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Peony in Love: A Novel (Unabridged) | 
 enlarge | Author: Lisa See
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $21.00
You Save: $19.00 (48%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  99 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B000TD15IE
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 94 more reviews...
 Loved this book. October 10, 2008
I loved this book. I found it fascinating...tragic...hauntingly beautiful. I recommended it to a friend and she also loved it. It's a story that stayed with me for many weeks after I finished it. It was not at all what I expected as a "love story" in the traditional way, and thank goodness, because I'm not into "love stories". I chose it after reading and loving 'Snowflower and the Secret Fan' and I was not disappointed. Surprised, but not disappointed.
 The Naysayers were right September 30, 2008
I had been excited to see a new novel by one of my favorite authors and wanted more than anything to buy it. But when I read the reviews, I was daunted by the number of people recomending me NOT to read the book.
Nevertheless, I found myself at Borders with a dilhema - to replace my missing Snow Flower book or buy Peony in Love. After minutes of debating, I bought Peony, deciding to dismiss the naysayers as just people dissapointed over the lack of Snow Flower similarities. Besides, the beginning looked interesting.
However, when I got home, I almost immediately regretted my $20 choice. True, the beginning of the story was interesting, if not top notched. I noticed that the foot-binding scene was thrown in there almost randomly and the disbelief of shallowly falling for a man after seeing only his face behind a screen, just as some of the negativer reviewers pointed out.
But what the tipping point was happened after the first "book". Immediately, the story became a monotonous cycle of stalking and obsessiveness with a book. It was only my devotion that kept me reading.
Altogether, I was unsatisfied. I admire Lisa See for her attempt but I think she chose the wrong story to base her novel off of. I'd hate to compare it to Snow Flower but the harsh truth is, the two simply contrast in style and quality.
 Peony in Love September 3, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Peony in Love: A NovelI was disappointed in Peony in Love after having read Snowflower and the Secret Fan by the same author. Peony in love is too far out and unrealistic for my reading. Peony spent 2/3 of the book dead, talking about what went on with her after death in the afterlife and that is not my cup of tea.
Wonderfully Heart Wrenching August 29, 2008
This is a wonderful coming of age story about the 17th century daughter of a wealthy Chinese family. The main character is atypically presented which adds a further layer of depth to the novel. It is at times both incredibly sorrowful and deeply sweet. Lisa See is a master of descriptive language and imagery. This novel befits readers of a variety of ages - young women will associate with Peony's desperate roller-coasters of emotions, the middle aged set will appreciate the tumultuous path to wisdom.
 A beautiful get-away August 26, 2008
I originally picked up this book as a bit of light fun reading while on vacation in San Francisco. Although i was put off a little by how "cheesy" the idea of ghosts and people who are "fated" to be together, once i was able to separate myself from my traditional "Western Ideas" i fell in love with the imagery and passion invoked on every page. Like "Snowflower" this book challenged my usual view on love, a womans place and other cultures. I recommend this book to anyone with an open mind.
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