Vuelve la autora de El abanico de seda con una fabulosa historia de amor y amistad inspirada en la vida real de una mujer m嶮ica en la China del siglo XV. De acuerdo con los valores de Confucio, «una mujer educada es una mujer inil , pero Tan Yunxian, nacida en una familia de 幨ite, es criada en condiciones excepcionales. Su abuela es una de las pocas doctoras que hay en China, y ense鎙 a Yunxian los pilares de la medicina, los Cuatro Ex嫥enes --mirar, escuchar, tocar y preguntar--, algo que un hombre nunca puede hacer con una paciente. Desde peque鎙, Yunxian aprende sobre remedios herbales y enfermedades femeninas junto a una joven comadrona, Meiling, con quien forja una gran amistad. Pero cuando Yunxian es enviada a un matrimonio concertado, su suegra le proh燢e verla y ayudar a las mujeres y ni鎙s de la casa, pues debe cumplir con sus deberes de esposa.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION *NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!* From "one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot" (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China--perfect for fans of Lisa See's classics Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. According to Confucius, "an educated woman is a worthless woman," but Tan Yunxian--born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness--is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations--looking, listening, touching, and asking--something a man can never do with a female patient.
From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose--despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it--and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other's joys and struggles.
No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.
But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife--embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.
How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? A captivating story of women helping each other,
Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.
