Book Discussion Group

Join the Easley Book Discussion group on Tuesday, May 22 at 7pm at the Hampton Memorial Library to discuss Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. 

In 19th-century China, women’s feet are bound and they are forced to live in near seclusion.  In a remote Hunan county, a small group of women develop a secret code for communication in order to reach out of their isolation and share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.  Snow Flower and Lily are two young girls who form a close friendship by communicating through this secret code.  Their friendship helps them to endure famine, rebellion, arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood.  However, when a misunderstanding arises, a lifelong friendship threatens to tear apart.  

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

  The Easley Book Discussion group meets regularly on the 4^th Tuesday of each month at 7pm and actively welcomes new members.  Call or stop by any of the library locations to reserve a copy of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan or visit www.pickens.lib.sc.us for more details.