“This book was an enjoyable surprise! I just finished Lisa See's novel Snow Flower which I enjoyed but I really loved this one. It is historical fiction set in the seventeeth century China. The opera in question (The Peony Pavilion- written in 1598) is authentic and was permanently banned in China in 1868. The Three Wives Commentary, the maidens dying of Lovesickness and the concept of ghost marriages are all historically true. In the mid-seventeenth century more woman writers were being published than in all the rest of the world at that time. Out of the ordinary but interesting. ”
“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.”
“One of the finest books I have read in the past few years. A wonderful love story and passionate statement on the power of women as writers. I saw the ghost portion of the book as a comment on (and desire for) the human as spirit that transcends the grave, especially in light of the human desire to wish we could have known our ancestors or our parents' lives before we were born. The naivete of the narrator created empathy. The "rain and clouds" metaphor is interesting. ”
“I really didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped. Everyone raved about Snowflower so I had high hopes and I was disappointed. Maybe it's that it was historical fiction, which isn't my favorite, but the whole ghost thing and plot with the play was just a little farfetched for my taste. Some of the imagery was beautiful, though, and it was an interesting look into a culture I didn't know much about.”
“Excellent treatise on the Chinese beliefs in the after life wrapped around a love story - great read!”
“A journey to the afterworld, a love story, a bonding between women from innocenceto experience a great trip.Maxine”
“I really liked this book despite what some others have said. Snowflower and The Secret Fan was a wonderful book, but this book is equally wonderful :)”
