JULY: Lady Tan's Circle of Women | Lisbon Book Club

Event Details:
🗓️ Date: July 18, 2026
🕓 Time: 17h (Duration is 90-120min)
📍 Location: Saldanha Residences--Food Court, Downstairs: Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo 42E · Lisboa

📚LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN by LISA SEE

BOOK SUMMARY from The StoryGraph (https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/33485277-c11d-49f5-ab19-6926034d941a)

The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See’s classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.

According 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.

From 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. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

But 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, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, 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? Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.

📚 Book Club Prep:
Whether you’re an ear reader (audiobooks 🎧), an eye reader (e-reader, phone, or digital copy 📱), or you love the feel of a physical book 📖—you’re welcome here!

*We encourage you to support local bookstores and libraries when possible. And don’t forget: someone in the group often has a physical copy they’re happy to lend once they’ve finished—so check in the WhatsApp group if you’re in need!

Agenda:
🕰️ Arrive a few minutes early to grab a coffee or snack from one of the many cafes and restaurants nearby (if budget and dietary restrictions allow--please note this is now a requirement of the establishment).

👥 Gather as a large group for introductions, then break into smaller discussion groups for more personal conversations about the book.

📖 Book Discussion: Share your emotions, thoughts, and reflections on the story. SPOILERS WILL OCCUR so we ask to only attend if you've read the book in full.

🔄 Regroup to exchange key takeaways and insights from each group.

🍝 Optional dinner afterward at the Italian place upstairs—friends, partners, and loved ones are welcome to join! (RSVP IN WHATSAPP GROUP BY THURSDAY PRIOR)

To protect our discussion space and ensure everyone feels comfortable, we have the following "group rules":
📍 RSVP Caps: Meetup RSVPs are capped at 30 members so we can actually find seating and hear one another.

🍷 Mindful Consumption: While we enjoy the social aspect of our club, please keep any alcohol consumption mindful during the discussion. Our priority is a safe, respectful, and focused environment.

📝 Structured Discussions: We follow a gently guided prompt style format. Each book's "recommender", will bring a list of open-ended questions for the large and small groups. This ensures a collaborative discussion where everyone contributes and gives us a "north star" to return to.

🤝 Group Etiquette: Book club is a "give and take" space. We expect everyone to be both a giver and receiver of ideas…meaning no interrupting, talking over others, or multiple discussions at once.

Looking forward to a heartfelt, reflective, and enriching evening!

🫶🏼 Maggie
IG: @maggiegetsreal