Comparison Shopping Made Easy    


  October 8, 2008



Search:    for:     


Browse
Compare Prices
Product Description
Similar Products
Reviews


Similar Products
On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Familyby Lisa See
On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family
by Lisa See
Dragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries)by Lisa See
Dragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery
by Lisa See
The Interior: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries)by Lisa See
The Interior: A Red Princess Mystery
by Lisa See
The Street of a Thousand Blossomsby Gail Tsukiyama
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms
by Gail Tsukiyama
Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries)by Lisa See
Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery
by Lisa See


Peony in Love: A Novel

by Lisa See
Peony in Love: A Novel by by Lisa See
Large Photo
  • Edition: Paperback
  • Publication Date: February 19, 2008
  • Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
  • ISBN: 0812975227
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: 3002
  • Average Customer Rating: 3.5 stars
  • List price: $14.00
  • Save 68%
    off list price


    Price Range: $4.45 - $14.00


    Compare Prices on Peony in Love: A Novel
    9 Merchants


    Compare Prices
    Merchant
      Base   S & H   Price  
     Alibris

      $4.45
    + $3.49 = $7.94 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at Alibris
     Textbookx.com

      $9.55
    + $3.58 = $13.13 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at Textbookx.com
     eCampus

      $10.92
    + $2.98 = $13.90 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at eCampus
     BookByte.com

      $10.50
    + $3.45 = $13.95 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at BookByte.com
     Strand Books

      $10.50
    + $3.50 = $14.00 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at Strand Books
     Amazon

      $11.20
    + $3.99 = $15.19 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at Amazon
     Barnes & Noble

      $12.60
    + $3.99 = $16.59 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at Barnes & Noble
     Blackwells

      $14.00
    + $4.48 = $18.48 Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at Blackwells
     Powells

      see site
    + $3.50 = see site Buy Peony in Love: A Novel at Powells


    Peony in Love: A Novel description


    Description
    Product Description:
      ?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, 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.

    Peony?s mother is against her daughter?s attending the production: ?Unmarried girls should not be seen in public.? 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 through its cracks, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man with hair as black as a cave?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 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 place?even the intricate realm of the afterworld, with its protocols, pathways, and stages of existence, a vividly imagined place where one?s 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 See?s new novel addresses universal themes: the bonds of friendship, the power of words, and the age-old desire of women to be heard.


    From the Hardcover edition.




    Peony in Love: A Novel reviews


    Reviews

    The Naysayers were right - 2 stars
    Peony in Love: A Novel Review
    I had been excited to see a new novel by one of my favorite authors and wanted more than anything to buy it. But when I read the reviews, I was daunted by the number of people recomending me NOT to read the book.

    Nevertheless, I found myself at Borders with a dilhema - to replace my missing Snow Flower book or buy Peony in Love. After minutes of debating, I bought Peony, deciding to dismiss the naysayers as just people dissapointed over the lack of Snow Flower similarities. Besides, the beginning looked interesting.

    However, when I got home, I almost immediately regretted my $20 choice. True, the beginning of the story was interesting, if not top notched. I noticed that the foot-binding scene was thrown in there almost randomly and the disbelief of shallowly falling for a man after seeing only his face behind a screen, just as some of the negativer reviewers pointed out.

    But what the tipping point was happened after the first "book". Immediately, the story became a monotonous cycle of stalking and obsessiveness with a book. It was only my devotion that kept me reading.

    Altogether, I was unsatisfied. I admire Lisa See for her attempt but I think she chose the wrong story to base her novel off of. I'd hate to compare it to Snow Flower but the harsh truth is, the two simply contrast in style and quality.

    Peony in Love - 1 stars
    Peony in Love: A Novel Review
    Peony in Love: A NovelI was disappointed in Peony in Love after having read Snowflower and the Secret Fan by the same author. Peony in love is too far out and unrealistic for my reading. Peony spent 2/3 of the book dead, talking about what went on with her after death in the afterlife and that is not my cup of tea.
    Wonderfully Heart Wrenching - 5 stars
    Peony in Love: A Novel Review
    This is a wonderful coming of age story about the 17th century daughter of a wealthy Chinese family. The main character is atypically presented which adds a further layer of depth to the novel. It is at times both incredibly sorrowful and deeply sweet. Lisa See is a master of descriptive language and imagery. This novel befits readers of a variety of ages - young women will associate with Peony's desperate roller-coasters of emotions, the middle aged set will appreciate the tumultuous path to wisdom.
    A beautiful get-away - 4 stars
    Peony in Love: A Novel Review
    I originally picked up this book as a bit of light fun reading while on vacation in San Francisco. Although i was put off a little by how "cheesy" the idea of ghosts and people who are "fated" to be together, once i was able to separate myself from my traditional "Western Ideas" i fell in love with the imagery and passion invoked on every page. Like "Snowflower" this book challenged my usual view on love, a womans place and other cultures. I recommend this book to anyone with an open mind.
    I loved it, absolutely loved it - 5 stars
    Peony in Love: A Novel Review
    What a beautiful book. Not only is the story beautiful, but it offers glimpses into Chinese traditions and superstitions behind how the dead and ancestors are treated. As a Chinese American, I grew up with these traditions but never knew the reasons behind them, my Mother always just said "We do it because that's how we've always done it." - this book gave me the long awaited answers to how those traditions and beliefs came about.
    See more customer reviews...





    Search:    for:     



    Copyright © 2002-2005 ShoppingAisles.com All Rights Reserved.   Contact Us   Site Map