Colleen's review
Peony in Love
by Lisa See
Colleen's review
Peony in Love by Lisa See
Colleen's review
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I'll skip over the plot summary since so many other reviewers have already covered those details. I loved the character of Peony and watching her grow from this young girl chafing at the bonds of traditional familial responsibility to a woman who more fully understands the true nature of love and life. See's exploration of the nature of love from a schoolgirl crush to lust to companionship was very well illustrated and touching. I found the description of the female life in dynastic China and Chinese beliefs of the afterlife absolutely fascinating. See's description of the foot-binding process is horrifying, but the fact that mothers actually did this to their daughters is even more so. I also loved the underlying plotline of women during this era finding their own voice - the fact that it all revolves around The Peony Pavilion, which was actually written by a man (Xianzu Tang), didn't bother me. Instead, my interpretation of See's novel was that Peony and the other female poets we...more
