{"title":"Literary Fiction","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"lady-tans-circle-of-women-by-lisa-see","title":"Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom \"one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China--perfect for fans of Lisa See's classics\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSnow Flower and the Secret Fan\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAccording to Confucius, \"an educated woman is a worthless woman,\" but Tan Yunxian--born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness--is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations--looking, listening, touching, and asking--something a man can never do with a female patient.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose--despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it--and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other's joys and struggles. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo mud, no lotus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife--embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHow might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? 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No one knows where he has come from...or why...\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHis name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their \"rightful owners.\" With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTheo of Golden\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThemes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Small Town, Kindness, Generosity, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat: \u003c\/strong\u003ePaperback, 1.1\" H x 8.2\" L x 5.3\" W (0.7 lbs) 400 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePub Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e October 03, 2025\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ingram","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48177681268964,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0723\/5505\/3796\/files\/theoofgolden.jpg?v=1773256398"},{"product_id":"the-correspondent-by-virginia-evans","title":"The Correspondent by Virginia Evans","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"mb-4\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e#1\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER - Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as \"A cause for celebration\"--an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mb-4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mb-4\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn development as a major motion picture starring Jane Fonda\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE, THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL, AND THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION - A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA woman tries to heal old wounds and make sense of the world the only way she knows how—through letters—in this charming, laugh out loud debut novel about a life fully lived.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mb-4\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e“Dear Ms. Van Antwerp,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere is a movie coming out this month and I saw the trailer and it made me think of you. It’s about an old woman who lives alone like a hermit.  She is eccentric and rude….”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSybil Van Antwerp is a mother and grandmother, divorced, retired from a distinguished career in law, an avid gardener, and a writer of letters. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause at seventy-three, Sybil has used her letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. 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