I just finished reading Peony in Love by Lisa See. It’s about a young Chinese woman (Peony) just before she is to be married in an arranged marriage. She has never met the man who is to become her husband. As the book begins, Peony’s father has staged a performance of an opera called The Peony Pavilion. Peony is obsessed by this opera and has read it several times and in fact the opera plays a central role in the rest of the story. During the performance, Peony wanders through the family garden and meets a young man with whom she immediately falls in love. Her love for the young man and her obsession with the opera lead to a circumstance that was completely unexpected for me, but based on other parallels is really quite predictable. The story continues as Peony learns to deal with her new situation and spends several years trying to right a wrong that was done to her.
What I find so amazing about this book is that the author based much of the story on historical fact, and in fact Peony was a real person. To fully enjoy this book, I had to set aside my own religious beliefs and accept Chinese beliefs as fact. It was interesting to be able to see some of these through new eyes. I tend to look at a lot of these rites and ceremonies as superstitious and backward and it was refreshing to be able to view them differently. I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it!
