Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!
A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach. To join in, visit her blog for the guidelines and leave your link in a comment.
THIS WEEK’S LETTER IS: “L”
My book is:
Peony in Love by Lisa See
Synopsis from Amazon:
Set in 17th-century China, See’s fifth novel is a coming-of-age story, a ghost story, a family saga and a work of musical and social history. As Peony, the 15-year-old daughter of the wealthy Chen family, approaches an arranged marriage, she commits an unthinkable breach of etiquette when she accidentally comes upon a man who has entered the family garden. Unusually for a girl of her time, Peony has been educated and revels in studying The Peony Pavilion, a real opera published in 1598, as the repercussions of the meeting unfold. The novel’s plot mirrors that of the opera, and eternal themes abound: an intelligent girl chafing against the restrictions of expected behavior; fiction’s educative powers; the rocky path of love between lovers and in families. It figures into the plot that generations of young Chinese women, known as the lovesick maidens, became obsessed with The Peony Pavilion, and, in a Werther-like passion, many starved themselves to death. See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, etc.) offers meticulous depiction of women’s roles in Qing and Ming dynasty China (including horrifying foot-binding scenes) and vivid descriptions of daily Qing life, festivals and rituals. Peony’s vibrant voice, perfectly pitched between the novel’s historical and passionate depths, carries her story beautifully—in life and afterlife.
Sounds like a great read. I have not read Lisa See yet!
Oh, Nise – you need to try her. I've only read one of her books so far – Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and it was excellent. I loved reading about the foot-binding and what parents, mothers especially, must have gone through with their daughters. I have both Peony in Love and Shanghai Girls on my shelves waiting to be read!
This sounds like a book I might be interested in. Thanks
My `L` is up
I've thought about reading this one!
Thanks for playing!
I keep meaning to try this author! The book sounds good….
Here's mine:
Click my name….