Audio Book Description:
In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost totalseclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developedtheir own secret code for communication:nu shu ("women`s writing"). Some girls wre paired withlaotongs, "old sames," in emotional matches that lastedthroughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, therebyreaching out of their isolationto share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introductionin nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become "old sames" at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, throughfamine and rebellion, theyreflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps theirspirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
