Lady Tan's Circle of Women cover art

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

By: Lisa See
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim, Justin Chien
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

 'Despite the inordinate limits placed on women, See allows their strengths to dominate their stories' Washington Post
'Poignant . . . quietly affecting' Time
'Emotional and illuminating' BookPage

In 15th century China two women are born under the same sign, the Metal Snake. But life will take the friends on very different paths.

According to Confucius, ‘an educated woman is a worthless woman’, but Tan Yunxian – born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separation and loneliness – is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. She begins her training in medicine with her grandmother and, as she navigates the male world of medicine, requiring tact and diplomacy, she struggles against the confining world of her class.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose – despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it – and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of tradition, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.

Praise for Lisa See

'This novel spans wars and generations, but at its heart is a beautifully rendered story of two women whose individual choices become inextricably tangled’ Jodi Picoult

'No one writes about female friendship, the dark and the light of it, with more insight and depth than Lisa See’ Sue Monk Kidd

'See’s thoughtful and empathetic book sheds necessary attention on this largely ignored event' New York Times

'A powerful and essential story of humanity' Los Angeles Review of Books

'A spellbinding portrait of a time burning with opportunity and mystery' O: The Oprah Magazine

'A lush tale infused with clear-eyed compassion' The Washington Post©2023 Lisa See. All rights reserved (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Asian & Pacific Islander Creators Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Medical Inspiring Thought-Provoking China Medicine
All stars
Most relevant  
I found Audible a good choice for the “reading” of this book to hear the correct pronunciation. Lisa See always delivers well informed and factual stories with a wonderful weaving of story that draws you in, makes you care about what will happen to the characters. I know that if I listen to this again I will enjoy it even more second time around!

Informative, unputdownable!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a beautiful story! I could listen to it all day if i could! Truly inspiring one.

Beautiful!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A quite amazing story l listened every day and enjoyed this so much. Having knowledge of Chinese Medicine which l thoroughly embrace for healing l was fascinated by the detail and historical background. The way women were treated and had to live completely encompassed and judged by their beauty and ability to produce sons, not to mention the barbaric practice of foot binding which is explained in detail. Highly recommend

Extraordinary

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was completely immersed in Lady Tan's story.

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautifully narrated. Interesting story explaining the ancient ways. The foot binding was gut wrenching to hear it described, but interesting.
Really enjoyed the story.

A great read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved the story and the characters
Loved the Chinese history as told by a woman

So enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an excellent read. The detail keeps you interested without being wordy. An insight to earlier times and women. Highly recommended.

Loved this: Rich culture, Resilient Women, Relevant today.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Could have kept listening for hours - didn’t want it to end. Was such a great insight to a woman’s life in 15th Century China.

A great read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the narrating. I felt as though I was back in rich 15 Century China.

An incredible story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the detailed story of the times, the medicines and the women. One of the best books I have ever heard.

At times cruel but so beautifully written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.