Peony In Love

Went to an absolutely fabulous book event last night to hear Lisa See speak about the paperback release of her new book, Peony in Love.

This is the latest book set in China. Here is an excerpt of what it’s about from Lisa See’s website http://www.lisasee.com/.

Ultimately, it’s about universal themes: the
bonds of female friendship, the power of words, the desire all women have to be heard, and finally those emotions that are so strong that they transcend time, place, and perhaps even death.

As she was speaking she was telling how she became inspired to write the novel. During the 16th and 17th centuries in China many women committed suicide rather than face what for many was a life of unbelievable struggle and hardship. Many of them prior to committing suicide wrote notes on the walls of their houses. Some of these messages were as simple as their names or their family's name. Others contained messages of who they were in life, mothers, daughters, friends, lovers, etc. This was their way of holding onto their moment on Earth and declaring “I was here and I mattered”. This was such a powerful message for me. It got me thinking that these desperate Chinese women were the first scrappers. They were using what they had to preserve their history and place in time. I salute these women and shall continue to preserve my history as a woman who was here on this Earth and whose life touched others.