What an absolutely amazing story, told from the POV of two young girls thrown together and forced to get along against incredible odds. Little Flower is a young Chinese girl, her mother makes the difficult decision to sell her to a wealthy family for a chance at a better life, not just for Little Flower but for the rest of the family. Her mother had, as was the custom, bound Little Flower's feet to ensure they stayed small and would eventually become golden lilies, something coveted by many Chinese high born women. Little Flower becomes a slave (essentially) or a maid in kinder words, to Linjing, the youngest child and favored by her father. Linjing is spoiled and jealous of everything that she perceives Little Flower has and she doesn't like bound feet, her father wanted her to wait until she was older, and now her feet have grown too big to be bound, so she forces Little Flower to remove the bindings from her feet to allow them to grow. At every turn Linjing makes life difficult for Little Flower who tries her hardest to satisfy her. A family secret unravels Linjing's family and Linjing and Little Flower are forced out and into a factory to make silk, a hard job, something Linjing isn't used to, and she tries to make Little Flower do both her work and her own. There are so many layers to this story and it is so well told, I was captivated from the beginning and hated to see it end, I would highly recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Sphere for the ARC.

A tale of two young girls as they grow into young women in 1800s China. A time when the best chances for women to succeed in life were to marry well, hopefully into a noble family of high standing. The chances of that were amplified if your feet were bound- a sign of a girl being from a good family (ladies didn’t have to work) and a beauty standard. These tiny feet were known as golden lilies, that would fit into pretty "lotus shoes".

Little Flower, has had her feet bound from a young age as her mother was preparing her for future prospects of a good marriage. Due to hard times, her mother is forced to sell Little Flower to a family where she becomes the muizai, an indentured servant to the LinJing, the young daughter of the first wife of a noble family. The promise is that she will be freed once they find a suitable marriage for Little Flower when she comes of age. Little Flower is a slave girl to LinJing, to be at her beck and call. She is a sweet girl who LinJing's mother takes an automatic liking to.

What follows is a story of hardship and tragedy, envy and jealousy as the two girls grow up together. Are they close? They share a bond due to their lot in life as women in a man’s world, dealing with class and family obligations and expectations, and centuries old traditions. I had no idea of the absolute brutality of the system of servitude and what women had to do (and had to do to each other!) to survive. The relationship between LinJing and Little Flower is forced upon them, and each have their own struggles that force them to choose between themselves and each other. Is a friendship or a close relationship even possible? All of this while the modern world and views of the West are fast approaching, and women in general are forging more independence. Foot binding as a practice is becoming a signal of the old world.

I absolutely loved this book. I am Canadian born Chinese. My mother has told me of her own muizai (a girl of her age who was her personal servant) that she had when she was a young girl, before the Japanese attacked China in the 1940s. This girl had to do everything at my mother’s bidding. My grandmother freed all of their indentured servants during that war. My grandfather had several wives. My mom came from a well to do family, but she grew into a very modern career woman despite growing up with all brothers in a man’s world. This book made me appreciate even more how hard she had to fight for everything she has accomplished based on her start in China/Hong Kong.

The story, the beautiful descriptions with amazing sensory detail and emotional pull of the characters, the historical detail … it all had me hooked from the very first page. Highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for an advanced copy for review.

ARC Review The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang
Publication Date January 7, 2025

The story follows the intertwined lives of two girls Little Flower and Linjing in 1800 China. Wanting a better life and opportunity for Little Flower, her mother began her foot binding at 4. At 6, when her father dies, her mother is no longer able to provide for her and her brother and sells her to Linjing’s wealthy family as a muizai to Linjing with the condition that she will seek a marriage match for her at 18.

Linjing is immediately jealous of Little Flower’s already bound feet and her excellence at embroidery resulting in praise she never receives from her mother. She begs her mother to stop further foot binding of Little Flower resulting in deformed feet limiting any prospect of a marriage match.

Linjing’s jealousy, self absorption, selfishness and privilege continue to deprive Little Flower of every small opportunity she could have for freedom.

When Linjing’s fortunes are turned upside down and the young women flee to live in a sisterhood Little Flower experiences her first taste of freedom and community. Whilst Linjing experiences having to work for a living and adapt to her loss of privilege. Their turn of fortune results in a tentative friendship although Linjing can’t bring herself to view them as equal.

This is a historical novel depicting the limitations and powerlessness of women in that era, with only three paths available: marriage, nunnery or celibate sisterhood. Marriage was only successful if they produced a male heir. The cultural belief in foot binding created further class divisions for women as only wealthy families could afford to lose the productivity of the girls and therefore limiting the range of marriage prospects available to them.

The limited agency of women resulted in a female hierarchy with women grasping power and lording it over each other; the mother-in-law, the first wife or the head servant.
All of this is designed to limit and make women smaller. Their importance measured by the smallness of their gilded lilies or their birthing of a boy. Little Flower somehow never loses her humanity, loyalty or compassion. Her incredible skill and artistry with embroidery sustains her as does her her friendships. She also never loses her dreams or hopes for a better life with freedom from slavery. The juxtaposition of the personalities and character of Little Flowers and Linjng beautifully depicts these barriers and limitations. Their stories illustrating the horrors, small kindnesses and experiences of women in this period.

Little Flower is a beautiful character, her story transfixes you with her determination, courage, kindness and innate goodness. The contrast with Linjing’s selfishness, righteousness, and privilege is shocking and adds a horrifying depth to the story. It provides the forum for much of the exploration of women’s limitations and the complexity of the relationships within the limited power structure of the female hierarchy. The story demonstrates the difficulty in relinquishing privilege and being able to understand the lives of others considered “less than” you or to see them as equals or to fully comprehend the consequences of their actions when used to only thinking of yourself. I felt that there were many parallels that could still be drawn to today’s society both with overt racism and classism but also with the refusal of the privileged from recognizing the impacts of that privilege on others and how they hold it dear, not wanting to relinquish it.

This is a well written novel with such great character development that you will be rooting for Little Flower.

This is a captivating story about a period in China where girls bound their feet to appear more lady like.
It is also a story of strength and resilience that each of are capable of when the world is against us.
Both female main characters are from two sides of society one the daughter of gentry and the other a slave. Together they navigate a world where being a women is a curse and no one takes you seriously. They each face their own hardships and have to come into their own strength.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Paperback for the ARC

While this book had its moments, I found the story lacked momentum, and the characters felt too typical and underdeveloped. There was no complex tension between Little Flower and Linjing to truly drive the overarching storyline, leaving the plot feeling stagnant. Many of the characters came across as one-dimensional, which made it difficult to connect with them.

One aspect I really appreciated was the inclusion of italicized Cantonese, which added valuable representation to Chinese historical fiction. However, its application was inconsistent. For instance, why was Little Flower’s name translated into English while other characters had names in Chinese Jyutping? Consistently incorporating Cantonese elements—such as naming conventions or references to common objects and phrases—could have greatly enhanced the immersion and cultural depth.

I also found the dialogue stiff and lacking differentiation between characters, which made conversations feel flat and unengaging.

On the positive side, the author excelled at crafting beautiful visuals and descriptions. Their attention to subtle facial expressions and the use of metaphors to bring the setting to life was well done.

The second half of the book was notably more compelling, with added intrigue, betrayal, and tension. Unfortunately, even with the improved pacing, the characters didn’t seem to grow or develop meaningfully. Linjing, for example, remained selfish and unaware of her flaws, leaving her arc unsatisfying.

Overall, while the book had strong cultural and historical elements, it ultimately missed the mark for me due to its lack of character depth and dimension.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

In 1800’s China a peasant girl has her feet bound. Little Flower’s mother is determined her daughter will have golden lilies like the nobility do. Hoping her daughters feet will give her a chance at a good marriage she sells her daughter to a noble and wealthy family, to be a personal servant to their daughter, Linjing, in hopes they will one day release her into marriage. For the rest of their lives the two girls futures will be linked. As their fortunes rise and fall the one constant will be each other.
I’ve read a few books featuring foot binding and this one takes place right around the time China was looking to modernize and a few families were starting to do away with it. I think @janeyangwriting did a great job capturing the intricacies and difficulties that arise from a system designed to keep woman competitors and how they will uphold the very thing that keeps them down. And also the strength of those who overcome the obstacles it throws in their way, again and again. It was hard to put down and also hard to read at points, this author did not shy away from the hard truths of what happened to woman who tried to break free.
Thank you to @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for letting me have an advanced copy for review. Look for #thelotusshoes Jan 25 2025
#bookrecommendations #bookreview #historicalfiction #readersofinstagram #booklover

I was perfectly entranced by The Lotus Shoes - I will be making it a staff pick when it releases. I truly felt that I knew Little Flower and Linjing, and could not help but to root for them both. I will be looking forward to Jane Yang's future works.