two young girls, Little Flower - whose mother began binding her feet at the age of 4 to have perfect "golden lilies" and then had to sell her into slavery, and Linjing - who has grown up wealthy and is given Little Flower as her slave. The girls' journey begins as children in Linjing's home, where jealousy overtakes Linjing because of Little Flower's perfectly bound feet and her incredible embroidery skills. It continues throughout their teen years when suddenly tragedy strikes, and the women are now dependent upon each other for survival.

Yang's story is based on stories shared and passed down by the women in her family (which I enjoyed reading about at the end of the book!). The cultural turmoil that women faced during this time is nothing short of captivating. Yang’s vivid storytelling shares the brutality of Little Flower's struggles in slavery and her triumphs while in this environment through her passion and embroidery skill (and her enormous inner strength!). The author does a beautiful job of exploring themes of femininity, tradition, and resilience while also introducing the culture of Western ways and resistance to change.

What sets this book apart is Yang’s deft portrayal of foot binding, a practice that symbolizes societal expectations of beauty and personal sacrifice. All of this was mind-blowing to me! Through Little Flower's eyes, we witness the tension between her kind heart and the desire for freedom, making her story not only personal but also universally relatable. At the same time, Linjing continually tries to destroy everything important to her. The characters are richly drawn, each contributing to Little Flower and Linjing's development and their overall motives. The narrative included many moments of joy, heartbreak, anger, and resilience - all of which made it impossible to put this book down.

Overall, I learned a lot about this time period, culture, and tradition. And I absolutely loved this story!

Thank you, #NetGalley, #JaneYang, and #ParkRowBooks, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review of #TheLotusShoes. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this debut!!!

This historical fiction debut is set in the 1800's China.

The story alternates between the POV of Little Flower, a slave and Linjing, her master. The women come from opposite ends of the social world, but ultimately learn that they must work together to survive. It is a character driven story that opens the reader's eyes to the cultural world of 19th century China. I enjoyed learning about the customs and traditions of this time period. Also, I appreciated the glossary at the end. I wish I looked for it at the beginning of the book!

It is beautifully written and heartbreaking. I found myself routing for both Little Flower and Linjing. The novel explores what it means to be equals and true friends. Also, it revealed that no woman was truly free in 19th century China.

This is one of the best novels I have read this year. I cannot believe it is a debut. I look forward to more works from Jane Yang.

This would be a great read for fans of Lisa See and Min Jin Lee.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review.
The descrition of this book is spot on, so I will not rewrite it here.
This is a brutal and heartbreaking tale of what friendship and loyalty mean in 1800's China. Its a time and place I knew little about and I think many westerners would find extremely fascinating.
I have to say in this instance, the first half of the book couldnt hold my attention. In comparison with Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See, its hard to read much about foot binding again. I found myself reading a chapter, then doing something else for a little bit, then reading another chapter and the same. Linjing was wholely unlikeable and a character I just wanted to punch, which makes the rooting for Little Flower that much stronger.
But by the second half of the book, it became a page turner and I sped through to the end. So if you're reading the book and glancing over my review, hang on. It does get pretty wild.
Enjoy! While I think this would be excellent for a book club, we did Lisa See's book this year and my patrons had enough of the topic of footbinding for a while already.
3.5 rounded to 4 for this pre-pub.

Thank you NetGalley, Sphere Books and Jane Yang for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Lotus Shoes.
This is a beautifully written story set in 1800’s China about family, treatment of women and cultural norms. I was fascinated with the main characters, Little Flower and Linjing. Little Flower showed such strength and perseverance to survive in a culture that does not respect women, class or basic needs. Linjing was more complicated with her jealousy, resentment and lack of loyalty.
All of the characters are well developed and the storyline has lots of drama, hardships and difficulties. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but Little Flower struggles from beginning to end but I was rooting for her from the start. There was never a dull moment and I was fully immersed in this story. I know it will be on my mind for quite awhile.
This is a debut novel which is quite impressive and I look forward to a lot more in the future.

Franz Kafka wrote, “I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound or stab us. If the book we're reading doesn't wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for? But we need books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is my belief.” The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang is the kind of book Kafka described. I read the story with my heart in my throat and could hardly put the book down until I discovered all the secrets, lies, terrors, and ultimately the triumphs.
The Lotus Shoes is told through two voices: Little Flower and Linjing, two girls. The story takes place in the late 1800s in China. Sadly, Little Flower’s mother sells her to the wealthy Fong family as a muizai, a maidservant when she is six. A widow, Little Flower’s mother feels she has no choice because she can barely feed herself and her son. Of course, the son takes precedence over a daughter. Little Flower becomes Linjing’s maid, doing difficult chores from early morning to late at night. Linjing is not a good girl; she is meanspirited and takes pleasure in ordering Little Flower around.
Little Flower is lovely, bright, and talented, far more so than Linjing which, of course, makes Linjing jealous. Even when Little Flower helps Linjing by creating a system to identify colors of embroidery thread for the colorblind Linjing, Linjing is resentful. Little Flower finds pleasure in creating beautiful embroidery. This talent will be useful to her throughout her life, not only in the pleasure she receives from creating beauty, but also for her future.
Little Flower’s mother had begun binding Little Flower’s feet to create “golden lilies” in hopes that even with the Fongs, Little Flower would be able to marry well. Foot binding was still quite popular among the wealthy, but Western influence is beginning to make inroads. Linjing’s father refuses to allow her feet to be bound because he plans for her to marry into a family with modern ideas. He believes her future husband, already chosen, will be a diplomat and travel to the West. Then Little Flower’s feet must be unbound as well. The early binding causes her feet to be misshapen. She fears that flaw will keep her from marrying and thus escaping from Linjing’s clutches.
On the cusp of Linjing’s wedding, a secret is revealed by Linjing’s father’s second wife. The revelation creates a scandal causing Linjing’s mother to commit suicide and Linjing and Little Flower being thrown out of the home. They both suffer in their new life as part of the Celibate Sisterhood run by Linjing’s maternal aunt. Disobedience is quickly punished by death. As one might expect, Little Flower adapts to the new, difficult life more quickly and efficiently than Linjing who still expects Little Flower to be her slave.
The Lotus Shoes will tear readers hearts out time and time again. Luckily, Yang also finds a way to restore faith and hope. Ultimately, The Lotus Shoes is a book one must read and discuss with others because it is a story of sorrow and triumph. The Lotus Shoes is a debut novel which will be available in January 2025. Readers should definitely put it on their radar. I look forward to Yang’s next offering with great anticipation.

“The Lotus Shoes” is by Jane Yang. This book follows two girls - one the daughter of a well-to-do family and the other sold by her mother to be a servant. This book takes place in China, around the time of the 1880s, I think (the last part of the book takes place in the mid-1890s). The two main characters are well thought out - and there’s tension between the two girls. One I felt could never be trusted, though she does eventually do something selfless (surprising me). The other girl, over time, seemed to both accept fate yet also grew a spine as the events in the story unfolded. It was great reading growth of the two girls - as people do change over their lifetimes. This book did hold my attention (and I was surprised a few times during the storyline at the direction Ms. Yang chose to go) and I found this an enjoyable read.

🪡 BOOK / REVIEW 🪡

I don't even know where to start with this review, so I am just going to throw words out and hope for the best.

Wow. Wow.wow.wow. I LOVED THIS BOOK 😭😭😭.

I haven't seen anyone else review #thelotusshoes by #janeyang, but as soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I opened up my #Kindle. This was not a quick read, as I wanted to absorb everything. I am utterly fascinated by Chinese culture, especially surrounding marriage and servitude and this book taught me so much.

The characters are very hard to like, aside from Little Flower and a few others (Miss Hart, Aa Noeng, Spring Rain, Noble, etc), which made this book both frustrating and endearing. I can't even put into words how sad I felt reading this ... page after page, chapter after chapter is full heartache, grief and drama. You cannot help but feel connected to their stories.

Without giving too much away, this hook is a TREASURE. It will teach you about the atrocities of the world, but also human kindness. If you love Lisa See novels, you will adore this. The book is very similar to her novel #ladytanscircleofwomen which was a 2023 favorite. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The Lotus Shoes" by Jane Yang has an interesting premise, but the execution falls short. The story struggles with slow pacing and underdeveloped characters, making it difficult to connect with the plot. While there are moments of potential, the overall experience feels flat and unengaging.

incredibly well written book, with a very human and compelling main character full of flaws and growth as the plot developed
i love historical fiction books and this one didn’t disappoint

A bit slow at times but provides so much information on china which I really enjoyed. Loved the characters, especially little flower. Great historical fiction book

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC!

I love historical fiction. I also love historical fiction taking place during this time period. This has been by far one of the most compelling reads I’ve had the luck to dive into this year.

4 out of 5 stars as I felt the ending was a little rushed for my liking and I wish we had gotten more moments of the characters to witness their growth instead of being told they’ve grown.

This book was definitely bittersweet but I love the message behind the story.

Little Flower is sold into slavery to Linjing after her family falls on hard times. After many years of serving Linjing, Linjing's family becomes part of a scandal, and Linjing and Little Flower are sent off to a Celibate Sisterhood convent. Now forced to do manual labor, Linjing becomes jealous of Little Flower who is now her equal, beloved for her embroidery skills, and has caught the eye of a Nobleman who Linjing has her sights set on.

This is a challenging one to write, because I have mixed feelings about this book. Right off the bat, the writing was really well done and I was immediately drawn in. The characters were so well developed that I found myself really invested in what happened to them, even some of the side characters. Through their stories, I learned a lot about life for women and girls in China during the late 19th century, which was eye-opening and educational.

The main characters, Little Flower and Linjing, have a relationship that reminded me of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels. It felt less like friendship and more like a codependent enmity. Their dynamic was complex, and at times, very hard to read because nothing good ever seemed to happen to them. The story was pretty depressing overall. Little Flower, sold into slavery and enduring immense hardship, and Linjing, spoiled and cruel, both face incredible trials that just keep piling up.

What really struck me was how the author used the inner thoughts of the characters to write essays and give opinions on social and cultural issues. It felt a bit out of place because, realistically, I don’t think people think in such a structured format. It made some parts feel less genuine and more like the author was trying to make a point through the characters’ monologues.

Despite the heavy and often bleak tone, the storytelling was masterful. The author did a fantastic job with character development and setting the scene. The historical context was rich and well-researched, giving a vivid picture of the time period, especially the brutal practice of foot-binding and the rigid societal expectations placed on women.

The ending, however, felt a little forced and left me somewhat unsatisfied. It seemed like the author wanted to wrap things up neatly, but it didn’t quite match the rest of the story’s tone.

Overall, I’d give this book a 4 out of 5, mainly because of the strength of the storytelling and character work. If you’re someone who enjoys historical fiction with deep character studies and doesn’t mind a bit of a heavy, somber read, then this book might be for you. Just be prepared for a lot of sadness and despair along the way. It’s a book that’s beautifully written but also deeply melancholic, and it will definitely make you think about the resilience and struggles of women in a different time and place.

An intricately woven tale of young women living in China at the end of the nineteenth century, a world where modern Western ideals are meeting with centuries of tradition. In this world where slavery still exists, we follow Little Flower, a servant girl owned by Linjing, a girl born into better fortune. “The Lotus Shoes” shows us that throughout the caste system, women are still not truly free and their value is defined by their prospects in marriage. Jane Yang brings us the themes of sisterhood, human rights, faith, loyalty and resilience through the story of these two girls as they grow into womanhood. I found this novel to be eye opening and it definitely weighed heavy on me. As a work of historical fiction, I do think there’s something to be derived in this day and age as we examine issues of gender inequality that still exist today.

After the death of Little Flower’s father, her mother sells her as a maid to the Fong family. Here she serves Linjing, a spoiled daughter. When the family decides that Linjing will not bind her feet, they force Little Flower to unbind hers. Leaving her with deformed feet Little Flower must make the best of a bad situation. Her skill at embroidery quickly shines. Jealous, Linjing does everything she can to make Little Flower’s life miserable. On the cusp of marriage, a secret comes out about Linjing’s parentage, causing her to be disowned. Linjing and Little Flower are taken to a celibate sisterhood, where they are expected to perform manual labor.

This book was just heartbreaking. Little Flower was such a well-developed character, I felt her pain and she did her best to overcome. Linjing was definitely the protagonist, and it was hard to understand the relationship between the two women. I thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling and writing skills of the author. Overall, highly recommended.

This book was just incredible. It was an an emotional rollercoaster filled with turmoil, triumph, disparity, struggle, betrayal, hard earned and tragically lost trust and friendship.This is the one book I recommend to anyone to get as soon as is published.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC. The Lotus Shoes is a compelling story about two girls in 19th century China dealing with traditions and the introduction into their culture of Western ideas, the importance of class or lack of, friendship, and betrayal. Other than an intriguing story, it's been an educational read for myself, as I knew close to nothing about foot binding, lotus shoes, and the societal stigma of not having them. There is a point half-way through the story where I would have liked for the author to go in another direction just to see how Little Flower would have helped (or not) Linjing, but after reading the author's note at the end of the book about her grandmothers upbringing and their ideas, making the characters' story relatable, one can understand why the author chose the story to head in that direction. This is the one book I recommend to anyone to get as soon as is published.

THE LOTUS SHOES is an emotional rollercoaster filled with turmoil, triumph, disparity, struggle, betrayal, hard earned and tragically lost trust and friendship set in an immersive and well researched historical period that places the patriarchy upon a pedestal and set women against one another in hopes of using their sisters as stepping stones to success rather than banding together to find solace and rise as a collective. Yet, the ending offers readers bittersweet hope that no matter the harshness of the conditions of the path each women may take, there is potential for change, and there is potential to reclaim and conquer one’s fate.