A review by mochirae
Peony by Pearl S. Buck
3.0
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Rating: ★★★☆☆
“Let woman out of the home, let man into it, should be the aim of education. The home needs man, and the world outside needs woman.”
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Peony is a fascinating look on the Jews of Kaifeng who first settled in China in the Middle Ages. This book takes place in the 1850s as we follow Peony, a Chinese servant in the House of Ezra, who experiences the decline of the Jew community and the clash with the Chinese culture.
Plot: Pearl S. Buck writes in a very simplistic and candid style so i found the book very easy to read. I was effortlessly transported to the scenarios she described and it was an absolute pleasure to experience it.
On a plot standpoint however, i was slightly disappointed. Peony is advertised as being a forbidden romance novel but that is clearly not what it is. I dived into it thinking i was reading an epic love story, but the romantic plot was only introduced in the last 30 pages of the book.
I ended up not DNFing it because of how interested i was in the struggles the Jews faced when trying to maintain their religious traditions against the pressure to assimilate.
Characters: I adore Peony and she was the only character with whom i felt a connection with. Throughout the book we can clearly see her growth, both physically and mentally. It was a pleasure to see her little self navigate life to try and find her place in a house that stopped feeling like her own.
Ending: I found the ending a bit clunky. While the beginning of the book was very slow paced, the ending felt a bit rushed.
Final thoughts: Peony is definitely a very enjoyable novel if the reader dives into it with the idea that it’s an historical fiction book and not a romance one. Nevertheless, i sincerely enjoyed it and found a great deal to ponder about while reading it.
___________________________________________________
Rating: ★★★☆☆
“Let woman out of the home, let man into it, should be the aim of education. The home needs man, and the world outside needs woman.”
___________________________________________________
Peony is a fascinating look on the Jews of Kaifeng who first settled in China in the Middle Ages. This book takes place in the 1850s as we follow Peony, a Chinese servant in the House of Ezra, who experiences the decline of the Jew community and the clash with the Chinese culture.
Plot: Pearl S. Buck writes in a very simplistic and candid style so i found the book very easy to read. I was effortlessly transported to the scenarios she described and it was an absolute pleasure to experience it.
On a plot standpoint however, i was slightly disappointed. Peony is advertised as being a forbidden romance novel but that is clearly not what it is. I dived into it thinking i was reading an epic love story, but the romantic plot was only introduced in the last 30 pages of the book.
I ended up not DNFing it because of how interested i was in the struggles the Jews faced when trying to maintain their religious traditions against the pressure to assimilate.
Characters: I adore Peony and she was the only character with whom i felt a connection with. Throughout the book we can clearly see her growth, both physically and mentally. It was a pleasure to see her little self navigate life to try and find her place in a house that stopped feeling like her own.
Ending: I found the ending a bit clunky. While the beginning of the book was very slow paced, the ending felt a bit rushed.
Final thoughts: Peony is definitely a very enjoyable novel if the reader dives into it with the idea that it’s an historical fiction book and not a romance one. Nevertheless, i sincerely enjoyed it and found a great deal to ponder about while reading it.
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