This event was recorded on July 5, 2023 at Explore Booksellers, in partnership with Aspen Public Radio.
Beloved author Lisa See, author of On Gold Mountain and Flower Net, spoke at Explore about her captivating and vivid new novel, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Set in 15th century China, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a fictional retelling of the life of one remarkable woman, Tan Yunxian, a female doctor who wrote a book still used today in traditional Chinese medicine. The book traces the lives of Yunxian and a childhood girlfriend through the traditional stages of womanhood. Throughout these stages, and against the backdrop of enormous challenges, turbulence, and change, the two marry, have children, and pursue their chosen careers. Through years of intrigue, drama, and difficulty, these two women remain touchstones in each other’s lives, until an unspeakable disaster befalls one of them. The challenges and issues they face resonate today.