Peony In Love

I never finish reading this book although I bought it since 2010. Well, I try to finish it. I will mark it as things to do in 2014 ;)

Title: Peony in Love

Author: Lisa See

Publisher: Random House

Printed Year: 2007

Price: USD$7.99

ISBN: 9780812978858

Synopsis

In seventeenth century, in an elaborate villa on the shores of Hangzhou's west lake, peony lives a sheltered life. One night, during a theatrical performance in her family's garden, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man and is immediately overcome with emotion. so begins Peony's unforgettable journey of love and destiny, desire and sorrow, the living world and the afterworld. eventually expelled from all she's known, Peony is thrust into an existence in which hungry ghosts wander the earth, written words have the power to hurt and kill, and dreams are as vivid as waking life.

Author's Note

The Ming dynasty fell in 144 and the Qing dynasty, led by Manchus, began. For about thirty years, the country was in turmoil. Some women were forced from their homes; others went out by choice. Literally thousands of women became published poets and writers. the lovesick maidens were part of this phenomenon. The works of more than twenty of them have survived today. 

I have followed the traditional Chinese style for rendering dates. Emperor Kangxi reigned from 1662 to 1722. Tang Xianzu's opera The Peony Pavilion was first produced and then published in 1598. Chen Tong (Peony in this novel) was born ca. 1649, Tan Ze ca. 1656, and Qian Yi ca. 1671. In 1694, the Three Wives' Commentary became the first book of its kind to be written and published by women anywhere in the world.

Praise

"A complex period tapestry inscribed with the age-old tragedy of love and death." - The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Lisa see is the author of The New York times bestselling novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Flower Net (and Edgar Edward nominee), The Interior, and Dragon Bones, as well as the widely acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. the Organization of Chinese American women named her the 2001 National woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles. Visit the author at www.lisasee.com.

Lisa See (picture credit: her website)