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| Photo courtesy of www.lisasee.com |
One of my favorite authors ever is Lisa See. She's written many highly acclaimed novels, including Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and the Shanghai Girls series.
I love novels that are written by women, for women. Something that See does that makes her unique from any other author that I've read, is that she explores the wonderful, yet complicated relationships that exist between women and the world and women and each other. The result is a beautiful portrayal of the nuances (both good and bad) that are part of what it means to be a woman. So when I had the opportunity to ask Lisa a question via Goodreads a few weeks ago, I knew I needed to find out why she loves to write about women so much. I was completely shocked to receive an answer!
KM: I just finished reading "China Dolls" and loved it! In a lot of your novels, you explore the interpersonal relationships between women. What made you decide to pursue that as a theme?
LS: Thank you for your kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed "China Dolls!" Relationships between women -- whether friends for life, sister-wives, or actual sisters -- are very different. At the same time, they are uniquely female. A woman will tell her best friends things she won't tell her mother, husband, or children. That particular intimacy is wonderful and a true blessing, but it can also leave you open to betrayal and hurt. Women being married to the same man -- whether in China or with the Mormons or with whatever group anywhere in the world -- is also unique and rife with jealousy and rivalries, but this relationship can also be the basis for great friendship and comfort. As for sister, well, the sibling relationship is typically the longest we'll have in our lifetimes. Our parents will die before we do, our children will outlive us, and often women outlive their husbands, right? A sister can be your closest friends, someone who is almost a stranger, or even an enemy. What's the difference between sisters and women who say they are "closer than sisters?" A sister is for life. I write about these relationships because I'm a woman, because I want to connect to women, and because women's stories still need to be told.
You can find the original post and more Q&A with Lisa See here!!!
I love novels that are written by women, for women. Something that See does that makes her unique from any other author that I've read, is that she explores the wonderful, yet complicated relationships that exist between women and the world and women and each other. The result is a beautiful portrayal of the nuances (both good and bad) that are part of what it means to be a woman. So when I had the opportunity to ask Lisa a question via Goodreads a few weeks ago, I knew I needed to find out why she loves to write about women so much. I was completely shocked to receive an answer!
KM: I just finished reading "China Dolls" and loved it! In a lot of your novels, you explore the interpersonal relationships between women. What made you decide to pursue that as a theme?
LS: Thank you for your kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed "China Dolls!" Relationships between women -- whether friends for life, sister-wives, or actual sisters -- are very different. At the same time, they are uniquely female. A woman will tell her best friends things she won't tell her mother, husband, or children. That particular intimacy is wonderful and a true blessing, but it can also leave you open to betrayal and hurt. Women being married to the same man -- whether in China or with the Mormons or with whatever group anywhere in the world -- is also unique and rife with jealousy and rivalries, but this relationship can also be the basis for great friendship and comfort. As for sister, well, the sibling relationship is typically the longest we'll have in our lifetimes. Our parents will die before we do, our children will outlive us, and often women outlive their husbands, right? A sister can be your closest friends, someone who is almost a stranger, or even an enemy. What's the difference between sisters and women who say they are "closer than sisters?" A sister is for life. I write about these relationships because I'm a woman, because I want to connect to women, and because women's stories still need to be told.
You can find the original post and more Q&A with Lisa See here!!!
I think I need to read China Dolls now...
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Kaylee, to feature author feedback like this. Great that you're getting responses from writers.
ReplyDelete