Truyện Cổ Tích Việt Nam - Thạch Sùng tải về miễn phí cuốn sách

Bruna Campano brunacampano — See, Lisa. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. New York: Random House, Inc. 2005 A best friend, since childhood, has seemed to be a necessity or a constant longing. They are someone to confide in, dream with and eventually share a life with. Lisa See’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan does just that, telling an exemplary story of friendship, deceit, forgiveness and trust. The book follows Lily, a Chinese girl in the small rural village of Puwei, who at a young age starts a mesmerizing journey with her laotong or “Old Same”, transforming her impoverished life forever and ultimately changing her morals. See captures the true character of friendship and regret, using Lily and Snow Flower who although are seemingly incongruous at the start, show that real relationships have no boundaries. Lily and Snow Flower first test this when Lily comes to visit Snow Flower in her village for the first time. Lily imagines her house to be full of beauty and grandeur, but she is confounded when she arrives at a drab and depressing home, which smells and is hardly up to normal living standards. Soon after she discovers Snow Flower’s shocking secrets she says to herself, “Wasn’t it my lack as a friend- as a laotong- that had prevented me from asking Snow Flower the right questions about her past and future?” (See 125) Snow flower exhibits that even after betrayal true friendship overpowers this and causes one to put a friend’s troubles first. The initial shock resides with the reader, questioning what they would think of their friend. This moment makes the reader think about a time when they failed or supported a friend for better or worse. Without their trust their promises and beliefs could have faltered, but both believed in each other, which even though may not always be the case, it is the foundation of their friendship. Lily proves yet again that even when ignorance blinds her, she can find her way back to the same morals instilled in her years ago. After a long period of silence with Snow Flower, because of a misconception, Lily forgets her acrimonious feelings and returns to Snow Flower who nears death. Lily notes while caring for Snow Flower, “A shared bowl of water many years before was how I know Snow Flower loved me. Now I hoped she would see my actions, remember the past, and know that nothing had changed” (See 237). Lily accepts her daftness in being proud and hopes to be forgiven again. Her thoughts show that friendship this strong is irreplaceable and few have it, making a grudge seem futile in the greater picture. Lily realizes that all along she has been wrong, finally looking at Snow Flower as an equal, and deciding she must resolve the conflict. In this moment, the reader can relate to Lily’s feelings the most, realizing her true motives and character. She finds herself in her quest to be forgiven, returning to the true Lily she once was. See uses these deceits and minor betrayals to get past a petty fight, such as Lily’s, and go farther into the mind of two people who have shared everything, connecting them in a bond that cannot and should not be broken. Lily and Snow Flower’s regret makes them stronger as friends and people. Without the tense or painful moments the two of them may not have been as close or as accepting as a person. See beautifully crafts this amazing story never wavering in a strong contrast between the two. The reader is ultimately transported back to China growing up with the character’s pain and family. Both characters create an interesting dynamic, that symbolize the troubles of trust and relationships. Ultimately the book grasps what friendship means taking a unique approach, which lets the story take form.

Nicola Dulion shootartconceptor — It almost hurts me to write this review, but this was my least favorite of Joanne Dobson's novels that I have read to date. The beginning was slow and the ending a little flat. The middle had such build of anticipation and so many avenues of possibility, but in the end I feel the weakest route was taken. I certainly do not wish to deter readers from picking up this book. It had all the comfort a series should have in returning to familiar characters, as if you were reuniting with old friends. Dobson's four previous novels left me with high expectations and The Maltese Manuscript just did not deliver for me.