sherri r said:

“My Thoughts About Peony In Love by Lisa See (spoiler)

In the beginning of the book, I was really excited for a great romantic story. What I thought would be the typical romantic story was anything but. The book started out very good but then something unexpected happened, Peony dies which I was very upset about. I almost decided to quit reading the book. But because I'm determined not to quit a book unless it's really terrible, I decided to stick with in until the end and am I glad I did.
As I came upon the last few chapters of the book it got really good and touching. Of course, it didn't end the way that I would have liked but it did end in a good way. Originally, I was interested in this book because I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and it sounded like a good continuation. When I read the acknowledgments section, I was very suprized by the fact that part of this story was based on real events. I find it really interesting and am now interested in reading more about the events from this period. I think it's a great thing to read about other cultures to gain an understanding of how things were. There is just so much to learn. I love, especially during the summer, to get lost in a book. Especially one like this.
I loved this book because it was more than just a love story. It touched on many themes such as the types of love. And, although I hated the fact that Peony dies, it was wonderful to watch how she grew and matured.
Another part of the book that I liked were the various times when Peony encounters her grandmother in the beginning. She learns about what her family really went through during the Cataclysm. I found it touching that Peony's Grandmother, Mother, and herself all shared in the love of writing. It was sad when in the beginning Peony's mother locks her in her room. As we later learn, she does this to try to protect her. This is sad but in the end things are resolved.
The concept of The Three Wives' was very interesting and played an important part in the overall story. I liked that after Ze died her spirit came back a few times. This was yet another thing that gave the story more definition.
It was interesting the concept of the three parts of the spirit after death. In Peony's case I felt sorry for her because things didn't always go the way they should have. After she ruined Ze, she made up for it with Yi. I found the end of this book very touching as far as the whole ghost wedding is concerned. It not only made Peony's spirit happy but it eased Ren's sadness. I was clad because I felt sorry that he was so sad about losing Peony,
I was shocked by the fact that beyond the main story the theme of the empowerment of women came up. For that time period I found it very surprising that women wanted to be heard. From what I understand, they wanted to have their own kind of education just as much as the men. So in closing, even though this book wasn't the way I thought, I am happy with it overall. i would definitely recommend it.”

posted Tuesday, June 10 2008