#Lisa see

[murphysiblings]

on loving your sibling, even when you hate them.

@ch-ch-ch-ch-cherrybomb / erica e. goode / ginger snaps / phillipa gregory / emma cameron / succession / belle and sebastian / krystal sutherland / euphoria / kieran culkin / sue zhao / lisa see

[asoftepiloguemylove]

could i request a webweave on the struggles of being the younger child?

(for example - being treated like a baby, older siblings acting like theyre the only ones who have problems, bullying by older siblings not being taken seriously, not feeling like your achievements matter as much, because your older siblings did it first, feeling lonely/ignored, annoying stereotypes about younger siblings on media etc.)

i did my best with this. i hope you're doing okay <33

Chen Chen Nature Poem; When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities / Marina & The Diamonds The Family Jewels / Lisa See / Tracy Emin LOVE ME TODAY (via @romanceangel) / Krystal Sutherland House of Hollow / wych elm Susan Smith

[spacenightwing]

Guys… I just have to… okay listen

I picked up the Lighting Thief while in was at a Target with my mom while I was in 8th grade. I hated reading. I hated it. I’d rather do a multiplication table test then partake in popcorn reading (if you know you know, and if you know how much I HATE math that means something).

I’m sitting here right now post-episode 8 (yes I did cry like a baby thank you for asking) watching the behind the scenes documentary A Hero’s Journey.

8th grade me could have NEVER imagined the journey PJO would take. Or the journey I would take in the years of The Lightning Thief to the Sun and the Star, all the way to a freaking faithful series adaptation.

PJO introduced me to fandom. I remember seeking out PJO fan fiction because The Lost Hero came out, there was no Percy, and it was going to be a year long wait to figure out where this “other camp” was. I remember finding every Viria fan art I could find. It’s not even funny how many times over I’ve watched the Viria “How Far We’ve Come” music art video since the drop of episode 1

PJO taught me to love reading. PJO lead me to Hunger Games, Legend and The Young Elites, Rot & Ruin, The Hate U Give, An Ember in the Ashes, Born A Crime, Island of Sea Women, Alex Rider, A Woman of No Importance, Skyhunter, Eragon, Barrackkn: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”, The Sun is Also A Star, Revolution for Dummies, and so so so so many more. It’s because of PJO that I have flown on the backs of dragons, won and lost revolutions, been to the ends of Tartarus and Isihogo (Twice!), saw the world through a spy’s eyes, been the villain, been the hero, and lived more lives than one is allowed to live in one life.

That 8th grader in Target had no idea what she was getting herself into. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Thank you Uncle Rick. Thank you to the whole Disney+ Team that made this season reality.

Uncle Rick. Thank you for a million of your stories, and a million more that you opened up to me.

(Every title and author is tagged below if you want to see more 🩵)

[rubypomegranates]

“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river."

Lisa See "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan”

[starry-ray]

books I've gotten recently

[reverie-quotes]

The sea is better than a mother. You can love your mother, and she still might leave you. You can love or hate the sea, but it will always be there. Forever. The sea has been the center of her life. It has nurtured her and stolen from her, but it has never left.

— Lisa See, The Island of Sea Women

[dk-thrive]

This ability — to be fully absorbed — is what saves us.

— Lisa See, Lady Tan's Circle of Women, A Novel (Simon & Schuster, June 6, 2023)

[pandora-books]

"I would rather be married to broken jade than flawless clay."

Lisa See, Shanghai Girls

[marinaslibrary]

On highlights from reading Snow Flower and the secret fan.

[evergreen-dryad]

thoughts on snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see

I can relate to Lily. It has me thinking of the female relationships I've had (thought of my 2nd best friend and my cousin), while she is in the wrong with how she lashed out and betrayed Snow Flower's secrets, I still empathised with how she was so hurt and angry and proceeded to Pick Out Every Happy Memory

on laotong, the descriptions really encapsulate what it's like to be so bonded with your best female friend. Evokes memories and emotions I have

there's so much queer subtext. discuss. Accidentally queer? (Was this meant to be a gimmick to show how close they are with little boundaries?)

Lily: doesn't like sex at all with her husband, notably blushed while imagining Snow Flower's moans of pleasures in her laotong's bed 'But how do I say this without sounding like a husband' -thinks of SF's touch while husband is first touching her -her first priority is Snow Flower, gets tremendously jealous/betrayed of the thought of SF sharing an equivalent bond with other women (sworn sisterhood) -has only ever broken the rules for Snow Flower -SF: writes poetry to Lily about them being birds. I was pretty damn sure she was referring to Lily as the 'phoenix (together with her)' even in her sanzhaoshu poem when Lily got married. Just as Lily also wrote of her as a phoenix in hers.

also the iconic Li Bai poem they write on each other that every chinese kid learns as a kid made queer: Quiet Night Thought. They're each other's home.

-they also didn't have a choice in their laotong, but this was the one good thing they could have all their lives

ironic how Lily would end up being like her mother and her mother-in-law 'obey rules' -and how while she was like that wanting for Snow Flower's own good, it still hurt her because it was taken to an extreme, what should have been encouragement turned into excess criticism and blind solutions -but also sympathising that it's hard: when someone you love and want to support is constantly miserable, and you want to do what you can (and this you feel the other can) to fix the situation

for me it's a cautionary tale in a way. To love is to accept and to listen, instead of trying to fix all the time. "...but inside I also waged something like a man's battle between my true nature and the person I should have been."

What lured me in: historical setting, friendship between women specifically (wouldn't you love anyone who matched you in so many ways?)

Irony of the reveal later of reversed fate: the poor one marries rich, the rich has a downfall and marries poor)

writing techniques, what works for it:

accurate evocation of emotions

detailed description of foods, colours, along with lush historical setting. (The description of the caramelised taro!!! I WANT) Characterisation seems right to history, Lily might only seem close to a 'modern' woman thinking fate can be changed at the end because she has power as Lady Lu

pacing? Just right I think. Tone -solemn, serious.

plot and agency were a lot clearer with peony in love (same author, also loved this book a lot more), whereas this one only meant to show a relationship in its full (which makes sense as it is meant to be an autobiography in regret)

oohhh even though it starts at the end, how much later revealed still becomes a surprise! The little foreshadowing

characterisation: someone on goodreads said they flattened to 1D as they got older. Don't think that was the case, but that's somewhat apt for SF bcs her life was so miserable she became thus (and partly bcs they've both gotten busy so the perception of narrator too)

relationships between women all explored, and between parents and children. Heartwarming moment to see that fathers also loved their daughters. My heart hurt (pg 110 when MC left her home and family to be married, and they all sang as part of the wedding rites -"Thank you for raising a worthless daughter" "Goodbye, daughter") reminded by my family. The slight rebellions they could all take as women with nu shu, and how they could be there for each other. How the harsh life of a woman and its stages was shown in that era.

the tragedy at the end (how it started at the end and began with such a fascinatingly clear memory at 7 years old) of misunderstanding, how even if her life has almost been perfect, she misunderstood due to her upbringing.

It is about love. How the narrator and MC yearned for love all her life, and who couldn't sympathise? And in such a society harsh to women, tragedy was bound to occur. "What was the point of being Lady Lu if I didn't have love in my life?"

how helpless you can be in misfortune and stick to convention as a way to help

snow flower's character (both of them as kids having fun and learning from each other!). the ways love was shown between them and in their families.

[turning-pages-seeking-sages]

“I’m reminded of the line from the Book of Changes that says, 'Be a hidden dragon. Do not act.' Most people interpret this as an admonition for a woman to be quiet and compliant. Grandmother taught me something different: hide my feelings, harness time, and when I’m ready I will leap, swim, or fly, and no one will be able to stop me. For now, though, I gaze.”

- Lisa See, Lady Tan's Circle of Women

[jasper-the-menace]

Last week, between CERT trainings and volunteer work, I read Lady Tan's Circle of Women (by Lisa See) and Legends and Lattes (by Travis Baldree).

I gave them both 9 out of 10 scores, and I realized something - these books both focus on the building of community. One is set in ancient China, and one is set in a fantasy world, but they're both about overcoming hardships and connecting to those around you, whether they're other women in your father's and husband's homes or they're the hobgoblin builder, rattkin baker, succubus barista, and fae mafia.

[musician-not-magician]

July Books

I used 🌈 to indicate LGBTQ+ featured characters within the book (even if I think it’s poorly executed representation, it’s still representation). I rated each book from ⭐️ - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The books are listed in the order that I completed them.

“The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“When Among Crows” by Veronica Roth ⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

“Final Girls” by Riley Sager ⭐️⭐️

“Jade War” by Fonda Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

“You” by Caroline Kepnes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

“The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Nayler ⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

“Hidden Bodies” by Caroline Kepnes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon” by David Grann ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Odyssey” by Homer; Translated by Emily Wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“You Love Me” by Caroline Kepnes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“He Who Drowned the World” by Shelley Parker-Chan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

“For You and Only You” by Caroline Kepnes ⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

“The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

“Blood of Elves” by Andrzej Sapkowski ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Lost Sisters” by Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌈

[princessmacabre]

day 3/100 of productivity

and just like this day 3 is in the books… a day of working through my studies while also working through some of my traumas…

continued reading ‘The Island of Sea Women’ by Lisa See (one of my most favourite authors ever)

completed three tasks (CW 3, CW 4, CW 5)

went outside to catch some fresh air

did a meditation

spent some quality time with my mum & sisters

my tutor told me that I should be proud of myself for “soldering through this semester” and I swear I started to cry right after our teams call ended. Thank you, Karen (and yes, her name IS Karen indeed…)

…and I have been obsessed with the soundtrack of ‘Frida’ which I listened to all day…

Happy Easter 🐣

[wildechaotic]

current reads 6.21.24

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

[appleinducedsleep]

"Her house is the nest where she hides the joy, laughter, sorrows, and regrets of her life." - Lisa See, The Island of Sea Women