Book of the Month: August

Lady Tan's Circle of Women is my best book for August. Amy Tan wrote a lovely novel based on the life of Tan Yunxian, a real-life woman who lived in China during the Ming dynasty. She went on to become a famous women's doctor. The story begins in the year 1469 when Tan Yunxian is 8 years old and ends when she is quite old. Her best friend Meiling grew up to be a midwife and occasionally they worked together. For the most part Meiling felt inferior to Yunxian because Yunxian came from a wealthy family.  Yunxian threw her weight around because of that financial security but over the years they worked through their conflicts. The novel is definitely a women's book. It's not just about female relationships but female medicine too. Highly recommended.