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Quick answer: If you loved Lisa See, read Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, then Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, then Jung Chang's Wild Swans, and Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's The Palace of Illusions. All are sweeping historical novels about women and China.
Lisa See writes historical fiction about women in China and the Chinese diaspora, including Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. These picks share her themes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memoirs of a Geisha | Arthur Golden | Adult | readers who like detailed settings |
| Pachinko | Min Jin Lee | Adult | readers who like family sagas |
| Wild Swans | Jung Chang | Adult | readers who want nonfiction |
| The Joy Luck Club | Amy Tan | Adult | readers who like mother-daughter stories |
| The Palace of Illusions | Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | Adult | epic retelling |
| The House of the Spirits | Isabel Allende | Adult | readers who like family sagas |
| Sarah's Key | Tatiana de Rosnay | Adult | readers who like dual timelines |
| The Red Tent | Anita Diamant | Adult | readers who like women's communities |
| Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet | Jamie Ford | Adult | the closest historical match |
| The Good Earth | Pearl S. Buck | Adult | readers who like family sagas |
| The Distance Between Us | Reyna Grande | Adult | memoir |
| Factory Girls | Leslie T. Chang | Adult | workers' stories |
| Daughter of Fortune | Isabel Allende | Adult | readers who like historical fiction |
| The Paris Library | Janet Skeslien Charles | Adult | bookish history |
| The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah | Adult | readers who want a big emotional story |
1. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Sayuri tells her life as a geisha in Kyoto. Lush and famous, though it is a novel by a Western author.
Best for: readers who like detailed settings.
2. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Four generations of a Korean family in Japan across the 20th century. Epic and emotional.
Best for: readers who like family sagas.
3. Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Three generations of women in China, from foot-binding to the Cultural Revolution. A landmark nonfiction memoir.
Best for: readers who want nonfiction.
4. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Four mothers and four daughters tell their stories in interlocking tales. A modern classic.
Best for: readers who like mother-daughter stories.
5. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Draupadi tells her life from her own point of view. Rich and absorbing.
Best for: epic retelling.
6. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Three generations of the Trueba family in Chile. A sweeping novel with magical realism.
Best for: readers who like family sagas.
7. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A journalist uncovers the story of a girl caught in the Vel' d'Hiv roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942. Haunting.
Best for: readers who like dual timelines.
8. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The biblical story of Dinah told from the women's perspective. Rich in detail about women's lives.
Best for: readers who like women's communities.
9. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
A Chinese American man recalls his boyhood friendship with a Japanese American girl in wartime Seattle. Tender and historical.
Best for: the closest historical match.
10. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Wang Lung rises from a poor farmer to a rich landowner in rural China. A family saga about land and loyalty.
Best for: readers who like family sagas.
11. The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande
A girl crosses the border and builds a new life. Moving and honest.
Best for: memoir.
12. Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang
A journalist follows young migrant women who work in Chinese factories. Human and grounded.
Best for: workers' stories.
13. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California in the Gold Rush. Adventurous and rich.
Best for: readers who like historical fiction.
14. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Librarians in occupied Paris protect books and each other. A love letter to libraries.
Best for: bookish history.
15. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters in occupied France take different paths of resistance. A moving bestseller.
Best for: readers who want a big emotional story.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Lisa See: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Lisa See. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For Asian historical fiction, read Memoirs of a Geisha or Pachinko. For China history, try Wild Swans. For family sagas, pick The Joy Luck Club.
Related: 15 Books Like All the Light We Cannot See You’ll Love · Lisa Unger Books in Order Printable List
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lisa See?
An American writer born in 1955.
What is her best-known book?
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
Are her books historical?
Yes.
Which book here is best for readers who want a big emotional story?
Try The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which suits readers looking for readers who want a big emotional story.
Which book here is best for bookish history?
Try The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, which suits readers looking for bookish history.
Which book here is best for readers who like historical fiction?
Try Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende, which suits readers looking for readers who like historical fiction.