Book Review: Peony in Love by Lisa See
Peony in Love by Lisa See is one of the author’s most lyrical and haunting novels — a story that blends history, folklore, and the supernatural into a deeply emotional exploration of love, longing, and the silenced voices of women. Inspired by the real-life “Three Wives Commentary” from 17th-century China, See imagines a world in which women’s inner lives echo far beyond death.
The novel follows Peony, a privileged young woman in 1600s China who becomes obsessed with the famous opera The Peony Pavilion, a tale of love so powerful it transcends life itself. Like the opera’s heroine, Peony falls in love with a mysterious young man — but trapped by the confines of filial duty and societal expectation, her passion turns inward, ultimately leading to her untimely death. And that is where the novel truly begins.
Narrated from beyond the grave, Peony in Love traces Peony’s spirit through the afterlife as she comes to understand not only her own story, but the lives of the women around her — her family, her rivals, and those she never truly saw in life. It is a ghost story, yes, but also a feminist reckoning, as Peony slowly discovers the ways women shape history, even when their names are forgotten.
See’s prose is lush and poetic, her attention to historical and cultural detail impeccable. She evokes the dreamlike beauty of traditional Chinese literature while grounding the narrative in emotional truths that feel urgent and timeless.
Peony in Love is a daring and unforgettable novel about the price of love, the hunger for self-expression, and the strength of women’s voices — even when spoken from the shadows. It lingers like a fading song, beautiful and mournful, long after the final page is turned.
About Peony in Love by Lisa See
In seventeenth-century China, in an elaborate villa on the shores of Hangzhou’s West Lake, Peony lives a sheltered life. One night, during a theatrical performance in her family’s garden, 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, the living world and the afterworld. Eventually expelled from all she’s known, Peony is thrust into a realm where hungry ghosts wander the earth, written words have the power to hurt and kill, and dreams are as vivid as waking life. Lisa See’s novel, based on actual historical events, evokes vividly another time and place—where three generations of women become enmeshed in a dramatic story, uncover past secrets and tragedies, and learn that love can transcend death. Peony in Love will make you ache in heart and mind for young Peony and all the women of the world who want to be heard.
