| Title | : | Peony in Love |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 140006466X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781400064663 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 273 |
| Publication | : | First published June 26, 2007 |
Peony in Love Reviews
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5/1/14 EDIT: Sooo I stopped checking comments for months, and I come back to either rage or agreement with regard to my review. All I have to say is THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD. Also, if you're on the fence about whether or not to continue reading this book, don't read this review unless you're set on quitting.
Okay? Okay. Onwards to the actual review!
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I just couldn't finish it. And I tried. Really, really tried. Even after studying Chinese history extensively in college, I'm usually not very picky about the books that I read. I don't really care about the accuracy or the sequence of events, as long as it's a good story.
But maybe it's the cheesy title. Or maybe it's just too girly. Or maybe, just maybe, the fact that this foolish girl starved herself to death because of lovesickness was the last kick in the butt my usually sleepy (yet very existent) inner feminist could endure before waking and wanting to punch someone. I have enough idiots in my life to deal with. Please don't make me deal with more in my head. Granted, the book does somewhat cleverly depict the Chinese afterlife, but the rest was so blah and a little insulting to my intelligence and femininity. If I rolled my eyes any harder while reading this book, I would have fallen out of my chair.
I may return to skim through the pages again to finish but probably not anytime soon. -
3 out of 5 stars to
Lisa See's
Peony in Love, a historical fiction book released in 2007 by Random House set in 17th century China.
Why This Book
I found it sitting on a bookshelf in my condo's laundry room. I read the jacket description, which sounded like a beautiful tale of love, emotions and a little bit of history. I brought it home with me that afternoon, knowing it would come in handy. And when I finished up a few ARCs, I needed a different kind of book; I saw this on my own shelf, which reminded me it was time to try something a few years old. I picked it up and began reading last week. It took longer than usual, but I'll explain why later.
Overview of Story
The Peony Pavilion is a play that the character of Peony has read many times. When her father, of some wealth in 17th century China, puts on a showing of the famous play on his estate, 15-year old Peony is excited. But it's when she sees a boy for the first time, she cannot control her thoughts. Unfortunately, she's already paired off in an arranged marriage with a boy from another family, as well as the fact that as a girl, she's not even allowed to be seen with any males other than those in her own family.
The book follows the story line of the play, which seems to be spilling over into Peony's life. When she begins unknowingly starving herself, Peony dies and enters the afterworld on her own. She's unprepared to deal with the consequences and is remorseful that she never found love. She soon sees the boy she fell in love with in a dream, learning he was the man her father had arranged in the marriage. She longs for him but cannot have him, as she is dead and he is very much alive.
Soon, her family members begin dying and join her in the afterworld. The boy moves on and gets married. Peony inserts herself to their life from the great beyond, leading to unfortunate circumstances for all involved. As she meanders her journey, Peony learns what is needed for her to move beyond the "waiting place" and into her new existence as no longer alive.
Approach & Style
1. The book is centered around a play within the book which mirrors the main character's life. At times, it's a little difficult to tell which is real life and which is the play.
2. The language is very ethereal, flowery and imaginative. This is less about plot and more about the beauty of Chinese beliefs about what women are allowed to do, what happens in death, and how to live one's life.
Strengths
1. The love story is a strong one. You see and feel the poetry in the words and the relationships.
2. It's very descriptive of life in a warrior state in 17th century China. I learned a lot of history that I wasn't privy to beforehand.
3. You see everything thru Peony's eyes, which helps create a very strong world and point of view.
Open Questions & Concerns
I am shocked at what Chinese women were put thru... between the sacrifices women made for men, the binding of feet and the cultural expectations and limitations. It was very upsetting. I understand these were customs for hundreds of years, with deep-rooted beliefs... some are just awful from today's standards. Even awful back then.
Author & Other Similar Books
This is the first book about Chinese customs and history that I've read. I'm not sure what I could compare it to.... perhaps Memoirs of a Geisha, although it's a different country and belief system.
Final Thoughts
This was a very tough read. I started it ten days ago and read 20 pages. I tried a few times, but couldn't get into it. I forced myself to read 150 pages last night and then the remaining 100 today. It got better, but it wasn't a positive read for me; however, I recognize the beauty in the story, characters, imagery and setting. It's one of those books where I didn't like it a lot, but I know it's a good book.
I wish I had more knowledge of Chinese history and customs. Unfortunately, much of what happens in the book and how it's described went over my head. I didn't agree with how people felt or were treated. I didn't know why there was so much of a belief in ghosts with a vengeance. I couldn't get into religious and spiritual connections that were unfamiliar. And when I was getting close, I felt angry over how awfully these women were treated.
That said, I believe I would have liked this a lot more if I had a stronger background in the topics. The writing is good. The story is pretty. It's just a weak connection for me because I was unfamiliar with the core practices, history and belief systems. But for the right reader, it will probably be a good 3 to 4 rated book. For me, it was about a 2.5, and I rounded up to a 3 to be fair.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at
https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
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“"When people are alive they love, when they die, they keep loving. If love ends when a person dies, that is not real love"
I have a confession to make. I bought this book not by choice but by mere economic benefit. The paperback (the brand new one still wrapped in cellophane) was on sale and I bought it for a very fairly cheap price. Guess how much.
I was elated to discover that this is a historical novel as I made a recent promise to myself to increase my historical fiction reads. I dove right into the book and read every page as fast as I possibly could despite the challenge of going through realistic historical events set in 17th century China that kept threatening to put me to sleep. Luckily, I upped my dose of caffeine, so I was able to finish the book in less than two days. Yay!
This is mainly a love story or rather a story of love-sickness and in the point of view of a practical, modern woman, it would be the most foolish thing to starve yourself because of love and yes I am one of those women. Had it ended in that tragic death, I would say it would be just an overused lovesick tragic tale.
But it didn’t end there! The latter half of the story which I found very hauntingly fantastic presents the MC’s journey in the afterlife as her love for her one and only man transcends even death.
But far better than the story itself, I felt a greater pull toward the imaginative, vivid, and evocative writing of the author and the way she perfectly depicted ancient Chinese cultures and rituals on courtship, marriage and death and I found myself captivated.
Even though, I wasn’t a huge fan of the story, I highly commend
Lisa See for the brilliant artist that she is by writing this priceless artifact of a novel. -
I'm sure I wrote a review for this book too, at one point.... I have no idea where it's hanging out!
I liked this --- and I still remember it but I'm generally not a huge fan of books dealing with the afterlife.... but this was done really well. It's not a STRONG 5 star read - but it's close IMO .... you certainly learn about another aspect of this culture.
4.5 rating - round up to 5 stars -
Lisa See took a significant period during Chinese history about women writers at the end of the Ming dynasty to "capture the spirit of their story" in this eloquent fictional account. Not a romance, but a love story with a twist. Part 1 was okay, but it lagged a little for me; however, Part 2 really picked up when Peony continues to tell her story, but as a "hungry ghost". I found See's extensive research into Chinese life, culture, traditions and customs extremely fascinating, especially in regards to funerary rites and afterlife beliefs. I felt sympathetic towards several characters, especially the protagonist, Peony and her plight. Once again, I learned a lot about China and its captivating history through this author's writing! A must-read for Lisa See fans!
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This book is amazing!!! It is beautifully written (lovely descriptions and intricate details), well researched, and unbelievably touching. There were moments where I feel I can't read anymore because I am so overwhelmed with emotion, but I can never put the book down for any real length of time. I have become completely engrossed. The summary of the book is a little misleading. It describes the book as a love story. I do not find it to be one. Peony in Love is a romantic and tragic story. Love plays a big part, but not necessarily in the way I expected it to. More important in this book are the facts. 1)The traditions and beliefs practiced in the book were actually the beliefs and practices of the time, and some are really bizarre to me! 2)A woman's place in the society of that age. It's fascinating to see the differences from then to now, and also to realize that while there are differences, there are also many similarities today in women's oppression and sensoring as there were then. 3)The women in the story were real women, as was Wu Ren. Their comments on the play The Peony Pavilion are real and were compiled into a book: Wu Wushan’s Three Wives’ Collaborative Commentary of The Peony Pavilion. I don't want to give too much away. Please read it for yourself. One way or another you will be touched. It is a truly amazing read!
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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.)
I must say that I loved the first Lisa See novel that I read (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) and had high hopes for this one, and was severely disappointed. It just rambled on and on (SPOILER) even after the main character dies. Uggh. After the beautiful writing of “Snow Flower”, it was hard to read this– it was simply missing too much - in terms of explanations, background details, character development, and tying together really choppy scenes, that it felt amateurish, trite and unmoving. -
بعدَ أن انتهيت من قراءة هذه الرواية ، لا أعرف كيف أشعر ،
ولا كيف أشرح أحداثها ولا حتى كيف أصيغ عبارات هذه المراجعة ..
مع التركيز على الأخيرة !
منحت الرواية خمس نجمات ..
(أربع للكاتبة والقصة والفكرة ككل و أوبرا حديقة الفاوانيا - ونجمة للترجمة الجميلة جداً و المثالية والخالية من الأخطاء )
تدور هذه الرواية في الصين وفي زمن لم يسمح فيه للنساء بالخروج من المنازل حيث هنَّ حبيسات الغرف الداخلية ، ولا يشاركن بأي شكل في الحياة العامة ،ولا يجب أن يتحدث أحد عن إنجازات إمراة أو يحتفل بها .
إنها عن مجتمع إمتلأ بالخوف من الفن فقط لأن ( الحياة تقلد الفن ).
إنه مجتمع امتلأ بالظلم تجاه المراة في كل شيء ، حيث تنشيء العائلات الفتيات للزواج فقط ، والفتيات من الطبقة الغنية والراقية فقط هن من يحصلن على فرص أفضل في الزواج وذلك لأن عائلاتهن غنية ولأنهن ( مربوطات القدمين - ربط القدمين هو أكثر الأدلة على أن هذه الفتاة من عائلة غنية ومن الطبقة الراقية )
مجتمع لا يعترف بالمرأة ولا بحقوقها وأن لها رأياً وكيانا مستقلا . يعاملها معاملة الجمادات في أحيان كثيرة كانت تباع وتشترى وكان الملح أعلى ثمنا منها .
وبالنسبة لمعظمهم - فإن المرأة الجاهلة وحدها هي من تعتبر إمراة صالحة !
قد لا تكون الفكرة بهذه السهولة التي أعرضها في مراجعتي ..
وقعت أحداث هذه الرواية خلال حكم المانشو للصين
( كان المانشو شعبا يختلف كثيراً عن الصينين ولم يمارسوا عادة ربط الأقدام مثلا - كانت أسرة «مينج» تحكم الصين حتى عام 1644، وبعدها أصبح حكم الصين لأسرة المانشو، حكمت أسرة المانشو من عام 1645 حتى عام 1911، أى أكثر من قرنين ونصف القرن.. من منتصف القرن السابع عشر وحتى قبيل الحرب العالمية الأولى.. وهى مدة طويلة وعصيبة فى آن. ) ، وهي فترة (قبل حكم المانشو وخلاله ) سادت فيها قيم مجتمعية جديدة وبعض الإنفتاح الثقافي والحريات حيث نشرت بعض النساء كتاباتهن ، ولكنها لم تطل فسوف ينغلق المجتمع نفسه من جديد و تعاد النساء إلى غرفهن الداخلية وهذه المرة إلى الأبد "تقريبا" حتى عام 1912 حينَ سقطت الأمبراطورية الصينية .
أكثر ما يعبر عن هذه الرواية أتى على لسان البطلة هنا :
"بدأت أستعيد قوتي واستجمع تصميمي وعزمي وتذكرت مجدداً أن هدفي ، ككل النساء والفتيات ، هو أن أجعل صوتي مسموعاً . "
هذه البطلة تبحث عن صوتها في إطار قصة طويلة ، تبحث عن تقرير مصيرها تكافح وتناضل ..
تجد زهرة الفاوانيا صوتها ويصل كما أرادت ، وتعيش عبر قصائدها وكتاباتها التي تركتها خلفها بعد وفاتها ..
وعبر جهود ثلاث زوجات ( هي الزوجة الأولى من بينهن ) تابعت كل منهن عمل الأخرى حتى تمَ نشر التعليق الأول والأشهر على أوبرا حديقة الفاوانيا .
هذه الرواية ليست فقط عن زهرة الفاوانيا ، إنها عن النساء في ذلك الزمن ، حيث نرى جدتها التي ضحت بنفسها من أجل العائلة ووالدتها الشاعرة التي تناقل الجميع قصائدها وإن لم يعرفوا من القائل ، وعضوات نادي حديقة الموز ، وغيرهن .
إنها رواية عن الحب ، و عن أوبرا خالدة ، وبحث طويل عن الحرية .
*تحذير :
هذه الجزء من المراجعة يحتوي على تفاصيل لأحداث الرواية ...
تستند رواية Peony in Love إلى أحداث حقيقية ..
تبدأ مع أوبرا Peony Pavilion أو حديقة الفاوانيا ..
كتبها تانغ خيانجو ، في العام 1598 اكتملت الأوبرا وقدمت الأوبرا لأول مرة ، وأصبح تانغ من أهم المشجعين على العواطف العميقة والحب .. ولكنه حوربَ من قبل الحكومة ومن قبل مجموعات اجتماعية لم ترغب بوجود هكذا أوبرا واعتبرتها سياسية فوق الحد وتسيء لأخلاقيات المجتمع .. وخضعت الأوبرا للرقابة حتى أصبحت ثمانية مشاهد فقط من أصل خمس وخمسين مشهداً.
وتوقفت طباعة نسخها المكتوبة ..
وفي 1780 ازدادت حدة معارضة الأوبرا ووصفت بـ أنها مجدفة ..
وفي العام 1868 أصدر الإمبراطور الصيني تانغجي التحريم الرسمي الأول واصفا حديقة الفاونيا بالفاسدة .. قأمر بإحراق كل النسخ وتحريم كل انتاجاتها ، بما فيها أي تعليق كتب عنها ..
وتستمر الرقابة على هذه الأوبرا حتى يومنا هذا ..
تقول الكاتبة ليزا سي .: باستثناء اللقاءات العاطفية بين شخصين غير متزوجين اعتقد أنني أعرف لماذا اعتبر الناس هذه الأوبرا مزعجة .. لأنه أول عمل أدبي في تاريخ الصين تقوم فيه البطلة ، وهي فتاة في السادسة عشرة من عمرها بتقرير مصيرها ..
وفي تلك الأيام سمح للنساء في استثناءات نادرة بقراءة الأوبرا دون سماعها أو مشاهدتها ..
تأثرت الفتيات الثريات والمتعلمات ممن أتيحت لهن تلك الفرصة (فتيات بين 13 و 16 وزيجاتهن مرتبة مسبقاً ) بقصة الأوبرا أكثر من غيرهن ..
فقد قلدن البطلة "لينيانغ" وامتنعن عن الطعام وذبلن ومتن وكلهن أمل أنهن قد يستطعن بطريقة ما أن يحددن أقدراهن مثل لينيانغ .
حدث هذا في الصين في القرن السابع عشر وعرفن تلك الفتيات بالعذارى الملتاعات ..
بطلة الرواية (زهرة الفاواتيا ) هي واحدة من تلك الفتيات ..
قرأت كل نسخ الأوبرا . وتشبعت بها وعشقتها وتماهت معها ..
واحتفالا بعيد ميلادها السادس عشر وقبل أشهر قليلة من زواجها المدبر مسبقا .. قرر والدها أن ينتج نسخة منزلية من الأوبرا واستضافة كثير من الأثرياء وكبار القوم في المدينة وكان من ضمن المدعوين خطيب ابنته (رين وو ) ..
وسمح لنساء المنزل والضيفات بالإستماع للأوبرا - لا مشاهدتها .. ومجرد الموافقة على استماعهن للاوبرا هو حدث نادر وربما لم يحدث من قبل ..
ولأن الأوبرا طويلة ومليئة بالمشاهد والموسيقى ..
قرر والدها أن تستمر لثلاث ليال ..
في الليلة الأولى تسترق زهرة الفاوانيا النظر عبر الستار ، لترى شابا وسيما واسترعي كل اهتمامها .
وتترك الحفل المقام على شرفها لتستنشق بعض الهواء النقي وبالصدفة تلتقي ذلك الشاب وتتحدث معه وتكتشف أنه شاعر ..
وت��تقيه في الليلتين التاليتين أيضاً ..وتقع في حبه .. وتقرر انها لم تعد تريد الزواج بخطيبها ..
وبسبب سلسلة من الأحداث جمع بينها الحظ السيء وسوء التفاهم ( نعرف أن خطيبها و الشاب الوسيم هما الشخص ذاته ولكن زهرة الفاوانيا لا تعرف ذلك ) وسوء الحظ هذا سيلازمها طويلا .
فـ تعزف عن الطعام وتستغرق في قراءة أوبرا حديقة الفاوانيا وتبدأ بكتابة تعليقها على الأوبرا وتكتب أيضاً الكثير من الشعر لحبيها ..
وحين تعرف الحقيقة أخيراً يكون الآوان قد فات ..
وتكون هي على فراش الموت تحتضر .
لتموت زهرة الفاوانيا ..
في الجزء الثاني من الرواية نستغرق في طقوس الموت الصينية وكثير من صور الحياة ما بعد الموت .
في الأجزاء المتبقية من الرواية ، تكافح زهرة الفاوانيا من أجل أن تكمل كتابة أفكارها ورأيها في أوبرا حديقة الفاوانيا وفي هذه الأثناء يكون رين وو ( حبيبها والرجل الذي كان من المقرر أن تتزوجه ) يتزوج من ابنة المفوض تان "زي".
بعد أن تكتب زي تان تعليقها على جزء آخر من الأوبرا تموت هي الأخرى ..
وبعد مرور عدة سنوات يتزوج رين للمرة الثالثة من كيان بي ..
والتي تكمل عمل الزوجتين السابقتين وتتمم التعليق على الأوبرا وتنشره بمساعدة زوجها رغم اعتراض المجتمع ولكن التعليق ينشر احيراً وباسم الزوجات الثلاث .
في الرواية كثير من التقاليد الصينية / مثل عادة ربط الأقدام "المريعة " والأشباح الجائعة والأشباح الغاضبة والساعية للإنتقام ، وقد يكون أغربها طقس زواج الأشباح .
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أخيراً أود أن أتحدث عن الترجمة..
ترجمة الرواية التي قامت بها الدار العربية للعلوم جميلة جدا .
بإستثناء ترجمة اسم الرواية ، فاسمها هو موعد مع القدر ..
وهي ترجمة غير موفقة ..
فمن اسم جميل مثل Peony in Love إلى اسم مستهلك ولا نكهة له ولا معنى مثل موعد مع القدر . -
زهرة الفاوانيا العاشقة
رواية تتحدث عن شابة صينية في القرن السابع عشر وقصة عشقها البريئة وأحداث حياتها ووفاتها وعجائب اخرى على مدى اربعين عاما واكثر
للمرة الاولى اقرأ عن الصين وفي الادب الصيني واتعرف على تراث وتقاليد وشعائر وخرافات مبهرة لهذا الشعب العظيم
رغم غرابة واختلاف العديد من الامور والثقافات والاديان والمجتمعات في الرواية عن كل ما اعرفه الا ان اوجه التشابه كانت عديدة ووجدت نفسي في كثير من الافكار والمشاعر ربما لان الرواية تتحدث عن الروابط السرية العميقة بين النساء ارتبطت بها ولكن مما لاشك فيه انها رواية تستحق الاقتناء وانصح بها جدا خصوصا للبنات رغم ان عنوان الرواية يتحدث عن الحب ومحتواها عموما عن قصة حب خيالية الا انها راقية ولاتجد فيها ابتذال ونجاسة وقلة الاحترام في الروايات الاخرى
الرواية بكل بساطة نالت اعجابي الشديد جدا واستمتعت بها حتى النهاية واتمنى لو اراها كعمل سينمائي او انيمي :-) -
Lyrical and heartbreaking, it was an epic on the many different types of love that make the human experience worthwhile. I also loved the afterlife aspect, it added so much hope and depth to the story’s message. A valuable read for anyone who loves deeply.
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This book sucked....it was trying too hard to be existential and had wierd poetry and the story went nowhere, but pretended that it would.
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Occasionally, rarely, I read a book after which I need to take a few days to come up for air, so to speak. A book that moves me so deeply and which leaves me thinking ...and thinking. Peony in Love is just such a book. A true work of art. Amazing, beginning to end. As I told a friend, I CARED so much about what was happening with the characters, I was literally losing sleep. I wish I could add an extra star to my rating - this is a six-star novel. Kudos to Lisa See for knocking another one out of the park (and then some).
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I just didn't like this book (though I did like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan). To be fair, I didn't expect to like Peony, but one of the reviews said it "belonged in my beach bag,' which sounded like what I was after at the time. I just couldn't get into it. I think because there's SO much exposition of this Chinese opera in the background, and too little (for me anyway) about the main characters. it's also one of these books where everything is set in motion by a COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE misunderstanding and I have absolutely no patience for those scenarios.
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Kažkada jau esu minėjusi – skaityti knygas apie rytus man visada yra iššūkis. Smegenyse turiu kažkokią spragą, kuri trukdo įsiminti veikėjų vardus, vietovardžius ir amžinai turiu grįžti bent kelis skyrius, kad atsiminčiau kas ir apie ką ten dalykus daro. Bet Peonės knygos anotacija sužavėjo – dvelkė mistika ir nelaiminga meile. Dažniausiai tai žadą gerą, ar bent jau emocijų kupiną istoriją. Pasiryžau.
Peonei dar tik šešiolika, tačiau ji netrukus bus ištekinta už tėvo išrinkto vyro. Vestuvių ji ir laukia, ir baiminasi, tačiau iki jų ji labai nori pamatyti išsvajotą operą „Bijūnų paviljonas“. Deja, tai nėra taip paprasta, kaip gali pasirodyti iš pirmo žvilgsnio. Kūrinys yra griežtai uždraustas netekėjusioms merginoms. Esą, jį pamačiusios jos gali užsitraukti nelaimingos meilės ligą ar net mirtę. Tačiau gąsdinimai absoliučiai nebaugina merginos ir ji įsmunka į operos užkulisius. Tačiau ne tik ją Peonė pamato. Ten ji pamto ir jauną vaikiną, kuris sujaukia tvarkingai surikiuotus merginos jausmus ir mintis.
Ir tada nutinka labai didelis kūrinio posūkis, kuris viską kardinaliai apverčia. Neišduosiu nieko, tik pasakysiu, kad knyga visai nėra tokia, kokia atrodo iš pirmo žvilgsnio. Čia labai daug mistikos, papročių, tradicijų, dvasinių reikalų ir istorijos. Autorė visa tai išmano ne ką prasčiau už Kinijos gyventojus ir savo žinias tikrai originaliai suguldo romane. Tiems, kurie domisi mano išvardintais rytų dalykais – ši knyga bus tikras džiaugsmas ir atradimas. Pavyzdžiui, daug dėmesio skiriama moterų kojų rišimui. Kažkada, mokykloje žinojau šitą faktą, bet liko jis kažkur šešėliuose, o dabar buvo pirmintas. Na, ir žiaurus paprotys. Internete paieškojau pavyzdžių… Brr.. Galėjau neieškoti. Ir panašių dalykų romane rasite daug. Asmeniškai man čia buvo per daug mistikos, per mažai besikeičiančio veiksmo, per daug postringavimų, per mažai realybės. Čia visai neblogai įpinta labai švelni erotika, bet labiausiai džiaugiuosi prisiminusi užmirštus faktus ir Kinijos istoriją, kuri yra tikrai labai paslaptinga ir įdomi. -
'My eyes were shaped like bamboo leaves; my brows were like gentle brushstrokes limned by a calligrapher'.
The notion that 17th century Chinese characters would speak like this for the benefit of 21st century English-speaking readers is preposterous to say the least. It is obvious that the author has conducted extensive research on the history and culture of late Ming/ early Qing dynasty Hangzhou, and the fruits of that research abound in this historical-supernatural novel. However, the anthropological details, more often than not, tend to choke the life out of the characters and sometimes even the narrative itself.
The historical fact behind the story itself is interesting, namely that the cultural renaissance that took place in late Ming dynasty Hangzhou gave aristocratic Chinese women unprecedented access to education, and even enabled them to actively participate in the literary scene. Three of these women, all the wives of Wu Ren, wrote The Three Wives Commentary on the Peony Pavillion, apparently the 'first book of its kind to have been published anywhere in the world to have been written by women', according to the author. However, instead of telling us the story of how these women managed to write such a work, the author chose to wallow in questionable exoticism and new-agey philosophizing. The emphasis on exoticism, some of which seem to be contrived for the benefit of Western audiences, reduces the complexity and richness of Chinese culture into a set of cruel customs and absurd superstitions.
SPOILERS
Peony is an insipid 16-year old girl who wilfully starves herself to death after she was betrothed to a stranger, who later turns out to be her paramour, Wu Ren. For some undecipherable reason (morbidity?, stupidity?), she never bothers to inquire about the identity of her fiancee until it is too late. Due to some sort of a shenanigan involving her ancestral tablet, she is condemned to spend her time wandering the afterlife as a hungry ghost. This exploration of the Chinese afterlife is interesting for a while, but it quickly degenerates into a mushy ghost story when Peony decides to stalk her former fiancee. With her ghostly powers, she interferes in his life, including choosing and grooming a three-year old girl for his future wife. The ick factor multiplies when we learn that she also participates (in her ghostly way) in the couple's bedroom activities. Finally, after further trials and tribulations, she is released from her status as a hungry ghost to join her revered ancestors in heaven.
Two stars for the story and writing, an extra star for the research. -
Romanul este alcatuit din 3 parti: "In gradina", "Ratacind cu vantul" si "Sub prun". La inceput avem inserata prefata din opera lui Tang Xianzu (1598) "Pavilionul bujorilor" din care am retinut un foarte frumos citat:
"Iar dragostea care apare in vis nu este neaparat ireala, pentru ca in aceasta lume exista indragostiti de vis."
O cunoastem apoi pe Floare-de-Bujor, o fata draguta de 16 ani ce asteapta cu nerabdare festivitatile care vor avea loc de ziua ei. Familia sa este bogata si duce o viata rafinata, imbelsugata si fericita. Tatal ei pregateste o reprezentatie dupa "Pavilionul Bujorilor" drept cadou de ziua ei. Acesta va fi un spectacol la care vor participa multi invitati de seama.
Fetele nemaritate sunt crescute dupa reguli stricte astfel ca nu au voie sa fie vazute in public pana la casatorie. Drept urmare, Floare-de-Bujor va trebui sa vada spectacolul ascunsa fiind in spatele unui paravan. Acolo, printre invitati zareste un tanar barbat care ii fura inima la prima vedere. Problema este ca ea este deja promisa si logodita, fiind un aranjament facut intre familii fara sa se tina cont de dorinta ei. Barbatul o convinge sa se intalneasca cu el in secret si dupa 3 intalniri magice ea este nevoita sa uite de el si sa se pregateasca de nunta.
Fata sufera cumplit, nu mananca si vrea sa moara din dragoste, la fel ca eroina din "Pavilionul bujorilor", frumoasa Liniang. Cumplit, chiar cu 5 zile inainte de casatorie, cand deja starea ei de sanatate e grava, din cauza inanitiei, afla ca strainul de care se indragostise este cel care-i va fi sot si atunci... moare! Acest fapt mi s-a parut atat de stupid si dezamagitor incat am refuzat sa citesc mai departe. Mi s-a parut o tragedie gratuita insuportabila si desi in urmatoarele 2 parti Floare-de-Bujor vegheaza de sus asupra vietii alesului sau, mie nu mi-a placut aceasta abordare spirituala. Daca se intampla la finalul povestii, sau daca cei doi mureau impreuna pentru o cauza ca in "Romeo si Julieta", as fi inteles. Asadar eu m-am oprit cu cititul dupa prima parte, aproximativ 125 de pagini.
Coperta este foarte frumoasa, feminina, gratioasa, ca ale celorlate carti din aceasta serie.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate pe care le-am cules din prima parte a cartii:
"Tine-ti mereu gura, ma sfatuia ea. Iar daca trebuie sa vorbesti, asteapta pana apare momentul potrivit. Sa nu jignesti pe nimeni."
"M-a invatat ca viata imita arta. Mi-a spus ca prin citit puteam intra in lumi diferite de a mea. Iar cand ridic pensula sa scriu pot sa-mi exersez intelectul si imaginatia."
"O fiica prea educata este o fiica moarta, a tunat mama. Talentul nu este un dar pe care ar trebui sa i-l dorim Florii-de-Bujor. Unde crezi ca vor duce toate aceste lecturi? La fericirea nuptiala sau la dezamagire, vestejire si moarte?"
"Nu sangerarea lunara ma facea femeie; nici logodna, nici noile abilitati invatate. Dragostea era cea care ma transforma in femeie."
"Poezia a venit pe pamant sa te insenineze, nu sa-ti corupa mintea, gandurile si emotiile. Trebuie sa fii prezentabila, sa vorbesti bland, insa sa nu spui nimic, sa te speli bine si des si sa ai o minte in armonie. Doar asa iti vei purta virtutea pe chip." -
3/5
Nemėgstu per daug įsipatoginti rinkdamasi skaitomas knygas. Todėl kartais nei iš šio, nei iš to, išsikeliu sau kokius nors knyginius iššūkius. Išbandyti naują žanrą, autorių, kuris, atrodo, ne visai „mano“, grįžti prie klasikos ar atrasti kitokias temas. Jei šiaip gyvenime esu gana tipinė introvertė, tai knygos padeda išlipti iš tos komforto zonos, kurioje dažnai esu patenkintai įsitaisiusi. Taip nutiko ir su „Nepaprasta Peonės meile“.
Rytų šalių kultūra man niekada neatrodė nei tam tikra siekiamybė, nei kažkas itin artimo. Tiek grožio, tiek daugumos vertybių suvokimas, tiek filosofija tuose kraštuose man atrodo gana svetimi, tačiau pažinti dar neatrastus žemės plotelius kažin ar kam pakenkė. Ir visgi įsitikinau, kad buvau teisi. Netgi ir nemenkai cinikei kaip man kūrinys kėlė pakankamai nemažai pykčio ir slogumo. Dėl to, kaip Kinijoje stipriai ir giliai įsišaknijusios tokios siaubingos tradicijos, žalojančios ne tik moterų moralę, bet visų pirma jų kūnus. Dėl to, kad viskas, ką tuo metu darė moterys, tai buvo gražios lėlės. Dėl to, kad patriarchija tuose kraštuose, rodos, įgijo visiškai nesuvokiamą galią. Dėl to, kad moteris be vyro – bene tas pats kas mirusi. O ir su vyru ji dažnai tiesiog niekas – jokio laisvo pasirinkimo, jokių nuopelnų, rimtų pomėgių, aiški užduotis gimdyti ir auginti palikuonis. O ir šie pageidautinai turi būti sūnūs, kitaip kokia juk prasmė. Ir taip, sakysit – juk žinojai, kad tokie dalykai vyko, ir jie vyko visur. Bet žvilgsnis iš arčiau privertė kuriam laikui stabtelėti ir susimąstyti. Skaityti ištisus puslapius apie tai, kaip moterys ir mergaitės rišo savo pėdas ir priverstinai keitė kaulų išsidėstymą tam, kad atrodytų gležnesnės ir patrauklesnės vyrams, kaip bet kokie kiti jų talentai yra užgniaužiami, o jiems prasiveržus nuopelnus susirenka, taip, atspėjot, vyrai, buvo kankinama patirtis. O ir pykau ne ant veikėjų. Jie juk negalėjo įsivaizduoti kitokio gyvenimo, kai aplinkui matė tik tai. Nežinau ant ko pykau. Pasaulio? Savęs, kad leidausi į tokį mazochistišką nuotykį?
Sunku buvo tapatintis ir su vaizduojamomis moterimis, ir su jų išgyvenimais. Gal dėl to, kad negalėjau pritarti tam, kam pritarė jos, net ir suvokdama visą istorinį kontekstą ir aplinkybes. Kai kur istorija pasirodė kiek per daug melodramatiška, per daug naivi ir saldi, artėjanti prie YA žanro ir kiek užtęsta. Tačiau mėgstantiems jausmingus ir jautrius pasakojimus bei norintiems daugiau sužinoti apie rytų kultūras, šis kūrinys – tikras lobynas. Čia rasite nemažai istorinio konteksto, XVII a. kasdienybės detalių, itin plačiai nagrinėjamą kinų filosofiją bei atversite skrynią į jų dvasių pasaulį. Visa tai ne man, įsitikinau. Per daug noro papurtyti kiekvieną veikėją už pečių ir bandyti jį įtikinti, kad jis gali geriau. Kad gyvenimas gali būti geresnis. Net jei suvokiu, kaip absurdiškai tai skamba, o juk ir kalbame apie laikotarpį šimtus metų atgal. Tačiau iššūkio nesigailiu. -
Peony is a 15-year-old girl in Manchu China who falls in love with the opera The Peony Pavilion, a love story in which the ghost of a girl is brought back to life by the man she loves. Peony's father hosts a production of the opera (which Peony assumes is for her, rather than to impress the powerful men that her father has visiting), and Peony meets a young man three nights in a row. She falls in love with him, but at the end of the third night they know they both must go on to their arranged marriages and will most likely never see each other again. Peony becomes obsessed with the opera, and stops eating almost completely in her want to write a complete commentary on it.
Anything more will spoil significant parts of the plot, but I'll say that it heavily involves ghosts and the Chinese afterworld. It's really a fascinating read, both to get an idea of the "lovesick girls" (who actually did exist--girls who wasted away, pining for love after reading The Peony Pavilion) and to get a better understanding of old Chinese ghosts and death rituals. It's a little fantastical at times, but it definitely not so much that it overtakes the core of the novel: a woman's craving to be heard.
Definitely nothing like her previous novel,
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, but I think that's what made it so great. It gives a good understanding of other aspects of Chinese culture, in a time where women were trying to have their creative voices heard rather than continuing their quiet existence in their family's inner chambers. Very beautiful story! -
التقاليد سمة مميزة لكل شعب الا ان البعض منها يزيد عن حده ويلغي بشرية الانسان ومشاعره.. أن نأخذ العلاقات وتقريبا كل شيء من باب الالتزام والمسؤولية فقط لا غير وعلى رأس ذلك العلاقات الأسرية بين الكبار والصغار.. والوضع الاجتماعي المربك للمرأة اما أن تكون زوجة فاضلة يتعامل معها الرجل من منطلق المسؤولية والواجب واما أن تكون محظية محبوبة وملعونة في نفس الوقت.. وبفضل التقاليد طبعا يتم عقاب الناس على أشياء لا ذنب لهم بها كما لو كانت الفضيلة هي القوة والرذيلة هي الضعف فيصبح المجتمع طبقي ويتميز بالقسوة وعدم الرحمة وتفرقة بالتعامل الى أبعد حد ممكن.. أبرزت ليزا سي كل ذلك من خلال شخصياتها النسائية بأسلوب في غاية الخيال والرقة..
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The first time I had contact with this book, was by listening to it on my way to work. As soon as it was done, I ran out and bought the book. I just *needed* to view the words that I had heard on the audiobook. As soon as I finished reading the last page, I turned to page 1 and started over again. This is the first and only time that I have ever done that. This is one of my all time favorite books, and I keep a copy beside my bed, so it is never far from my mind...
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Everyone seems to put her first book, Snow Flower, with 5 stars and this much lower. Not I, they are just SO different. And this book is Lisa See's most underrated (as of 2013), IMHO. It is a mystical characterization. And also completely of that culture and time- so much so that many moderns just don't "get" it. Lisa See can convey with words a physical and psychological state that is also untypical and pathological to the nth degree. This is proof.
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Lisa See's writing is beautiful, and I understand this book is supposed to be about the women of China who wanted their voices to be heard. But what I found really fascinating about it was the descriptions of Chinese rituals and superstitions, and learning what the Chinese thought about death. The descriptions were so vivid to me that I felt like I could really see the pavilions, the plum tree, the Viewing Terrace.
There were so many sentences that made me reflect about life in general. "My heart is empty and my life has no value anymore. Each moment is a thousand tears." " No one can exist without joy, anger, grief, fear, love, hate and desire. The Seven Emotions are what makes us human." This is a well written historical fiction novel. -
A friend recommended I read this book, possibly because she knows I am interested in Chinese history. I did skip right through it so that I could talk to her about it. Syrupy romances and ghost stories are way out of my reading range. But the depictions of the lives and values of wealthy Chinese families, especially this female view, are fascinating if horrifying. Almost every day I am consciously aware of how fortunate I am to be a woman in a society like Australia, where women are still not equal to men but where we are free to make choices about our own lives and where mutilation, beatings and enslavement are outside the law, not accepted ways of treating women.
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As i was making my way through the first section of Peony in Love, i was beginning to think i should have paid more heed to the valentine heart on its spine (my library system's way of signifying that it was of the romance genre) because Peony was mooning like a lovesick girl who knew not enough of the world and it was all just a little overmuch for me.
But then she died, and it got so much better. I had rather eagerly anticipated this novel, because i had loved Lisa See's last, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
Set shortly after the fall of the Ming Dynasty in seventeenth century China and based on real historic characters and works of literature, Peony in Love is an involving tale of an often unknown period of women writers.
Soon to celebrate her sixteenth birthday (on the the rather auspicious Double Seven~the seventh day of the seventh month~for which her father has commissioned a very special performance of the opera The Peony Pavilion, her very favorite~and scandalously enough women will be allowed to watch, though from behind a screen.) Peony is also about to embark on young womanhood, is betrothed to a man she has not met (as Chinese tradition of the day dictated) and will soon be marrying out. On the first night of the three-night opera she leaves to take some air and meets a young poet who reminds her of the hero of the opera. It is, but of course, love at first sight. Peony is destined to pine away for her young poet and die of love-sickness before she can be married as have so many young girls before her~victims just like the heroine the idolize in the The Peony Pavilion.
It is only after death that Peony can begin to see the world and her family for what they really are, even though these perceptions go through a couple of changes even then. She continues her growth process even after death. After death she learns of the relationships her family members had with each other, as well as changing her views about the relationships she had with them. She develops a relationship with the grandmother she has always worshiped and respected as an ancestor and learns to see her as a real woman. Peony grows into a woman who makes mistakes and longs to be heard (a problem of many women as they moved from the slightly more liberal Ming dynasty to the more repressive Manchus, even more so for Peony facing the challenges of being a ghost), she also grows to truly love her husband in death and learns to recognize the difference between that and what she felt as a young girl. Though many of the elements of this tale i could see coming i still enjoyed the process of reading about them (and isn't that what it's all about anyway~and there really aren't any new tales to tell~isn't that part of the point?)
See does a beautiful job of depicting the turmoil of the teenage heart, as well as the problems faced with growing older and facing our mistakes, though she did it in a novel way. She also illuminated a Chinese belief system that i knew nothing about. I deeply enjoyed this novel and gained an even greater appreciation for See's artistry. It made me want to learn more about The Three Wives Commentary, the original inspiration for this novel, which was the "first book of its kind to been published anywhere in the world to have been written by women" (the three consecutive wives of Wu Ren) as well as bringing back memories of the wonderful but haunting Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by the incomparable Maxine Hong Kingston. -
فجعني الموت ولم أعرف أنه البداية لعالم غريب من الأسلاف والأشباح الجائعة. كم هو قاس الشرق على المرأة وكم أجرمت الصين في حقها حتى في المعتقدات والأساطير. المرأة التي تموت عند الولادة يحكم على روحها أن تذهب إلى بحيرة تجميع الدم عقابا لها على تركها لطفلها وزوجها وكأنها اختارت الموت بنفسها؟! والمرأة التي ينسى اهلها -أو يتعمدون- عدم وضع نقطة حمراء لها في لوح الأسلاف عند موتها تهيم روحها كشبح جائع لا يتذكره أحد، وكذلك المرأة التي لا تقدم لها القرابين. المضحك في الأمر أن الأسلاف الذين يتحكمون في المصائر من الممكن رشوتهم.
تكمن قيمة هذه الرواية في العوالم التي تفتحها لنا لفهم أعمق لثقافة من الصعب الوصول إلى عمق تراثها -
I really enjoyed reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Peony in Love has a few of the same elements but is, nicely, a different novel. Peony is the only child of a wealthy couple who experienced some hard times during the Manchu raids. Peony, encouraged by her father, loves to read. She reads extensively but her favorite work is the Peony Pavilion--an opera. Her father stages the opera at her home and the women are allowed to watch through a screen. Peony meets a boy, falls in love, and begins to follow some of the same experiences as the main character in the opera. Convinced that she'll be marrying someone other than the boy she met, she succumbs to "lovesickness" and slowly starves herself to death. Mix-ups happen and Peony's spirit isn't able to move on since her tablet hasn't been dotted yet. A good portion of the novel is her experiences as her ghost waits to be able to move on in the afterlife.
I enjoyed the novel. I don't know a lot of the Chinese beliefs and other traditions, just bits here and there. It was fascinating learning a bit of what the Chinese afterlife would have been like. On dying, Peony's spirit splits into three pieces, one of which is to go into her tablet to stay with her family. As her tablet hasn't been dotted, Peony becomes a 'Hungry ghost." Fascinating.
Another cultural thing I found of interest was the lovesick maidens. While they are mentioned in the story, the comments at the end of the novel by Lisa See brought their stories more to mind. See mentions that in Chinese history, there were a number of girls who, like in the opera and Peony, become lovesick and starve themselves. The idea is introduced through the opera with the idea that the women would gain freedom and control over their lives in the afterlife and choose thier own husbands. This idea of power over oneself is so appealing that many women practiced physical control over their bodies by becoming anorexic to the point of death, possibly hoping for the chance for a choice in love in the afterlife. -
Audiobook Review.
I've never read or listened to anything by Lisa See, so this was my first for one of my club's challenge. The story is set in Manchu, China and it is of a girl named Peony who is now of marriagable age. She is 15-years old and is fascinated and in love with the opera, The Peony Pavilion. This opera happens to be hosted by her father and is about a ghost of a girl who is brought back to life by the man she loves. Peony believes it is for her rather than the elite group of men visiting her father.
During the opera, Peony meets a young man and falls in love with him, but eventually they have to come to the realization that they must move on and to the marriages that have been arranged for them and never see each other ever again. Unfortunately, Peony becomes obsessed with the opera and practically starves herself in her need to write her thoughts on the opera. She eventually dies and enters the afterworld and suffers the consequences of never finding true love herself. In her dreams, she learns that the man she had fell in love with was the same person her father had arranged for her to marry. Thus starts her longing to be with him but she can't because she is dead and he is alive.
This story gets more into the afterlife not only for her but for family members as they join her when they depart the living. It also tells of Peony's interrupting the life of the man she loved as he has married and moved on. I am not a big fan of afterlife/ghosts type novels, but I found this novel a fascinating listen. Not sure if I will read more from this author but thought is was a very well written and nice listen.
3-Stars -
I'm usually a stoic person, and not prone to tearjerker moments, most of the time when I see a sad part in a movie or read a sad part in a book, I can simply read it and move on, however well it's written. But that was not the case with this book, and it serves as an example of how good this book is.
I already read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, but I liked this book better. The writing style for both books is awesome, but I liked the story in this one better. Everything is so beautifully described (It reminded me of Anchee Min's novel, 'Empress Orchid' prose-wise) so it's easy to imagine the surroundings and characters, and how everything is happening.
I cried at the end of the first part, after I realized what had actually happened to Peony. That poor girl, after learning the truth about her husband and becoming so happy, only to have it all taken away. And then the ending made me cry too, damnit. I used up a good amount of Kleenex twice, after the first part and at the ending. This book is just so heartachingly beautiful and sad, I want to hate the book because it's so sad and I felt it was unfair to poor Peony after what she had been through, but it's also so beautifully written, with a bittersweet ending. -
Young Peony was brought up to be a good daughter and wife. At her sixteenth birthday, she knows that her future is set but when she chances a meeting with a handsome man at a theater performance, she begins to feel a longing and desire that sets the course for this novel.
Originally, when I read the blurb of this book, I thought it had an incredibly interesting concept and was rather excited to read a novel that was so rich in Chinese culture and tradition, since I would be rather ignorant in these matters. So naturally, I really wanted to like this book. It's quite unfortunate that the book had very few redeeming qualities.
The character of Peony, I felt, was one that was very difficult to sympathise with. Her naivety, innocence and idealism can be dismissed as a result of her young age for a certain part of the novel but since it persists for the whole duration of it, it's easy to conclude that these things are deeply-entrenched character traits rather than anything else. There is growth in Peony's character during the novel, noticeable growth but none of that makes me like her more as a character.
The writing itself is simplistic, which works for the book for the most part. However, a lot of the descriptions felt jarring and contrived, as if the author was purposely trying to be too poetic - to the point where the prose was actually slightly amusing as opposed to solemn or sincere.
However, the plot itself was probably the biggest problem of the novel for me. Reading the Afterword of the book, Lisa See seems to believe that she has managed to capture some form of female historical resistance or empowerment through this piece of literature and whilst there are certain aspects of that, they are quickly overridden by a largely misogynistic narrative. I understand that See was attempting to tell the true story of these women but she admits to the lack of knowledge about the three wives of the Wu family. It seems that See invented much of what happened in the latter half of the book - the supernatural elements of it. So it is disappointing and slightly sickening actually, the sheer amount of disrespect given to women in the plot during this latter half. I felt this especially through the portrayal of Ze's character. She's made out to be a villain for the majority of the book, whilst we're supposed to be sympathise with the main character of Peony, despite the fact that Peony robbed Ze of her agency and her body.
Whilst there were certain narratives within the overarching story that I enjoyed; such as the excursions of Peony's mother and grandmother (overridden by the Manchus invasion - I felt it eventually told a story about a woman's place being at home and punished the two characters for their attempt to traverse outside of their gender roles) and the Banana Garden Five, the overall story, although boasted of female empowerment and feminist ideologies, entirely failed in its promises. -
An interesting story, with a clever structure, weaving parallels between the legend of the Peony Pavilion with the "real" story of a girl called Peony, though that does make the first third very predictable.
I found the faux naive voice of Peony a little irritating at times; it is too didactic in the way it fills readers in on the historical detail of customs and beliefs, being more like a factual book than a novel. Whilst I found all that interesting, I think it could have been presented more subtly (or else with footnotes). Still, it was interesting to consider that footbinding could actually be an act or rebellion and even freedom for poorer girls (as in Snow Flower too).
For much of the book I was concerned that the message was that reading is a dangerous activity for women, though that is finally overturned – sort of.
There were incongruous bits that sounded too modern and that a good editor should have picked up on as they were needlessly distracting: some of the descriptions of the empowering of women; lovesickness often sounded too much like a modern analysis of anorexia - explicitly when Ze says "I stopped eating, and for once I had total control over my destiny", and the ghastly line stolen from a budget sci fi movie "We asked the netherworld bureaucrats and received one time return-to-earth permits".
I also found the "clouds and rain" threesome/intimacy by proxy, a rather disquieting concept. Although I realise it was meant to be a beautiful coming together, it rather tainted the rest of the story for me.
So overall, interesting, but for me, a frustrating and disappointing read, albeit quite educational. It only gets as many as 3 stars because I like reading things that evoke China.
