"Peony in Love" by Lisa See (Random
House, ISBN 9780812975222, $14.00)
Lisa See, author of the beloved bestseller "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,"
uncovers the many layers of the heart in her latest book, "Peony in Love."
Set in 17th Century China, the novel pays homage to the world's first
published women writers in a story of heartbreak, ghosts, and women's
creative power.
As always, love is complicated, and music is its inspiration: See's title
character, a young woman called Peony, becomes taken with the classic
Chinese opera "The Peony Pavilion," and like a character in the opera, she
soon dies of lovesickness. In the afterlife, Peony becomes a hungry ghost
and haunts her soul mate's household, where she watches his later wives and
strives to retain a place in his heart.
On its surface, "Peony in Love" is the story of a woman who gets her man,
but it's also an inquiry into the complications of love, its limitations and
possibilities, and an exploration of a fascinating world where matters of
the heart are strictly arranged, regimented by custom, rather than pursued
for individual satisfaction. It's a haunting and luminous love story.
Review by
Sarah
Bagby, March
20, 2008
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