Set in fifteenth century during the Ming dynasty, this story is about Tan Yunxian, a women born into a wealthy and influential family. She is brought up by her grandparents when her mother dies and under their teachings, begins training as a doctor. She meets midwife trainee, Meiling and they forge a powerful friendship even though their paths take different directions.

This is based on the real Lady Tan who wrote one of the first medical books for women. The author has re-imagined her life, the tribulations of being a woman with bound feet and the hierarchical system in China at the time. The research is impeccable and truly enlightening.

The practice of binding feet is tough to read, making the reader squirm at the vivid description. The practice of medicine and midwifery do the same so if you are at all squeamish you might find it even more difficult.

There is however a lot of medical information and some repetition which sometimes edged on an information dump. Nevertheless, it was interesting and enlightening.

The relationship with Meiling was heart-warming at times, although Lady Tan was naïve about the world outside of her inner comfortable sanctuary. She always seemed remote, lacking curiosity about the lives of others less fortunate. This didn’t always make her particularly likeable as a character for me.

To be fair, the author covered a lot of ground and perhaps at the cost of a full development of Tan’s relationships with other. Indeed, she cures her nasty mother-in-law and I would have loved to see how their relationship changed.

The second half of the book picks up pace as a mystery is resolved but the main star is the medical practice and the treatment of women in a male dominated world.

It’s a long book but certainly well worth reading.

This story takes you to the Greek Island of Hydra in 1960 where eighteen-year-old Erica escapes with her brother following the death of her mother. On the island is her mother’s friend Charmian Clift, who is a writer. It’s there that Erica hopes for comfort and details of her mother’s secret life.

What she gets is entirely different as Erica becomes embroiled in a transient expat community of writers, musicians and artists. She finds Charmian living a bohemian life bringing up three children, taking a backseat from her own writing by supporting her writer, husband George Johnston. There are many hardships as George grapples with deteriorating health, alcohol and writers block. The expat group gravitate around this family with Charmian being central as the mother figure, stretched as she is with her own personal problems.

Largely this is a fictionalised story of real people. We are given a peak into the lives of Charmian and her family as well others such as friend Marianne Ihlen, yes the one in Leonard Cohen’s life who happens to be on the island at the time.  Yet there is a gallery of characters all flitting in and out the tale. The author tries to immerse the reader into the setting but never allowing us to ever really get a true grasp of the characters as we never have the opportunity to get to really know them. Erica herself is merely an observer and her lack of maturity shows which makes her less endearing.

It’s almost like a travelogue of stilted scenes swinging from one event to another, name dropping real people in a fictional setting.

Through Erica there are glimpses of themes such as creative theft, sexist attitudes of the day and the contrast between the village inhabitants and the bohemians romanticised privileged lifestyle.

Erica is always on the periphery and we don’t get a full sense of her own feelings or thoughts. While her observations are poignant there is very little character development even at the end where still seems just as lost.

The writing is evocative of place and I felt like I was there which is gratifying to read during a chilly Melbourne winter.

For a fictionalized account of real people and events it made me search google for more information. It could have been a great story if there had been more time given to Charmian and her family or even the fictional character of Erica. But somehow the opportunity was missed. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the read.