February Flowers

IntroductionSet in modern China, February Flowers tells the stories of two young women's journeys to self-discovery and reconciliation with the past.Seventeen-year-old Ming and twenty-four-year-old Yan have very little in common other than studying in the same college. Ming, idealistic and preoccupied, lives in her own world of books, music, and imagination. Yan, by contrast, is sexy but cynical, beautiful but wild, with no sense of home. When the two meet and become friends, Ming's world is forever changed. But their differences in upbringing and ideology ultimately drive them apart, leaving each to face her dark secret alone.Insightful, sophisticated, and rich with complex characters, February Flowers captures a society torn between tradition and modernity, dogma and freedom. It is a meditation on friendship, family, love, loss, and redemption, and how a background shapes a life.Questions and Topics for Discussion1. The narrator of February Flowers begins her tale with the words "After my marriage ends ..." (page 1) situating the reader in the midst of her life, akin to beginning "Hansel and Gretel" in the midst of their search for bread crumbs, trying to find their way home. Why do you think Ming chooses to begin her story in the middle and not at the beginning or even at the end? What does it tell us about the kind of story that we are about to be told? What effect does it have on us as readers?2. Ming is portrayed as a cautious, serious, and even withdrawn teenager. Between her and Yan, it seems that Ming is the "good" girl and Yan is the "bad" girl. To what standards are both Yan and Ming conforming? Against what is each girl rebelling? What from Ming's past might be the cause of her evident caution and even disdain toward both the world generally and men specifically?3. Why do you think Yan decides to embrace her sexuality and womanhood while Ming prefers to deny hers? What impact do you think their upbringing had on their notions of female sexuality? Does February Flowers seem to say that our childhoods impact how we view ourselves as we grow up, or that our natures are strictly innate?4. Throughout the book, Ming makes many references to high heels, associating them particularly with Yan. "The sound of her heels clicking on the rooftop cement lingered in the air even after she had disappeared" (page 20). And at the end of the story, when Ming herself has taken to wearing high heels, she writes, "My high-heeled shoes are hurting..." (page 239). Discuss how high heels could be viewed as a metaphor for Ming's perception of womanhood and sexuality.5. Discuss Yan's attitude toward authority, specifically male authority, and contrast it to Ming's approach. Based on their histories, do their respective attitudes make sense to you? Why or why not?6. What do you think is at the root of Yan's and Ming's relationship? If, as Yan seems to think, everyone uses everyone, of what use is Ming to Yan? What does Yan hope to gain through her friendship with Ming? Do you think Yan was as attached to Ming as Ming was to her?7. Throughout the book, Ming is touted as the intellectual, while Yan is more sensual. Which approach to life, if either, do you think the author is advocating in February Flowers? Based on the book, which approach seems smarter? What exactly would you say constitutes intelligence in February Flowers?8. Why do you think Ming, at the age of seventeen, has never experienced as she says, "camaraderie" (page 45), or even intimacy, until she meets Yan? How do you think each is changed through their relationship with the other?9. Why is gaining power over men so important to Yan, while Ming prefers to lose herself in books? What does each hope to gain? In what ways are the two women similar?10. At the end of the book, Ming writes, "I have never wanted to see the city as much as I do todWu, Fan is the author of 'February Flowers ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781416549437 and ISBN 1416549439.