January: \;Lady Tan&rsquo\;s Circle of Women \;by Lisa See& nbsp\;
\n*NEW YORK TIMES \;BESTSELLER!*
\nFrom &ldquo\;one of those special writers capable of deliveri ng both poetry and plot&rdquo\; (The New York Times Book Review) an immers ive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15 th-century China&mdash\;perfect for fans of Lisa See&rsquo\;s classics&nbs p\;Snow Flower and the Secret Fan \;and \;The Tea Girl of Hummingb ird Lane.
\nAccording to Confucius\, &ldquo\;an educate d woman is a worthless woman\,&rdquo\; but Tan Yunxian&mdash\;born into an elite family\, yet haunted by death\, separations\, and loneliness&mdash\ ;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&mdash\;looking\, list ening\, touching\, and asking&mdash\;something a man can never do with a f emale patient.
\nFrom a young age\, Yunxian learns about wo men&rsquo\;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&mdash\;despite the prohibition that a doctor should n ever touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it&mdash\; and they vow to be forever friends\, sharing in each other&rsquo\;s joys a nd struggles. \;No mud\, no lotus\, they tell themselves: from adversi ty beauty can bloom.
\nBut when Yunxian is sent into an arr anged marriage\, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and fro m helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a p roper wife&mdash\;embroider bound-foot slippers\, recite poetry\, give bir th to sons\, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound\, th e Garden of Fragrant Delights.
\nHow might a woman like Yun xian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance tha t many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? A captivating sto ry of women helping each other\, \;Lady Tan&rsquo\;s Circle of Women&n bsp\;is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarka ble in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.
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