This week, we feature a look at “perfect” Scandinavian societies and an absorbing novel about a girl longing to practice medicine in China’s past.
Historical Fiction ‘Lady Tan’s Circle of Women’
By Lisa See
This captivating story begins in 1469, the fifth year of the Chenghua Emperor’s reign. The protagonist is a girl named Tan Yunxian, who’s inspired by a woman physician from the same era, a rarity at that time. Yunxian’s early interest in medicine is the catalyst for the challenges she faces growing up in an elite family as a clash of traditions dictates her destiny. A fast friendship with Meiling, a midwife in training, and their combined quest to help other women make for a triumphant tale….