Audiobook Review: Peony in Love

Author: Lisa See

Narrator: Janet Song

Title: Peony in Love

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

Format: Audiobook

Published: June 26th 2007

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

In seventeenth-century China, three women become emotionally involved with The Peony Pavilion, a famed opera rumored to cause lovesickness and even death, including Peony, the cloistered daughter of a wealthy scholar, who succumbs to its spell only to return after her death as a "hungry ghost" to haunt her former fiancé, who has married another

Review:

I've been wanting to read this book for a long, long time. Sighs...I was scared to actually dive in because it seems people LOVE it or HATE it. Finally got myself to check it out. I decided to do the audio version since I like the narrator. 

We are in seventeenth-century China and three women like so many others become emotionally involved with the opera called The Peony Pavilion. This opera is rumored to cause lovesickness and even death. This happens to Peony who is the cloistered daughter of a wealthy scholar. She succumbs to the opera spell and after her death, she returns as a hungry ghost to haunt her former fiance.

HEAD'S up...there are some spoilers here because I just could not help myself. I tried to control myself so I avoided BIG spoilers just little ones so move forward with caution. ;) 

Okay...I will admit I struggled tremendously at first. I had issues with Peony, her parents, and the world overall. They want these girls to be pure and be sheltered to the point of madness sometimes. They call it lovesickness....but these girls want love and freedom. They want it so bad that they cannot see past it and just decide that they are done with life. They can't control anything but what they put in their mouths...so they starve. Poor things.

Now...my issue was how selfish Peony was. Yes, yes, I get that she can't help but be in love with the first non-family dude she sees because of how sheltered she was. BUT girl legit knew him for 3 days. He thinks he loves her too but they do nothing. "Well - we are engaged to others soooo byeee.", and in protest of marrying another man, she goes all emo. Writes sad poems and starves to death??? SIGHS. Maybe WAIT and see who it is that you are engaged to. You never know!!! And lo and behold it was your dream guy. Tragic so tragic. How dare you do that your beloved father and mother. You are their only child. How could you be so selfish and dramatic about a guy you knew for not even 3 days. You talked for just a few hours overall. GAH.

Of course, everyone blames the opera that she got to watch. "YEP, just another girl who becomes cursed." OKAY...........MAYBE, JUST MAYBE IT IS THAT SHE HATES HER LIFE! Maybe she wants to know who she is marrying. Maybe she wants to go to town or just be treated like a human and not a goat being sold. Crazy thought...maybe talk to her........see what's going on. Maybe tell her who the to-be-hubby is. I know, I know it was the world and it was that bad for these girls so it was realistic. It just drove me insane. 

After she died things got really, really interesting. I couldn't stop listening. I had to know what was going to happen next. It was an interesting view of what the afterlife is like. It was so sad in so many ways. 

I loved when Peony realized as a ghost she has certain abilities. So cool. Wrong on how she used it at first, but we all would do the same thing. I know I would for sure. It was nice seeing her use her abilities for good near the end.  

Watching Peony grow and mature as a ghost was the best part of the story. I honestly wept when she and another ghost (don't want to give away BIG spoilers) did what they did at the end to bring happiness to people who deserved it. It brought a tear to my eye.

This was a really emotional book. I think we are supposed to have strong feelings throughout this which I did. I hated Peony and the human world. I was sad when she died and had to say goodbye. I felt scared for her as she was trying to find her way as a ghost. I wept when her parents seemed to have neglected her and didn't finish the funeral rites they needed to. I felt her anger and pain seeing her love remarry. I felt her desires and wants to be loved and remembered. I felt her despair and her joy. I felt all the emotions. When this ended I couldn't help but smile and wipe a tear away. 

I honestly think the narrator really helped with this. I do not think I would've liked it as much if I had to read it. The narrator is amazing. She really brings so much life to the characters and story. Fantastic! She did great. 

Okay...okay...I'll stop while I'm ahead. I can honestly ramble about this because there is soooo much to discuss. Perfect for a book club I think.

I'll give this 4 stars. It would be 5, but I did struggle at first. 

Challenge(s):
- #35 for Audiobook challenge

Best of August 2017

Hi All! Happy August! 

This is just a fun little meme that Blodeuedd and I are going to try  and do once a month. Give a little shout-out and "badge" of honor to our favorite book and movie of the previous month. This month we'll share our favorites of August.

First, favorite movie:

For my choice of the month, I pick..............A Cinderella Story (2004)

"I didn't watch a lot of movies this month so I didn't have a lot to pick one, so I picked this one. It was a favorite of mine when I was a wee thing and it is still really good. Not great at all, but good."

Now, Blodeuedd's choice is.............Guardians of the Galaxy (2017)

"I did expect more, but eh, it was funny and OMG I love baby groot. See it for Baby Groot!"

Now, favorite book:

First, here is Blodeuedd's pick.................................When a Laird Finds a Lass by Legia Cornwall

"August was not a great month, it was a good one, but not a great one. So how to pick between good books that all are pretty equal? I will go with When a lairds finds a lass by Lecia Cornwall. The narrator was awesome and made the book for me, it was so funny."

Now, here is my choice.................Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

"This was a tough choice...I had some really good ones this month. In the end, though, I picked this one. It was so sad but so hopeful. The characters were intriguing and complex. Someday I will read the sequel to see what happens next. The author certainly has a way with words. A great book. Contender for best book of the year."

~*~*~*~*~

What was your favorite book of the month? Please share below! 

Book Review: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Author: Lisa See
Title: Shanghai Girls (Shanghai Girls #1)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 319
Published: May 2009
Where I Got It: My shelf (Aamazon)

In 1937 Shanghai—the Paris of Asia—twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree—until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth. To repay his debts, he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides. As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, from the Chinese countryside to the shores of America. Though inseparable best friends, the sisters also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. Along the way they make terrible sacrifices, face impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are—Shanghai girls.

This has been on my shelf for a while. I'm not sure why I avoided it. Maybe because I knew it was going to be sad? Not sure, but I regret waiting so long to read this. 

Yes, I was right that this was sad. It was a realistic sad. May and Pearl come from Shanghai. They are close and love each other, but they are polar opposites. Bad things happen and they lose everything. More bad things happen and they are forced to flee China to the US. It was all sad, but there was always an element of hope which made all the sadness bearable. 

I liked Pearl and I saw a little of myself in her which made me like her more. May? Parts of me liked her, but as the story went on I liked her less and less. Yes, I felt bad for her in many ways, but she was a little snot. Same can be said of Joy. Joy needed a smack outside of the head. 

Not only was this entertaining and sad. It also really shows a side of immigration that people should read. People even back then were not the nicest to legal and illegal immigrants. It's horrible how racist some people can be. 

This felt so real and it was beautifully written. I really liked the author's writing style and I want to read more. Beautiful world-building...beautifully written characters...just great all around. 

There is a sequel and I want to read it. Not because I want to find out what happens to Joy, but what is going to happen to Pearl. Joy doesn't deserve a second thought...but who am I I guess? *grumbles* Spoiled, little brat. 

Anyways, this was great. I loved it. I highly recommend that you read this if you even remotely like Historical Fiction. Out of five stars, I'll give this a full 5.