Peony in Love

A Novel

By: Lisa See

Narrated by: Janet Song

“I finally understand what the poets have written. In spring, moved to passion; in autumn, only regret.”

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, 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. 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 even hidden from view, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man–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 listeners back to seventeenth-century China. Steeped in traditions and ritual, PEONY IN LOVE explores, beautifully, the many manifestations of love, and ultimately, addresses universal themes: the bonds of friendship, the power of words, and the age-old desire of women to be heard.©2007 Lisa See; (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A complex period tapestry inscribed with the age-old tragedy of love and death.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Electrifying . . . a fascinating and often surprising story of women helping women, women hurting women and women misunderstanding each other.”—The Miami Herald

“See mines an intriguing vein of Chinese history . . . weaving fact and fiction into a dense romantic tapestry of time and place as she meditates on the meaning of love, the necessity of self-expression and the influence of art.”—Los Angeles Times

“A transporting read, to lost worlds earthly and otherwise.”—Chicago Tribune

“A quietly beautiful tale that sneaks into the reader’s heart . . . Not since Susie Salmon of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones has a ghostly narrator been as believable and empathetic.”—San Antonio Express-News

“There’s much here to be savored and a great deal to be learned.”—The Washington Post Book World

Well-written, beautifully read

Although tough to stick with at points, I'm glad I stayed through the end. This book is beautifully written and read perfectly, rich in detail and well-researched and constructed. So much of what I already knew of Chinese culture was put into context in a way that made it real for me. I wish I had heard the author's notes before I heard the book, however, because I know I would have appreciated it more had I realized as I was listening that it was a work of historical fiction that was actually based in fact, even though it would have given some of the story away. In any case, the characters have stayed with me - a sure sign of a good "read."

TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Assault, Violence/Murder/Brutality

As a rape survivor, I really wish there would’ve been a warning about the extensive sexual assault/rape content. It is pretty graphic and discussed repeatedly numerous times throughout the story. Definitely extremely triggering. There is also a lot of violence and murder and brutality, as is accurate with the time period. It also portrays female submission, wifely duty, and foot binding from a positive condoning viewpoint. With all this said, it is a very dark and difficult story to get through. The historical accuracy of the beliefs of that time are likely going to challenge you and make you furious constantly throughout the novel.
HOWEVER, it is a beautifully written novel with an extremely fascinating storyline, many unexpected twists and turns, and a deep exploration of the history of late Ming/early Qing Dynasty. The narrator’s performance is gorgeous and emotionally captivating. If you are interested in the female perspective and spiritual beliefs/traditions of 17th century Chinese history and you can handle the disturbing content of sexual assault and female subordinance, it’s definitely worth reading/listening to.

Not what I was expecting

This was an amazing story. What even makes it more interesting is the authors note at the end, so make sure you listen to it!

Unusual and excellent book

It actually began a little slowly with a focus on a love story which I typically find boring but then about an hour into the book it got very very interesting. I was spellbound and disappointed when it ended. It was a wonderful foray into the customs and spiritual world of early china.

~courage to love and be heard~

I am writing my thoughts about the book that left a great impression on me and I know my words will be read by others. I owe the freedom to do so to my sisters from the 17th Century China, and especially to the three wives of a poet, to the three courageous souls who wrote and published the first ever book by women.

“Peony in Love” is a story of WOMEN as they were before feminism stepped in. They were wives and mothers and lovers and poets; devoted to their husbands and called to serve them above all; educated for the sake of holding an intelligent conversation and being “mates” to their men and mothers in law. It is a story of a young girl’s quest for love and freedom of sharing her word with others. Young Peony dies when waiting for an arranged marriage, writing down the commentary of her beloved book, “The Peony Pavilion”. Upon death, she becomes a “hungry ghost” tortured with love, unable to proceed to the after-world due to the un-dotted tablet, eager to make her poet Wu Ren happy and fulfilled with the best wife that she tries and succeeds, after all, to “create” and guide for him. And Peony is also so eager to finish her work, her commentary, in hopes that Wu Ren hears her through the words, written by her at the age of 16, and later finished by his two other wives.

To not retell the story, masterfully woven by Lisa See in delicate word-brushes of pink and purple and yellow words, just like the most delicate Chinese silk and other books by this outstanding writer, I say that this book is much more than a tale of love. It is a story of growing as a woman and growing as a generation of women; a story of devotion to your man and a story about the importance of all types of love: romantic, sexual, soul to soul connection, mother love, daughter love; the story of strong women who seem to be so fragile and peony-like, swaying on their lily-feet. The story that one does need all bravery to do what her heart tells her do, and the story of a brave and pure heart.