Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (KINDLE MOBI FORMAT) by Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the story of two women from (somewhat) different social status who together go through the pain of footbinding, the trials of a cloistered family life and the joy of being "sworn sisters" even when parted through the now extinct art of a "women's only" writing that was taught by women to otherwise illiterate girls in a small district of China. Eventually their life statuses change as they get older and marry, and through misunderstandings and jealousy their friendship is changed. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a sweeping epic set against the backdrop of turbulent 19th century China and as a story of the daily struggles of middle class village women whose lives are usually forgotten by history, Lisa See's novel offers a detailed, sympathetic view of a hidden and almost lost world.