Hi all,
Multiple links to full-length professional reviews of the following
books released in the US have been added to http://www.reviewsofbooks.com
in the last week:
"Peony in Love" by Lisa See - "Peony in Love" is narrated by the
hungry ghost who had been a 16-year-old girl nicknamed Peony. She was
the cloistered daughter of a wealthy Chinese family during the 17th
century when the Ming Dynasty was crumbling under the Manchu
invasion. Peony got her father's permission to see the epic opera
"The Peony Pavilion" as long as she stays behind a screen. Chinese
women were not to be seen in public, and Peony's father had already
arranged a marriage for her. Peering through the screen at the opera,
Peony spies a handsome poet and later slips out of her house to meet
him. Desperate for his love and already betrothed to an unknown man,
Peony takes a cue from the opera and decides to starve herself to
death, only to discover it was all unnecessary. Lisa See's second
novel (following "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan") has received mostly
positive reviews with the Wa****ngton Post saying, "This reader felt,
from time to time, almost literally trans****ted and commends the
willing suspension of Western disbelief. There's much here to be
savored and a great deal to be learned."
Excerpt and all reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/peony_in_love
"Three Bags Full" by Leonie Swann - The detectives that set out to
solve the murder in "Three Bags Full" are a flock of sheep in
Ireland. Their beloved shepherd George, who used to read to them
every night, is found murdered in the field with a spade to the
chest. The sheep have learned some about humans from George's
readings, and since murder is wolfish behavior, they're determined to
find the murderer. Perhaps it was the butcher, or a rival shepherd,
or George's lover. The sheep are limited by the fact that they're
sheep, but led by Miss Maple ("quite possibly the cleverest sheep in
the whole world"), they set out to solve the crime. Leonie Swann's
debut novel has received positive reviews with the Boston Globe
saying, "The combination of sly humor and naivete makes this novel a
surprising and refre****ng read. The herd is filled with vivid
characters laid out in loving detail."
Excerpt and all reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/three_bags_full
Happy reading!
Bill - administrator of http://www.reviewsofbooks.com
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