52 pages • 1 hour read
Lady Tan's Circle of Women
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of gender discrimination and death.
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. Discuss your favorite and least favorite aspects of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Which plot points were most or least believable and most or least relatable?
2. Compare and contrast Lady Tan’s Circle of Women to See’s other novels—for instance, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Island of Sea Women, and The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. What narrative and thematic overlaps do you notice? If you had never read See before, did this novel make you want to check out her other work?
3. What other works of historical fiction is See’s novel in conversation with? Consider titles set in similar eras or that explore similar themes—e.g., Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun, which is set just prior to the advent of the Ming Dynasty.
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. Reflect on your response to the narrative revelations about Spinster Aunt’s death. How did this plot point alter your impressions of the characters and/or narrative world?
2. Discuss how See’s representations of female friendship relate to your own friendships. Which of the characters’ connections was most resonant or relatable to you?
3. Which characters did you identify with most closely, and why?
4. Discuss the social and cultural systems that define Yunxian’s life with her husband and in-laws. How does this relate to your own familial, domestic, or cultural experiences?
5. Explore Yunxian’s relationship to medicine. How does Yunxian’s passion for healing compare to your own passions, pastimes, and ambitions?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. The novel is set during the Ming Dynasty in Imperial China. How does this cultural context dictate Yunxian’s and the other women characters’ rights? How do the characters’ historical conflicts compare to contemporary feminist issues in the United States?
2. Yunxian must balance her cultural traditions with her personal ambitions. What is the novel’s overall message on tradition, and what is the relevance of that message to contemporary societies?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. The novel spans various eras in Yunxian’s life, beginning when she is a child. Discuss the relevance of this narrative structure to Yunxian’s character arc.
2. Compare and contrast Yunxian’s and Lady Kuo’s characters. What makes each character complex? How does Lady Kuo’s character create conflict for Yunxian, and vice versa?
3. Explore the role of the novel’s micro settings to Yunxian’s internal experience. How does living with her grandparents versus living with Lady Kuo affect her? How do her travels change or influence her outlook?
4. Discuss the symbolic significance of foot binding. How does See incorporate this historical custom into Yunxian’s story, and what aspects of the characters’ cultural context do bound feet represent?
5. Explore how Yunxian’s friendships sustain, influence, and change her over the course of the novel. Discuss the roles that Grandmother Ru, Shi Meiling, and Miss Zhao play. How would Yunxian’s story change if she didn’t have these relationships?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. Imagine that you are adapting Lady Tan’s Circle of Women for the screen. What structure would you choose—a film or series? Whom would you cast in the leading roles? Which narrative elements would you omit, alter, or maintain? Discuss your reasoning.
2. Create a playlist that reflects Yunxian’s evolution as she comes of age and grows older. Consider which settings and relationships influence Yunxian’s interiority and which songs might evoke her emotional experience. Share your playlists and discuss the reasoning behind each chosen song.
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By Lisa See
