KEY POINTS:
Peony in Love's titular heroine, Peony, is a kind of modern-day feminist trapped in a country, culture and time which devalues her desires: books, independence and a woman's right to marry whoever she chooses.
Peony spends her 16th birthday protected from the world in the confines of her noble family's estate, but when she sneaks a peek at a mysterious, handsome male neighbour, her life and values are turned upside down. Soon, not even her father's lavish petting of his daughter, including having a theatre group perform exclusively for her in the family gardens, can contain Peony's fascination for liberated and rebellious pursuits such as hosting a book-club and penning a novel. As for long-term love, it's left to Peony to defiantly rail against her parents' arranged marriage in favour of searching out next door's attractive stranger.
Does she succeed? Suffice to say that if Peony in Love's strength is its believably strong female protagonist, its low point is a conclusion that has more in common with the over-dramatics of a Chinese opera than real life. The rather excessively showy final scenes, though, can't spoil the pleasure to be had in the novel at large. Superb.
* Bloomsbury, $37.99
- Detours, HoS
