false 0 2009-08-22T20:00:21-07:00 1201389 158 2009-08-22T20:00:21-07:00 good stuff 0 2009-08-20T09:17:19-07:00 1189925 99 2009-08-20T09:17:19-07:00 0 2009-08-20T07:46:29-07:00 1189432 48 2009-08-20T07:46:29-07:00 4 2 false false Sun Aug 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 20:43:12 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 17:48:07 -0700 2009 1 Some might say this was in my imagination--a fevered imagination that would eventually lead to my obsessed writings and no-good end. Some might even say, if everything happened the way I've recounted, that I deserved my no-good end and had earned worse than death, which in truth is what I got. But at the time, I was joyous."

"Peony in Love" by Lisa See is a novel set in seventeenth Century China that transcends the earthly realm to tell a spirit-filled, mystical tale. It's story, which mirrors a famous Chinese opera, "The Peony Pavilion" by Tang Xianzu, contains detailed descriptions of myth, legend, and the spirit world and I think, could be beautifully told through an animated piece. (I've never seen Spirited Away, but somehow I think they might be similar).

The novel was inspired by a commentary on the ancient opera aptly named "The Three Wives' Commentary on The Peony Pavilion", and each wife is given a role here. See uses these women, among others to touch on the different kinds of love--mother-love, sexual love, and mature love, which is called "deep-heart" love. She illustrates a woman's need to be heard and the sacrifices she will make to leave a lasting impression on this world. See touches on custom, respect, and honor, and how the need to be happy vs. the need to not disappoint drives a woman throughout her life.

This book left me entertained, interested, and impressed. Lisa See has joined the ranks of the female writers she chose to immortalize here.]]>