Lisa See, whose latest novel is “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women,” is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky. Recorded via zencastr on July 14, 2023.
Lisa See’s best-selling books include Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, China Dolls, and most recently, The Island of Sea Women. Each novel, thus far, focuses on the role and lives of women of East Asian descent in various countries, including Korea, Japan, China and the United States. Some of the novels focus on a mystery, others take place within the context of historical events.
Her latest novel, “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” looks at the life of an historical figure, a female doctor of upper class birth living in China in the 15th Century. As Lisa notes in the interview, the circumscribed life of Tan Yuxian bears a startling resemblance to the isolation we all felt during the Covid lockdown.