false 196737 0 0 6216310 2286019347 9782286019341 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6216310.Fleur_de_neige 0.0 0

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, old same, in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she's painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.



In China during the 1900's the women were still being foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion. In remote Hunan county the women developed thier own secret code for communication: nu shu (women's writing). Some girls were paired with laotongs, (penpals). They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.
]]> 713 3.86 42032 8988 196737 3.62 13 3 2005 6216305 2081209071 9782081209077 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6216305.Le_Pavillon_des_Pivoines 0.0 0
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 wander the 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.

During 17th Century China, Peony lives a sheltered life. Falls in love with a stranger during a theatrical performance. Story is about her journey of love in the living world and afterworld.


A coming of age ghost story and a work of musical and social history.

See paints a sweeping authentically rendered portrait of a family and society. She captures the spiritual, near-magical rituals of the culture, while showing the conflicts that such traditions are bound to foster ]]> 713 3.86 42032 8988 196737 3.62 13 3 2007 6186065 2207260127 9782207260128 2 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6186065.La_Reine_des_lectrices 3.75 4 The History Boys and The Clothes They Stood Up In A deliciously funny novella that celebrates the pleasure of reading. When the Queen in pursuit of her wandering corgis stumbles upon a mobile library she feels duty bound to borrow a book. Aided by Norman, a young man from the palace kitchen who frequents the library, Bennett describes the Queen's transformation as she discovers the liberating pleasures of the written word. With the poignant and mischievous wit of The History Boys, England's best loved author revels in the power of literature to change even the most uncommon reader's life.]]> 11781 3.85 3833 1139 196737 3.62 13 3 2007 360805 2080681370 9782080681379 0 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174089322m/360805.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174089322s/360805.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/360805.Un_secret_bien_gard_Blue_Diary 5.00 1 3502 3.58 33851 4390 196737 3.62 13 3 2001 1010434 208067966X 9782080679666 1 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180208373m/1010434.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180208373s/1010434.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1010434.Cet_t_l_ 5.00 2 236745 3.66 195 39 196737 3.62 13 3 2001 1725378 2207252655 9782207252659 0 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1187431339m/1725378.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1187431339s/1725378.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1725378.Jeux_de_paumes 0.0 0 The Madness of King George) is hardly lacking in literary gifts. The three stories in The Laying On of Hands, two of which have been filmed by the BBC, are funny in different ways. The title piece is a slow-to-ripen satire set at the Anglican funeral service of a handsome young masseur, whose clients turn out to include cabinet ministers, soap opera stars, and the presiding clergyman. The second story, "Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet," describes the odd relationship a pure-minded middle-aged woman develops with her charming chiropodist (podiatrist). And the final story, "Father! Father! Burning Bright," follows a mousy schoolteacher named Midgley through the self-searching and nurse-hunting days preceding his father's death in Intensive Care. The range and subtle coloration of Bennett's humor will appeal, especially, to readers of Robertson Davies and Muriel Spark. --Regina Marler]]> 11781 3.85 3833 1139 196737 3.62 13 3 2001 4969655 2940125716 9782940125715 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4969655.Juan_Manuel_Fangio_La_Course_faite_homme 3.00 2 196737 3.62 13 3 228727 2.80 5 1 2002 6427708 2290016322 9782290016329 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6427708-james-bond-007 3.00 1 4229 3.63 4802 795 2565 3.60 16828 1244 196737 3.62 13 3 2009 6744828 2749909961 9782749909967 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6744828-le-myst-re-neandertal 3.00 1 55751 3.21 890 212 196737 3.62 13 3 2009 6889076 2847070354 9782847070354 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6889076-la-grande-encyclop-die-de-la-formule-1-coffret-2-volumes 3.00 1 196737 3.62 13 3 551161 4.00 3 0 2831986 3.00 1 0 2003 542006 2847070001 9782847070002 0 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175644636m/542006.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175644636s/542006.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/542006.Alain_Prost_la_science_de_la_course 2.00 1 196737 3.62 13 3 228727 2.80 5 1 2003 342940 2729106928 9782729106928 0 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173901240m/342940.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173901240s/342940.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/342940.Buchal_et_Clavel_J_Duplo_Alexandre_Lenoir_Double_certitude 0.0 0 196737 3.62 13 3 1991 4469685 2702812252 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4469685.Regent_s_Park 0.0 0 Ruth Rendell, maîtresse dans l'art du suspens distillé goutte à goutte, rend hommage à la générosité de la nature et à l'imagination des architectes qui ont aménagé Regent's-Park. Mais elle sait que derrière l'éclat et la beauté se cachent la misère et l'exclusion. Avec délicatesse et humanité, la romancière va à la rencontre de ces laissés pour compte. --Claude Mesplède

]]> 10890 3.59 10859 1112 196737 3.62 13 3 1998