The Barnes & Noble Review
The third sister in the Tao family, Ailin is not quite five years old in 1911, a time of transformation in China, when Western philosophies are creating a wave of revolutions and the empire is crumbling. More spirited than her older sisters, Ailin rebels against the torturous age-old tradition of binding girls' feet. When the family of her intended husband breaks the marriage agreement because her feet are not bound, Ailin feels no remorse. But as she enters adolescence, her family is no longer willing to support her. She realizes for the first time just how powerless a girl of good family with no prospect of marriage is in Chinese society.
Ailin has no intention of following that society's traditions. Not only can she read and write Chinese, but she also learns English and seeks a way to make her own living. When she is offered an opportunity that shocks her already estranged family, Ailin faces a decision that may further alienate her from her familial duty and from her country.
Lensey Namioka has written an unforgettable saga of a girl who defies the ancient traditions of her class and heritage, emerging at last as a young woman with an indomitable spirit.
VOYA
Ailin's reminiscences, used as narration, are simple and
straightforward, and the discussions of foot-binding are startlingly
effective... Ailin's reminiscences, used as narration, are simple and
straightforward, and the discussions of foot-binding are startlingly
effective...
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
A wealthy girl growing up in early 20th-century Nanjing refuses to have her feet bound, severely limiting her choices in life. In a starred review, PW said, "With the force and intensity of a memoir, the novel chronicles a heroine who creates her own destiny through events as dramatic as they are credible, and weaves in just enough political history to help readers understand the turbulent climate." Ages 12-up. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-A story set in early 20th-century Nanjing, China. The third daughter in her prosperous family, Tao Ailin is the only one who manages to evade the tradition of foot binding, and her unbound feet make her common in the eyes of relatives and friends. In fact, the marriage that had been arranged for her when she was four is canceled by the boy's mother for that reason. Fortunately, Ailin's father is sensitive to her indomitable spirit and curious intellect. Although girls' education at that time was typically limited to "family schools," he arranges for her to attend a school run by American Protestant missionaries. She proves to be a gifted student, but her hope that she might someday become a teacher of English is dashed when her father dies when she is 12. Her uncle then gives her three choices: to become a nun, a farmer's wife, or a concubine. Defying him, she leaves home to care for the two young children of American missionaries and eventually travels to San Francisco with them. There, she later marries an ambitious young restaurateur. Set against the backdrop of political unrest and social change, this novel provides a realistic window into turn-of-the-century Chinese culture. Namioka creates in Ailin an archetype of the young women who not only questioned their roles in an emerging society but also had the courage to create new ones. Great for recreational reading, this solid story will also work well in supplementing social-studies units.-Sylvia V. Meisner, Allen Middle School, Greensboro, NC Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Namioka (Den of the White Fox, 1997, etc.) offers readers a glimpse of the ritual of foot-binding, and a surprising heroine whose life is determined by her rejection of that ritual. Ailin is spiritedher family thinks uncontrollableeven at age five, in her family's compound in China in 1911, she doesn't want to have her feet bound, especially after Second Sister shows Ailin her own bound feet and tells her how much it hurts. Ailin can see already how bound feet will restrict her movements, and prevent her from running and playing. Her father takes the revolutionary step of permitting her to leave her feet alone, even though the family of Ailin's betrothed then breaks off the engagement. Ailin goes to the missionary school and learns English; when her father dies and her uncle cuts off funds for tuition, she leaves her family to become a nanny for an American missionary couple's children. She learns all the daily household chores that were done by servants in her own home, and finds herself, painfully, cut off from her own culture and separate from the Americans. At 16, she decides to go with the missionaries when they return to San Francisco, where she meets and marries another Chinese immigrant who starts his own restaurant. The metaphor of things bound and unbound is a ribbon winding through this vivid narrative; the story moves swiftly, while Ailin is a brave and engaging heroine whose difficult choices reflect her time and her gender. (Fiction. 9-14)
From the Publisher
"Atmospheric and closely informed . . . this colorful novel has the force and intensity of a memoir."Publishers Weekly, Starred
"Emotionally and historically illuminating."Booklist, Starred
School Library Journal - Audio
10/01/2013
Gr 7 Up—Ailin , the third sister and final daughter in the wealthy Tao family, is so full of spirit that she refuses to submit to having her feet bound like her older sisters and nearly every other woman in her family going back for generations. When her engagement to a local family's young son is broken because of her "big feet," her father's support becomes more important than ever. In search of a respectable option for a high-born girl in 1911 Chinese society, her father sends her to public school run by foreign missionaries, where she shows a talent for languages. But when her father tragically dies and Big Uncle becomes head of the family, she's forced to choose between a nunnery, a peasant's life, or worse yet—becoming a concubine. With a courage fueled by grief, she forges her own path as nanny for a foreign family, eventually finding her way to America and a life she never dreamed possible. Emily Woo Zeller narrates Namioka's tale (Delacorte, 1999) of female triumph with lyricism and a strong grasp of character. She weaves in and out of the varying character voices with ease, making the title useful for whole group or individual listening. Written as a flashback, the story is perfect for middle grade listeners interested in Chinese culture. With a cursory allusion to the political changes in the country, younger listeners get a clear picture of the actual events happening during the time, but older students may want more thorough explorations into the role of women and the political climate at the beginning of the century.—Shanna Miles, South Atlanta Educational Complex, GA