Bound+by+Donna+Jo+Napoli

=Bound= =By Donna Jo Napoli= =192 pages= =Ruph12=



====**Summary:** **Bound** **to her father's second wife and daughter after Xing Xing's father has passed away.** **Bound** **to a life of servitude as a young girl in ancient China, where the life of a woman is valued less than that of livestock.** **Bound** **to be alone and unmarried, with no parents to arrange for a suitable husband. Dubbed "Lazy One"** **by** **her stepmother, Xing Xing spends her days taking care of her half sister, Wei Ping, who cannot walk because of her foot bindings, the painful but compulsory tradition for girls who are fit to be married. Even so, Xing Xing is content, for now, to practice her gift for poetry and calligraphy, to tend to the mysterious but beautiful carp in her garden, and to dream of a life unbound** **by** **the laws of family and society.****But all of this is about to change as the time for the village's annual festival draws near, and Stepmother, who has spent nearly all of the family's money, grows desperate to find a husband for Wei Ping. Xing Xing soon realizes that this greed and desperation may threaten not only her memories of the past, but also her dreams for the future.**====

====**Review: I liked this book. For me, it was a quick read. This book is basically a crueler version of Cinderella. I felt very bad for Xing Xing throughout the story, because with her recent loss, no one felt bad, the stepmother just put her to work, which is very wrong to do when her father had just died! And, Stepmother only cared about Wei Ping getting married, while Xing Xing clearly should have been the one to marry!**====

=Add Comments Here!= This sounds like a GREAT book! Definitely going to read it! ~lilytiger11

This does sound good! I like that author, too. I might read this book! -- Zairie

 * // Ruph12: I agree with the two above comments! Sounds great. Keep READING! Hoodzie123 (Lisa) //**