Vous voulez voir cette page en fran�ais ? Cliquez ici.

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

51 used & new from CDN$ 2.93

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Share your own customer images

Search inside this book

Peony in Love: A Novel (Paperback)

by Lisa See (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

List Price:	CDN$ 16.50
Price:	CDN$ 12.05 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save:	CDN$ 4.45 (27%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

19 new from CDN$ 6.78 32 used from CDN$ 2.93

Frequently Bought Together

Total List Price: CDN$ 60.40
Price For All Three: CDN$ 38.36

Show availability and shipping details

This item: Peony in Love: A Novel by Lisa See
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
The Book Of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Shanghai Girls

by Lisa See

3.3 out of 5 stars (3) CDN$ 18.24

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

by Lisa See

4.3 out of 5 stars (11) CDN$ 13.83

On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family

by Lisa See

4.5 out of 5 stars (20) CDN$ 16.75

Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery

by Lisa See

4.0 out of 5 stars (3) CDN$ 12.37

Dragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery

by Lisa See

4.6 out of 5 stars (5) CDN$ 12.37

› Explore similar items

Product Details

Paperback: 297 pages
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (Feb 19 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812975227
ISBN-13: 978-0812975222
Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 227 g

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #4,254 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#92 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. 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. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

Janet Songs lovely smoky voice is the perfect medium for this deeply compelling story, inspired by real events in seventeenth-century China. Peony is a cloistered daughter of the prosperous Chen family in the years just following the bloody end of the Ming Dynasty and the ascension of the Manchus. Her obsession with the iconic opera THE PEONY PAVILLION, about a girl much like herself who dies of love for a man shes forbidden to marry, sets this fascinating tale in motion. Song inhabits Peony with such subtlety and grace that you are only rarely aware that acting is occurring; instead you seem to live inside Peonys head, looking directly at her gorgeous, haunted, and vanished world. An outstanding performance and a flawless production. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

aaron jennings(2)

fiction(1)

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

	74% buy the item featured on this page: Peony in Love: A Novel 4.7 out of 5 stars (3) CDN$ 12.05
	10% buy Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel 4.3 out of 5 stars (11) CDN$ 13.83
	7% buy Shanghai Girls 3.3 out of 5 stars (3) CDN$ 18.24
	5% buy Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery 4.0 out of 5 stars (3) CDN$ 12.37

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, Mar 15 2008

By	SH (Toronto, Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peony in Love: A Novel (Hardcover)

Peony in Love by Lisa See is a very unique novel about a fifteen-year-old girl, Peony, that is arranged to be married to a man she has never seen. She meets a man in the garden one day, which is the first time in her life that she has met a man, who is not related to her, and she is alone. Her life will change forever. The story takes place in ancient times in China, where everyone adheres to strict traditions.

There is a lot of reference to Tang Xianzu's opera, The Peony Pavilion, which was first produced and published in 1598. Peony is obsessed with this opera, and put a great deal of thought into it. There is a lot of poetry in this novel, which makes it pleasant to read.

I recommend everyone to read this touching story that is truly unique and fascinating.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5.0 out of 5 stars A captivating story, Feb 17 2008

By	Hope - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peony in Love: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book is a provocative story that takes on an amazing twist - which I never expected. Lisa See knows her craft. She has the ability to draw me into her novels where I find myself in another place and time!

Peony in Love is another book I've added to my most favorites, I simply couldn't put it down!

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

4.0 out of 5 stars Love is of source unknown, yet it grows ever deeper, Aug 18 2007

By	Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Peony in Love: A Novel (Hardcover)

The old theme of star-crossed lovers takes an Oriental twist in this historical period drama about a love-struck young girl, an enamored poet, and the opera that not only brings them together but casts them apart.

This story is about Peony, a young woman and only child of a wealthy family. Set in seventeenth century China, when well brought up young women weren't allowed to be seen or heard, especially by strange men, Peony's father organizes a theatrical performance of the opera "The Peony Pavilion", and although her mother doesn't want her to see it, arrangements are made for a screen to be erected, behind which the women can get a glimpse of the epic opera. Peony is a big fan of "The Peony Pavilion", having collected many editions, reading and memorizing many of the popular segments, but even though seeing it live is a big thrill, she becomes more interested in observing a young man sitting in the audience.

Risking her reputation, she wanders off on her own, and as fate would have it, she encounters the young man in an isolated place, where they discover that they enjoy each other's company very much. Unfortunately, Peony is already betrothed by way of an arranged marriage, and as the big day approaches she spends her days dreaming of the young man and obsessively recording her thoughts in an edition of the great opera, refusing food and ignoring the advice of the doctors and other experts that come to see her. From this point her life takes a dramatic turn with a cruel twist, and the story and the opera fuse together in elaborate fashion, becoming a dark fantasy full of ghosts, superstition and tradition.

The author lingers over the historical details, the proud traditions, the poetry of the opera and the protocols of the afterlife, as well as other remarkable activities such as foot binding and embroidery, and although this is an extremely poignant and melancholy book, it is so rich in description that you won't want to put it down. A dramatic, absorbing and informative story that will remain with you for a long time after you've finished reading it.

Amanda Richards

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews...