I read Snow Flower quickly, carrinying the book from place to place and even from city to city. I cried so many tears and at times I felt miserable but it was a wonderful reading experience and I was sad when I finished it.. Then I started Peony in Love .  I Know I should like it, I really do but I don't..  Can anybody tell me anything to help me get over the hump her death caused.. I WANT to like it, but I just don't and I'm not terribly patient.. Unless someone can offer a way to get over the middle Blahs, I am going to give it up unless it has a sensation ending.

                                                                       Kathy

Thanks for posting this Kathy, I am having the exact same problem! I just started Peony and it is not doing it for me at all. I will go ahead and finish it, but I hope it gets better.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW.

I much preferred "Snow Flower..." to "Peony...".   Can't quite put my finger on why, but I think for me, I'd much rather she did NOT die...it was a brutal shock to my system when I read that and I was thinking,  "How can the book go on?"  Then did NOT like how the book went on.  I'd much rather have a live main character to read about.  That's the only thing I can think of. 

I didn't feel too sympathetic to the main character, either.

I LOVED Peony, but it seems I'm in the minority. I've not yet read Snow Flower, so I can't compare the two.

From reviews I've read, I think they are just different kinds of books. Snow Flower is much more realistic, while Peony has a fantasy/fairy tale feel to it.

I got into a hump too after she died. but keep reading. It got better. I started it 2 days ago and I only have about 50 pages left! I think I'm enjoying this one a lot more. I'm going through this book faster. My ethnicity is Asian and I really like how the author talkes about the traditions and beliefs about ghosts and ancestors without sounding too educational. Just talks about it because that's the way it is/was.

Kim

I also enjoyed Peony but think you have to read the whole thing to understand the story.  Yes it is a lot of thier traditions and beliefs that makes this book.