The year’s almost over, but we’re here to give you a sneak peek at some of the book releases for 2025! One of the first books we want to share is Jane Yang’s historical fiction debut with The Lotus Shoes.
The Lotus Shoes follows two girls: Little Flower and Linjing. They first meet at six years old, and the story ends when they grow into young adults. Little Flower gets sold as Linjing’s maidservant, or muizai, while Linjing comes from a genteel background.
These girls fight through hardship after hardship, albeit under different circumstances and statuses. The Lotus Shoes is such a captivating historical fiction read, and here are the main reasons why!
Book Overview: The Lotus Shoes
Content Warnings: death, suicide, suicidal thoughts, slavery, torture, violence, self-harm, foot binding, drowning, blood, vomit, classism, pregnancy, mentions of sexual abuse, drug addiction, and alcoholism (Please read at your discretion!)
Summary: 1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies,” are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich dowry and even bloodline in the marriage stakes. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant—a muizai—to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery.
Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, uncommon for a muizai, but she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower’s escape.
But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status, but her life—the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?
The Chosen Historical Period
We dive right into China during the late 1800s in The Lotus Shoes. The traditional practice of foot binding remained a symbol of honor and status. Little Flower, though born into a peasant family, could still have promising marriage prospects with her golden lilies. Her mother meticulously started binding her feet from when she was four years old to give her a better chance.
Linjing, who was born into a noble family, got to keep her natural feet because her father arranged a marriage with someone from a progressive family who preferred them that way. But it would later prove to be a challenge for Linjing because so many noblewomen would assume she was lowborn with such big feet. It was so interesting to read about the societal norms and life for women during this time period. Although some scenes can be a bit graphic, they were so important.
Linjing And Little Flower’s Evolving Relationship
Little Flower and Linjing start out as a maidservant and her mistress, respectively. Little Flower is ingenious, quick-witted, and incredibly skilled at embroidery. Naturally, Linjing does everything in her power to keep Little Flower at her disposal, even as she prepares to get married. She even goes as far as preventing Little Flower from having an arranged courtship.
But Linjing and Little Flower would later get banished from the Fong household after tragedy and scandal hit. Little Flower takes on the duty to protect and stay loyal to Linjing, while Linjing worries about becoming a lady again. Their already rocky “friendship” from here becomes even more strained, with multiple betrayals that we didn’t see coming. We enjoyed seeing both their characters develop in parallel with each other, especially once they reach their respective endings (both open and hopeful for the future).
The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang captivated us in every way, immersing us in a tale of friendship, motherhood, and what it means to be a woman in late 1800s China.
The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang releases on January 7th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!
What do you think of Jane Yang’s The Lotus Shoes? Are you interested in this new historical fiction novel? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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