Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a unique, captivating look into nineteenth century China, giving enough insight to interest but yet still making it clear that it is still only a glimpse into a world that holds so much difference from our own today. Lisa See effortlessly weaves her fictional tale in following the historical fact, enveloping the reader into a society that reflects the contrast in expectation and reality; although we only see this story from the eyes of one woman, Lily, we see the rise and fall of so many other tales through her words. 
 Despite the fictional names and biography, it is all too easy to imagine how similar this could be to many lives in that era and location. Lisa See has carried out her research with a dedication that is obvious to the reader. As we are taken through the bittersweet life of Lily, I felt genuine joy and then loss as her story was taken through its twists and turns, and at the end I felt like there was still so much that could be said - yet, it is only because the book captures the feeling of regret so well that it can be felt by the reader. 
 I also found the historical insight smoothly integrated into the storytelling as well as genuinely interesting in its own right; it has definitely inspired an even greater interest in this era of history for me.