Lily

I've been very intrigued by the varying opinions on this book. It wasn't until several of you commented on how depressing the book is that I realized that it is depressing. I guess that I viewed it as one woman's life journey, her regrets, and her attempts to make amends. I was proud of Lily for finally seeing the carnage of her life, even though her penitence was too little too late.
The comments that were made about basing one's decisions on their horoscope, and the role of women in that culture made me wonder what kinds of things I would/wouldn't do living in such confinement. In Lily's shoes, how many of us would place compassion over obedience to family honor. I too appreciate how blessed we are to live in this country at this time. We have the choice to be whatever we choose. We are not considered worthless if we never marry or bare sons. Some of the people I admire most in my life are my single friends and family members. I would never want any of them to underestimate the impact for good that they have had on me and others.

I can't say that I disliked Lily, but I was disappointed in her at times. I felt that Lily was very stuborn, and greedily held onto her grudge under the guise of duty. Perhaps that came from her inability to allow others to love her, or her failure to see that she was worth loving. Her relationship with her husband was heartbreaking because he loved her, but she didn't love herself enough to love him back.

Lily's aunt (I can't remember her name right now) was probably my favorite character. She seemed to have an inate ablility to find joy in the mundane.

I was going to apologize to those of you who didn't care for the book, but I think that that is one of the best parts of beloning to a book club. We don't always have to like or appreciate the books that others choose, but it's good to read a variety of genres, see other perspectives, and think about things that we might not otherwise.

I'm excited about reading "Jane Eyre" again. It's one of my all time favorites. I promise that my next pick will have nothing to do with the Chinese culture.