Considering the ending, which redeems so much which seemed sensational, tawdry and even dangerous and the fact that it is based on a true story, I was inclined to be generous. Occasionally, rarely, I read a book after which I need to take a few days to come up for air, so to speak. See follows the plot of a famous Chinese opera, The Peony Pavilion, by having her young maiden be so swept away with emotion and desire that she stops eating and loses her chance at earthly. 3)The women in the story were real women, as was Wu Ren. Her books include, “He was in my hair, my eyes, my fingers, my heart. This opera has a haunting effect on young girls, who long for true love in their arranged marriages. A must-read for Lisa See fans! The summary of the book is a little misleading. I just didn't like this book (though I did like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan). There were moments where I feel I can't read anymore because I am so overwhelmed with emotion, but I can never put the book down for any real length of time. But the depictions of the lives and values of wealthy Chinese families, especially this female view, are fascinating if horrifying. This book is quite hard to classify and I cannot even decide whether I liked it or not. Veering from the plot of the opera, she then shows how her maiden gains wisdom from the trials placed into her afterlife and eventually finds her voice by working with her earthly sister-wives. Peony in Love Lisa See, 2007 Random House, 2007 272 pp. In spring, moved to passion; in autumn only regret. For additional info about Peony in Love (such as project notes, … 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. Not a romance, but a love story with a twist. It takes place in 17th century China. The book "Peony in Love" was a great spiritual adventure in the Japanese culture. 'My eyes were shaped like bamboo leaves; my brows were like gentle brushstrokes limned by a calligrapher'. It's fascinating to see the differences from then to now, and also to realize that while there are differences, there are also many similarities today in women's oppression and sensoring as there were then. it's also one of these books where everything is set in motion by a COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE misunderstanding and I have absolutely no patience for those scenarios. Peony in Love is a romantic and tragic story. I wish I could add an extra star to my rating - this is a six-star novel. Peony In Love brings to life two 17th century writings - the opera "The Peony Pavilion which celebrates the supremacy of love over mortality, and "The Three Wives' Commentary" - musings on love inspired by "The Peony Pavilion". At her sixteenth birthday, she knows that her future is set but when she chances a meeting with a handsome man at a theater performance, she begins to feel a longing and desire that sets the course for this novel. Something no one mentioned but which I believe, is that in 17th century China there was a rash of cases of anorexia but they called it love sickness, occurring primarily in adolescents girls, and to me understandable because of the lack of any control over the destiny of your life. Almost every day I am consciously aware of how fortunate I am to be a woman in a society like Australia, where women are still not eq. Peony in Love has a few of the same elements but is, nicely, a different novel. Part 1 was okay, but it lagged a little for me; however, Part 2 really picked up when Peony continues to tell her story, but as a "hungry ghost". 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. Peony In Love by Lisa See is novel that not only explores the effect of qing and poetry in Chinese society during the reign of the Manchus, but also vividly depicts the realm of the Chinese underworld and ultimately, the many forms of love. The main female named "Peony" loves this opera and has 2 copies of it. InPeony in Love, she leads us on a literary adventure into the past that will have relevance to today’s readers who value drama, accuracy, and the lure of the written word.” The Boston Globe, Step Inside the World of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Step Inside the World of On Gold Mountain, Conversation with Lisa See and Her Mother, Carolyn See. Peony in Love. Peony in Love is a ghost story and a love story set in seventeenth-century China. As I told a friend, I CARED so much about what was happening with the characters, I was literally losing sleep. Love p. This book is amazing!!! Who is affected by the secrets and Romantic trysts, anorexic teenagers, mothers with secrets and women with literary ambition -- Lisa See's Peony in Love takes place in mid-17th-century China but … It takes place in 17th century China. Peony in Love is a ghost story and a love story set in seventeenth-century China. This is the first and only time that I have ever done that. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published As soon as it was done, I ran out and bought the book. The main character was swept away by her own love affair. Peony in Love Quotes Showing 1-30 of 58 “He was in my hair, my eyes, my fingers, my heart. She reads extensively but her favorite work is the Peony Pavilion--an opera. The research that Lisa See put into this novel is formidable as always. Although promised in an arranged marriage, Peony observes a “man-beautiful” poet from behind a screen at a performance of Pavilion, and she falls in love. June 26th 2007 Peony meets a boy, falls in love, and begins to follow some of the same experiences as the main character in the opera. Peony was very hesitant – but you see, a girl at her age ; one who is infatuated with thoughts of love and wallowed in an obsession of The Peony … Still, I struggled between liking what See did by giving us a view of life after death, and not caring for the toxicity of too much romance. The Garden Villa In 1598, with the completion of the opera,Tang became one of the most important promoters of qing—deep emotions and sentimental love. The novel begins by introducing Peony’s father. It centers around the opera "The Peony Pavilion." Reading the author's notes after finishing the book cinched the 5 star rating. The novel enlightens one about seventeenth century family relationships and ancestor veneration in China, beliefs about the afterlife, the history of a famous opera, "The Peony Pavilion" and the effects that it had on young women, the renaissance of women poets and writers during that era, foot-binding, marriage customs, the political scene at the time the Ming Dynasty fell and the Qing Dynasty took over, especially the effects of war on the population, and the life of the upper classes vs. that of the lower classes. 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. It centers around the opera "The Peony Pavilion." For young Peony, betrothed to a suitor she has never met, these lyrics from The Peony Pavilion mirror her own longings. "For young Peony, betrothed to a suitor she has never met, these lyrics from The Peony Pavilion mirror her own longings. Peony in Love also emphasizes the struggles both seventeenth- and nineteenth-century women in China faced in pursuing a sense of freedom and self in a country that reneged on gender equality, preferring the traditional and repressive norms of the patriarchy. Once again, I learned a lot about China and its captivating history through this author's writing! I don't want to give too much away. Peony In Love by Lisa See is novel that not only explores the effect of qing and poetry in Chinese society during the reign of the Manchus, but also vividly depicts the realm of the Chinese underworld and ultimately, the many forms of love. Peony in Love, “Engrossing…[a] thought-provoking meditation on what it means to be human.” People (Critic’s Choice) “There are grand and stately themes here—the transcendence of love, the silenced voices of women, the subversive power of art… Peony in Love is a transporting read, to lost worlds earthly and otherwise.” The Chicago Tribune “A quietly beautiful tale that sneaks into the reader’s heart… Not since Susie Salmon of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones has a ghostly narrator been as believable and empathetic.” San Antonio Express-News “See is gifted with a lucid, graceful style and a solid command of her many motifs.” The New York Times Book Review, “Shakespearean in its themes and emotional depths.” St. Paul Pioneer Press “A beautiful book about love that reads like an edge-of-your seat thriller you never want to put down or see end….The end of the book fairly soars and had me on the verge of tears. Set in 17th Century China, a young woman starves herself to death after falling in love with a man she fears she'll never be allowed to wed. Although promised in an arranged marriage, Peony observes a "man-beautiful" poet from behind a screen at a performance of Pavilion, and she falls in love. The novel enlightens one about seventeenth century family relationships and ancestor veneration in China, beliefs about the afterlife, the history of a famous opera, "The Peony Pavilion" and the effects that it had on young women, the renaissance of women … Lisa See’s novel, based on actual historical events, evokes vividly another time and place—where three generations of women become enmeshed in a dramatic story, uncover past secrets and tragedies, and learn that love can transcend death. Almost every day I am consciously aware of how fortunate I am to be a woman in a society like Australia, where women are still not equal to men but where we are free to make choices about our own lives and where mutilation, beatings and enslavement are outside the law, not accepted ways of treating women. Note: Because this project is categorized as in development, the data is only available on IMDbPro and is subject to change. Lisa See took a significant period during Chinese history about women writers at the end of the Ming dynasty to "capture the spirit of their story" in this eloquent fictional account. The ultimate artistic effect of “Peony in Love” hinges on the acceptance of the two great givens: the overpowering love ignited by a chaste moonlight tryst, … Because my daughter is learning about China, I gravitated towards this novel in eagerness to learn more about the power, or lack of power, that women have had in China throughout the centuries. PEONY IN LOVE is a haunting treatise about love’s possibilities and the devastating consequences meted out by fear of the unknown. A true work of art. and describes the life of a 15 year old girl named Peony, in a affluent family, educated, cloistered and in love with the opera, The Peony Pavilion which I hope I can also get a copy of to read. Added to which, … In seventeenth-century China, three women become emotionally involved with The Peony Pavilion, a famed opera rumored to cause lovesickness and even death, including Peony, the cloistered daughter of a wealthy scholar, who succumbs to its spell only to return after her death as a "hungry ghost" to haunt her former fiancé, who has married another. Peony In Love: A Novel by See, Lisa In seventeenth-century China, three women become emotionally involved with The Peony Pavilion, a famed opera rumored to cause lovesickness and even death, including Peony, the cloistered daughter of a wealthy scholar, who succumbs to its spell only to return after her death as a "hungry ghost" to haunt her former fianc?, who has married another. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Peony's discoveries and maturation were far more interesting to me, as was the reality of life beyond the grave and the lasting, wide-ranging and yet variable consequences of decisions. Summary I finally understand what the poets have written. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. To me it was historical fiction. So begins Peony's unforgettable journey of love and destiny, desire and sorrow -- as Lisa See's haunting new novel takes readers back to 17th century China, after the Manchus seize power and the Ming dynasty is crushed. To be fair, I didn't expect to like Peony, but one of the reviews said it "belonged in my beach bag,' which sounded like what I was after at the time. Had I not been in public upon reading the last page, I would have fallen….This is a book to be read and reread, savored and relived, pored over and relished.” The Book Reporter “See is a master storyteller, calling on her knowledge of history, myth, and current international events to craft intricate narratives that are at once edifying and evocative. From the Hardcover edition. View the words that I have no idea where it 's also one of these books where everything set. Portion of the lives and values of wealthy Chinese families, especially this female view, fascinating! 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