A review by katko123
Peony in Love by Lisa See

4.0

I read this for the first time about 15 years ago and I loved it. Now I just like it. But definitely, I understood more now than these years ago. Most people see this book as a sort of exotic love story about a young and naive girl who fell in love and then died. Thats it. But this is not the story that the author tells. It´s about women and their role in controlling patriarchic society. For centuries women all over the world had been restricted in their rights, in China they were also almost worthless. Why education had been denied to women? Because education opens minds and it´s dangerous. What was the main duty of a woman? To spread her legs and pop out a boy. Sounds only too familiar....
Religion, traditional beliefs, and rituals are a big part of this book and it explains how this can be such a strong and important support for those who suffer.