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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: AudiobookHub Recommendation
Chapter 2: — Milk Days and Broken Bones
Chapter 3: — The Mansion of Golden Light
Chapter 4: — A Contract at the Lotus Pond
Chapter 5: — Birth, Breakage, and First Cases
Chapter 6: — A Friendship Formalized, a Future Arranged
Chapter 7: — A Garden of Eyes and Secrets
Chapter 8: — Two Pregnancies, One Summons
Chapter 9: — The Great Within and the Cost of Mercy
Chapter 10: — Smallpox and a House of Sorrow
Chapter 11: — Unmasking the Doctor
Chapter 12: — Ghosts, Worms, and New Life
Chapter 13: — Writing the Records of a Female Doctor
Chapter 14: — No Mud, No Lotus
Description
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a sweeping historical novel inspired by the real Ming dynasty physician Tan Yunxian. Raised to be a refined wife yet trained in women’s medicine by her formidable grandmother, Yunxian learns to read pulses, balance qi, and treat the intimate ailments that men ignore or misjudge. She’s paired for life—by fate and by promise—with the quick-witted midwife Meiling, creating a bond that will save lives, break rules, and carry them from secluded inner chambers to the Forbidden City itself. Along the way come cruel footbinding, the danger of childbirth, devastating smallpox, intrigue involving a household doctor, and the quiet strength of a circle of women who refuse to let each other fall. It’s an intimate tale of friendship and purpose, set against sumptuous gardens, crowded canals, and the palace’s Great Within, where one wrong glance can cost everything.
Who Should Listen
- Fans of historical fiction centered on women’s lives and friendships
- Listeners who loved Snow Flower and the Secret Fan or The Island of Sea Women
- Readers curious about traditional Chinese medicine and the Forbidden City
- Book clubs seeking rich themes of class, duty, and moral courage
- Anyone who wants an emotionally grounded story with a strong sense of place