|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HELP | |
|
  $6.95 List price:
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:
Peony in Loveby Lisa See
Staff Pick
Lisa See aptly follows her blockbuster novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, with a lovely book that immerses the reader deep into 17th-century Chinese culture. Part love story, part ghost story, part historical fiction; See hangs the bones of her story on the plotline of the Ming Dynasty Chinese kunqu opera, "The Peony Pavilion." Find a quiet, shady spot and savor the imagery and majesty of this compelling book. Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:"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 wanderthe 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. Review:"Set in 17th-century China, See's fifth novel is a coming-of-age story, a ghost story, a family saga and a work of musical and social history. As Peony, the 15-year-old daughter of the wealthy Chen family, approaches an arranged marriage, she commits an unthinkable breach of etiquette when she accidentally comes upon a man who has entered the family garden. Unusually for a girl of her time, Peony has been educated and revels in studying The Peony Pavilion, a real opera published in 1598, as the repercussions of the meeting unfold. The novel's plot mirrors that of the opera, and eternal themes abound: an intelligent girl chafing against the restrictions of expected behavior; fiction's educative powers; the rocky path of love between lovers and in families. It figures into the plot that generations of young Chinese women, known as the lovesick maidens, became obsessed with The Peony Pavilion, and, in a Werther-like passion, many starved themselves to death. See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, etc.) offers meticulous depiction of women's roles in Qing and Ming dynasty China (including horrifying foot-binding scenes) and vivid descriptions of daily Qing life, festivals and rituals. Peony's vibrant voice, perfectly pitched between the novel's historical and passionate depths, carries her story beautifully — in life and afterlife. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"'Set in 17th-century China, See's fifth novel is a coming-of-age story, a ghost story, a family saga and a work of musical and social history. As Peony, the 15-year-old daughter of the wealthy Chen family, approaches an arranged marriage, she commits an unthinkable breach of etiquette when she accidentally comes upon a man who has entered the family garden. Unusually for a girl of her time, Peony has been educated and revels in studying The Peony Pavilion, a real opera published in 1598, as the repercussions of the meeting unfold. The novel's plot mirrors that of the opera, and eternal themes abound: an intelligent girl chafing against the restrictions of expected behavior; fiction's educative powers; the rocky path of love between lovers and in families. It figures into the plot that generations of young Chinese women, known as the lovesick maidens, became obsessed with The Peony Pavilion, and, in a Werther-like passion, many starved themselves to death. See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, etc.) offers meticulous depiction of women's roles in Qing and Ming dynasty China (including horrifying foot-binding scenes) and vivid descriptions of daily Qing life, festivals and rituals. Peony's vibrant voice, perfectly pitched between the novel's historical and passionate depths, carries her story beautifully — in life and afterlife. (July)' Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Review:"Lisa See's new novel continues her exploration of the Chinese past. 'Peony in Love' is in no formal sense related to her best-selling 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,' or her memoir 'On Gold Mountain,' but it profits from the same sensibility and comes from the same pen. This book has a three-part structure ('In the Garden,' 'Roaming with the Wind,' and 'Under the Plum Tree') and is deeply rooted... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) Review:"See successfully weaves the themes of the opera with her story and reveals how it speaks for many silent, foot-bound, repressed women." Rocky Mountain News Review:"There's much here to be savored and a great deal to be learned." Washington Post
VideoAbout the AuthorTo schedule a speaking engagement, please contact American Program Bureau at www.apbspeakers.com What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 2 comments: | ||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Don't Miss
