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Peony in Love: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Lisa See
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
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Rating:  93 reviews
Sales Rank: 2422
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0812975227
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780812975222
ASIN: 0812975227
Publication Date: February 19, 2008
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Product Description
“I finally understand what the poets have written. In spring, moved to passion; in autumn only regret.”
For young Peony, betrothed to a suitor she has never met, these lyrics from The Peony Pavilion mirror her own longings. In the garden of the Chen Family Villa, amid the scent of ginger, green tea, and jasmine, a small theatrical troupe is performing scenes from this epic opera, a live spectacle few females have ever seen. Like the heroine in the drama, Peony is the cloistered daughter of a wealthy family, trapped like a good-luck cricket in a bamboo-and-lacquer cage. Though raised to be obedient, Peony has dreams of her own.
Peony’s mother is against her daughter’s attending the production: “Unmarried girls should not be seen in public.” But Peony’s father assures his wife that proprieties will be maintained, and that the women will watch the opera from behind a screen. Yet through its cracks, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man with hair as black as a cave–and is immediately overcome with emotion.
So begins Peony’s unforgettable journey of love and destiny, desire and sorrow–as Lisa See’s haunting new novel, based on actual historical events, takes readers back to seventeenth-century China, after the Manchus seize power and the Ming dynasty is crushed.
Steeped in traditions and ritual, this story brings to life another time and place–even the intricate realm of the afterworld, with its protocols, pathways, and stages of existence, a vividly imagined place where one’s soul is divided into three, ancestors offer guidance, misdeeds are punished, and hungry ghosts wander the earth. Immersed in the richness and magic of the Chinese vision of the afterlife, transcending even death, Peony in Love explores, beautifully, the many manifestations of love. Ultimately, Lisa See’s new novel addresses universal themes: the bonds of friendship, the power of words, and the age-old desire of women to be heard.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 88 more reviews...
Love is of source unknown, yet it grows ever deeper August 4, 2007
Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana)
46 out of 50 found this review helpful
The old theme of star-crossed lovers takes an Oriental twist in this historical period drama about a love-struck young girl, an enamored poet, and the opera that not only brings them together but casts them apart.
This story is about Peony, a young woman and only child of a wealthy family. Set in seventeenth century China, when well brought up young women weren't allowed to be seen or heard, especially by strange men, Peony's father organizes a theatrical performance of the opera "The Peony Pavilion", and although her mother doesn't want her to see it, arrangements are made for a screen to be erected, behind which the women can get a glimpse of the epic opera. Peony is a big fan of "The Peony Pavilion", having collected many editions, reading and memorizing many of the popular segments, but even though seeing it live is a big thrill, she becomes more interested in observing a young man sitting in the audience.
Risking her reputation, she wanders off on her own, and as fate would have it, she encounters the young man in an isolated place, where they discover that they enjoy each other's company very much. Unfortunately, Peony is already betrothed by way of an arranged marriage, and as the big day approaches she spends her days dreaming of the young man and obsessively recording her thoughts in an edition of the great opera, refusing food and ignoring the advice of the doctors and other experts that come to see her. From this point her life takes a dramatic turn with a cruel twist, and the story and the opera fuse together in elaborate fashion, becoming a dark fantasy full of ghosts, superstition and tradition.
The author lingers over the historical details, the proud traditions, the poetry of the opera and the protocols of the afterlife, as well as other remarkable activities such as foot binding and embroidery, and although this is an extremely poignant and melancholy book, it is so rich in description that you won't want to put it down. A dramatic, absorbing and informative story that will remain with you for a long time after you've finished reading it.
Amanda Richards, August 4, 2007
 Peony in Love June 26, 2007
Karen Ornelas (Denver, CO)
45 out of 50 found this review helpful
"There are several elements here - Tang Xianzu's opera, the lovesick maidens, the history of The Three Wives' Commentary, and the societal changes that allowed it to be written. I know they're rather complicated and overlap a bit, so please bear with me." So says Lisa See, the author of Peony in Love in her notes at the end of the novel.
Fortunately, I also found the text of the notes on the author's web site under the heading `On Writing Peony in Love' while I was reading the book. If I hadn't, I'm sure I would have given up on this novel at about page 110. The notes provided much needed insight into the author's purpose and an invaluable historical context for what I was reading.
I did find the historical aspects and the vivid descriptions of the Chinese afterlife fascinating. Having already read Snowflower and the Secret Fan I didn't feel I needed another description of footbinding so I confess that I skipped that brief passage. The author's ultimate point is clearly the issue of women's voices and `a woman's need to be heard.' She makes this point strongly - and repeatedly. For all of that, there was still much to enjoy in the novel.
In my opinion, this book doesn't live up to her earlier novel, Snowflower and the Secret Fan. I really feel the publisher should change the Author's Notes to a Foreword and I urge anyone who chooses to read this to read the Author's Notes first.
 Romantic, but definitely not a romance June 26, 2007
Diana Raabe (Minneapolis, MN)
44 out of 51 found this review helpful
Lisa See's latest endeavor, Peony in Love, is destined to be as successful as her previous novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. With too much intelligent history to be pegged a romance, Peony in Love is, indeed, romantic. It is a tale of love and death in 17th century China - a time of Cataclysm and a place where, pound for pound, salt was more valuable than women. Painting her words on a ghostly dreamscape, See once again explores themes of love, language and the strength of women amidst a revealing and sometimes disturbing history.
*A ROMANCE TITLE for an INTRIGUING HISTORY ?* July 29, 2007
mcHaiku (Brown County INDIANA)
15 out of 27 found this review helpful
Lisa See again moves away from mystery - - and in tune with the year 2007, writes a fantasy. The title "Peony in Love" doesn't do credit to her talents. This book is categorized as historical fiction and readers are swept up in swirling clouds & rain to witness figures who carry out ancient rituals in the centuries-old opera, *The Peony Pavilion* . . . and in their restricted lives.
The 15-year-old daughter and only child of the Chen household, Peony is promised in marriage to Ren, a young poet she meets without permission. Her bound feet, muddied in the outside world betray her and the wedding never takes place. Ghosts and customs of China in the mid-seventeenth century may intrigue many readers but some will feel the writer has used an over-abundance of words to describe age-old beliefs in the afterlife, magical rituals, and taboos.
Women's universal longing to be recognized as having significance and worth struggles for expression throughout this multi-generational tale. Reviewer mcHaiku appreciated "Snow Flower" and Lisa See's mystery novels as less daunting but doubtless made a mistake in choosing *Peony* for "a summer read."
 UNREADABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! September 18, 2007
MLRapp (NJ)
15 out of 25 found this review helpful
Fans of "Snow Flower and The Secret Fan" and "Dragon Bones" will no doubt be disappointed by this horribly written novel, from a writer who is capable of creating some remarkable literature!
The concept behind the novel is indeed interesting, as the story of a lovesick unmarried daughter mimics that of the heroine of her favorite opera in 17th century China. There is a supernatural element to the novel, which explores some Chinese beliefs in the afterlife (at that time/place in history), and ancestral worship where ghosts affect (and are affected by) their living ancestors and "soulmates."
What bothered me was how terrible the writing was, especially after having LOVED the two earlier works mentioned above, and thinking that her writing style and ability to evoke emotion from the reader were extremely powerful. It seems like she started out with a great idea for a novel and then wrote it in one day without even bothering to edit. Without ruining the novel for anyone, it was simply missing too much - in terms of explanations, background details, character development, and tying together really choppy scenes, that it felt amateurish, trite and unmoving.
I can not recommend this novel and can't even imagine how anyone could like it, especially after the widespread success of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan." My recommendation: skip this book entirely and enjoy her other works instead.
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