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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Some violence in the historical Chinese setting; Peony's death and the ghost world involve some darkness
Language
None
No profanity; See's formal literary prose
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal romantic content; the novel's love is primarily literary and spiritual
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
The psychological weight of a woman who died for love — and the grief of those she left — creates the novel's sustained emotional atmosphere
What this book is about
Lisa See's historical novel is set in 17th-century China and follows Peony, who falls in love with a stranger during a performance of The Peony Pavilion — an opera about a woman who dies of love — and slowly dies herself. Returning as a ghost, she becomes entangled with the opera and its other ghostly admirers. See writes with historical richness and emotional depth; the Chinese ghost mythology and the period's attitudes toward women are rendered with care. For adult readers of literary historical fiction.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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