Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your immediate emotional reactions to the novel’s ending. Did you find the separate fates of Little Flower and Linjing satisfying and believable? Why or why not?

2. The complex friendship between women from different social classes is a powerful element in this story. Compare this central narrative arc to other parallel works of fiction. For example, how is Yang’s book in conversation with other books you’ve read, like Lisa See’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan or Marjan Kamali’s The Lion Women of Tehran?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Little Flower’s idea of freedom transforms dramatically, from simply escaping servitude to demanding a partnership of equals. What does personal freedom mean to you, and how has your own definition of it evolved over time?

2. Characters like Spring Rain and Miss Hart offer Little Flower different kinds of support and mentorship. Discuss a time when an ally or mentor offered you a new perspective that changed your path?

3. Embroidery is Little Flower’s primary outlet for creativity and a source of hope in her darkest moments. How have your creative practices or artistic skills helped you navigate difficult times?

4. The evolving relationship between Little Flower and Linjing is central to the novel. Have you ever navigated a friendship across a significant power imbalance, and what challenges did it present?

5. Noble Chan (Siu Je)’s sense of family duty is in direct conflict with his personal desires. When have you felt a tension between your obligations to others and your own personal goals?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The Celibate Sisterhood offers a radical alternative to marriage, but it comes with its own rigid and even lethal rules. What does the novel suggest about the difficulty of creating true female autonomy within a deeply patriarchal society?

2. The debate over binding Linjing’s feet turns her body into a political tool for her father’s ambition. In what ways do we see women’s bodies become battlegrounds for cultural or political debates today?

3. What role does Western influence play in the story, particularly through figures like Miss Hart and the Christian anti-slavery network? Is it portrayed as a force for liberation, a source of new conflicts, or something more complex?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel alternates between Little Flower’s and Linjing’s first-person perspectives. How did this narrative structure affect your reading experience?

2. Compare and contrast Linjing’s and Little Flower’s transformations over the course of the novel. What was the most critical turning point for each of their characters?

3. Lady Fong makes a series of devastating choices driven by the pressures of her society. How do her actions compare to the difficult decisions made by the mothers in a book like Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, which also explores generational trauma and maternal sacrifice?

4. Analyze Linjing’s and Little Flower’s divergent fates in the Epilogue. What do their separate endings in modernizing cities suggest about the future of Chinese women at the time?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine a different ending for Little Flower. What would her life have been like five years in the future if she had accepted Noble Chan’s initial offer to become his mistress in Canton. Would she have found happiness and a sense of freedom; why or why not?

2. The story is told entirely from the perspectives of Little Flower and Linjing. Choose a pivotal scene, like Spring Rain’s punishment or Lady Fong’s death by suicide, and describe it from the perspective of another character who was present.

3. Imagine you are Little Flower launching her business in Hong Kong. Design a modern embroidery pattern for a shawl that captures the spirit of her journey and her hopes for the future.