China - 1918 to the Present

Thirteen-year-old Xiang Xiang finds her life turned upside down when her father, in a brave attempt to save a girl, is wrongly accused of murder, and executed. Poverty stricken after her husband's death, Xiang Xiang's mother decides to become a nun, and entrusts her daughter to a little-known relative who promises to take good care of her. Xiang Xiang is whisked away to the beautifully named Peach Blossom Pavilion, unaware that it is a well-known brothel in Shanghai. The girl vainly waits for letters from her mother as she is taught by the "sisters" how to please the customers. It becomes clear early on to Xiang Xiang that her "aunt", Fang Rong, is cruel and heartless when she denies the girl's request to see her mother off to the Buddhist convent. For Xiang Xiang sneaks out to do so, and when she returns, her punishment is terrifying.

In the early years of her training, Xiang Xiang makes friends with some of the people at Peach Blossom Pavilion. Her closest friend, and the girl who trains her, is Pearl, one of the clients' most popular courtesans. She trains Xiang Xiang to play beautiful music, recite poetry, and to please men. Xiang Xiang's inexperience in everyday life means that each day brings shocking new realities to the young girl. She must begin earning her way, and once she does, she becomes one of the most sought-after employees. But throughout her ordeal, Xiang Xiang wonders about her mother, and also wonders how long it will take her to buy her way out of the sinister clutches of Fang Rong to avenge her father's death.

PEACH BLOSSOM PAVILION sounds as if it should be a gloriously enchanting place. What it hides behind its ornate exterior, though, is a degrading existence for pretty girls who have little recourse but to keep working. Xiang Xiang is the exception, for she has a goal to fulfill -- revenge for the man who had her father executed, and to find her mother again. Some clients, like the American who visits Xiang Xiang just for her music and conversation, are kind, but others, such as the disgusting Big Master Fung, who monopolizes her, have no concern for the girl. She longs for someone who will love her for herself. The journey she eventually takes is both exciting and poignant as Xiang Xiang finds not only what she seeks, in many ways, but also discovers herself.

A riveting account of mysterious lifestyles in pre-Communist China, PEACH BLOSSOM PAVILION is filled with amazing characters and unique stories. Xiang Xiang begins her tale through the eyes of an adolescent, shocked, and heartbroken at her losses. Her strength and perseverance is brilliantly portrayed in this stunningly presented novel. Beautifully written, readers will not be able to put this book down until the last page is turned.

Jani Brooks