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A review by sleightoffeet
Peony by Pearl S. Buck
3.0
I feel like I'm chasing the dragon after reading [b:The Good Earth|1078|The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1)|Pearl S. Buck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312497600l/1078._SY75_.jpg|2346070], and subsequently reading her other books. None of them quite live up to that first one I read. With Peony, though, I truly have mixed feelings.
The book is not only about life in China, but about the Jewish people who lived there. Unlike many countries in the world, instead of persecution, the Chinese were kind which enabled assimilation. You can see that from the opening scene (which bothered me a bit) where they were having a Seder while being served by people that they owned. Obviously that was a time where this was done, but it doesn't make it better when you are celebrating escaping the bonds of slavery.
The story itself was a beautiful one: the unrequited love of a bondmaid and a merchant. There were parts that I had problems with and I don't know if it is because the writer was the daughter of Christian missionaries, whether my Jewish heritage makes me touchy, or whether it was the time that Buck was writing in. Despite this, I did love the story.
I didn't feel that I really got to know the characters as well as the other books of her's I've read. Even Peony, who we are supposed to know better than anyone, was still a bit of a mystery to me.
I'm glad I read it though. Because most of Buck's books contain a historical context that is factual while the story itself is fiction, I was able to learn about the Jews who lived in China. Before reading this, I had no idea about it and about how welcoming the Chinese were and how long those clans remained there. There was also a lot of historical context written at the end which I found interesting as well.
The book is not only about life in China, but about the Jewish people who lived there. Unlike many countries in the world, instead of persecution, the Chinese were kind which enabled assimilation. You can see that from the opening scene (which bothered me a bit) where they were having a Seder while being served by people that they owned. Obviously that was a time where this was done, but it doesn't make it better when you are celebrating escaping the bonds of slavery.
The story itself was a beautiful one: the unrequited love of a bondmaid and a merchant. There were parts that I had problems with and I don't know if it is because the writer was the daughter of Christian missionaries, whether my Jewish heritage makes me touchy, or whether it was the time that Buck was writing in. Despite this, I did love the story.
I didn't feel that I really got to know the characters as well as the other books of her's I've read. Even Peony, who we are supposed to know better than anyone, was still a bit of a mystery to me.
I'm glad I read it though. Because most of Buck's books contain a historical context that is factual while the story itself is fiction, I was able to learn about the Jews who lived in China. Before reading this, I had no idea about it and about how welcoming the Chinese were and how long those clans remained there. There was also a lot of historical context written at the end which I found interesting as well.