This book was such a compelling page turner, told from two points of view. First we have Little Flower, a young girl sold into slavery by her widowed mother. Then there is Linjing, she ends up owing Little Flower, a spoiled daughter of the First Wife.
This is the early 1800's life in China, and men of wealth seemed to have a number of wives, and the goal to have sons! While it seems like a male society, the oldest First Wife rules over the household!
We follow these girls, the same age when we meet them, 6, through there lives, and are with them with struggles, and life changing events.
I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it! There is a big theme of forgiveness here!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of The Lotus Shoes.

2.5 rounded to 3. I had high hopes for this book because the premise sounded so promising, but I just couldn’t get into it. Part of the struggle was the Kindle formatting—words were randomly spaced (usually after the letter "f"), and page numbers popped up in the middle of paragraphs instead of at the top or bottom of the page. It made reading feel disjointed, and that didn’t help me get lost in the story.

Beyond that, the characters just didn’t click for me. They felt stiff and robotic, and instead of rooting for them, I mostly felt frustrated or annoyed. A big issue was the heavy use of internal monologue. While that can work in some stories, here it felt overly self-aware and unrealistic—especially with the younger characters. I couldn’t buy into the idea of 6, 8, or 10-year-olds having in-depth, step-by-step internal debates about their every move.

I considered DNFing, but I pushed through, hoping the story would pay off. Unfortunately, even though the idea behind the book was interesting, the execution just didn’t land for me.

If you liked Memoirs of a Geshia, then you'll love this book. The Lotus Shoes is just incredible from start to finish. It's heart wrenching, emotional, and beautiful. To put into words how perfect this book is, is impossible. You just have to read it for yourself and go through the journey of 2 young women in 1800s China.

Set in 19th Century China, this fabulous debut will bend and scrape every emotion from your heart. For a good marriage, women must be sure their "Golden Lillies." WOmen must bind their feet with lotus shoes to achieve a state of beauty. Without this you will not marry, nor have a future.

What an astounding and heartbreaking read about two girls who become women, one a slave and one her mistress in 1800's China. This character driven story had me mesmerized from the first page. I was drawn into their lives and the story would not let me go. What travails these women encountered and how they survived made for a very intriguing story. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are entirely my own.

I loved this book!!. This book is similar to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. The book discusses the trials of foot binding and navigating proper society in the early 19th century. A young girl's fate is chosen by the size of her golden lilies. I will be purchasing this book for our library and book club.
Thanks to NetGally for the ARC

The Lotus Shoes
Not only did this historical fiction novel keep me engaged from beginning to end, I also learned so much about China in the 1800s. I felt so deeply for the women in this novel. My heart broke reading the torture these brave women endured. I won’t forget Little Flower for a very long time.

Set in 1800s China, Little Flower is sold into slavery to a wealthy family of Fong.

The father of the Fong family arranges a marriage for his daughter Linjing. The father chooses a progressive family who doesn’t want a bride with bound feet. This creates jealousy as Little Flower has bound feet as her mother hoped that would help her in the future. Not only that, Little Flower is excellent at embroidery, the talent that Linjing lacks.

A betrayal leads to dire consequences for Little Flower, scaring her physically for life. And Linjing’s arranged marriage makes her rethink her strategy as she will need a loyal ally in the new household of her future husband. She starts seeing the right ally in Little Flower, but is it too late to tilt the scale and gain her confidence?

Little Flower tries to put the grief and loss aside and reach a new harmony in her life, but can she get passed sufferings to trust Linjing? At the same time, Linjing suffers unexpected betrayal from the person she trusted the most. As both girls suffer betrayals will that be the bridge between them?

This character-driven story captivates with characters that are flawed, complex, and driven. As they progress with their lives, they expose societal constrictions and pressure, and expose their actions through their thoughts.

The story has some grievances and unexpected twists and turns which makes the story very absorbing. The scenes are not descriptive but at the same time they have a power of cutting through with the pain one experiences. The prose is eloquent, sharp and engaging carrying the story with appealing pace.

This beautifully crafted story touchingly weaves the lives of two human spirits who search for their identity, in the process learning resilience and self-confidence.

The art and meaning of binding young girls feet which helps set their paths in life is highlighted. A young slave with bound feet and her owner have a difficult relationship. Jealousy, relationships, hardships, and determination permeate The Lotus Shoes which is a very interesting read. It will be a popular book club selection.

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