βI finally understand what the poets have written. In spring, moved to passion; in autumn only regret.β
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.
Peonyβs mother is against her daughterβs attending the production: βUnmarried girls should not be seen in public.β But Peonyβs 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 caveβand is immediately overcome with emotion.
So begins Peonyβs unforgettable journey of love and destiny, desire and sorrowβas Lisa Seeβs 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 placeβeven the intricate realm of the afterworld, with its protocols, pathways, and stages of existence, a vividly imagined place where oneβs 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 Seeβs new novel addresses universal themes: the bonds of friendship, the power of words, and the age-old desire of women to be heard.
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Tavis Smiley - August 23, 2007 Weekend Edition Sunday - July 1, 2007 Early Show - June 29, 2007
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