Sharon L

So, I read this book about 4 years ago, give or take a few months. At the time I was engrossed with the chinese culture and read other books as well (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Empress, The Good Women of China, etc. etc). The thing is- this is one of those books I never got to read from start to finish. I read the start, I read the end and I skimmed in-between. The fault is equally mine as well as the book. I failed to like it and it failed to catch my interest. The MC is supposed to get marry to this dude, but she meets this guy with whom she has instant connection. she falls in love with him and grieve her coming marriage, so she starve herself to death without knowing that said guy is also intended dude. She die and only then realize her mistake. all this happens in the very beginning. So it's no major spoiler. Now, since she was engaged and died before there's this whole complication with her burial that causes her soul to wonder on earth. up to here the book had my attention, Somehow my heart felt a little for the crossed lovers despite MC stupidity. The book still had my attention when said soul became obsessed with her supposed husband and with this thing she tried to write while starving herself...I'm going to sidetrack for a moment...the books talks of a song/story (sorry, details are a little blurbed) about these two star crossed lovers and the girl starving herself from sadness and love sickness but she writes this love letter/poem to her lover. Our MC felt the same way, and was obsessed with this story. Since she couldn't finish the thing in her life she tried her best in her death. from that point on the story both lost me and bored me- there's something about her trying to find a new wife for her husband (she finds two) and making that wife work to finish that thing she wrote. meanwhile years pass. The problem with this book is the selfishness of the MC. she was close to happibess but didn't get it due to her own stupidity, well, fine! but does she really need to take others happiness from them,including the guy she loves, in the name of getting her goal? !I know that a character doesn't have to be likeable but she needs to make sense on one level or another, and not make me roll my eyes and wish I could kill her ghost! which leads me to talk of Lisa See tendecies of writing a purely selfish and faulty character- the kind that has great potential for happiness but due to self indulgence happens to destroy her own chances in happiness and bring everyone down with her. (I dare say See takes this whole faulty unlikeable characters to a whole new level).I could overlook it on the first book I read by Lisa See, and to some degree even on this second one. but not on the third time (Shanghai Girls), and since I do not wish to write a ranty review there, I'll caught to the chase-See writes well, her stories allow us a glimpse at history and she doesn't try to keep the ugly details out. I appreciate her for that but I keep feeling like I read the same MC over and over again and it tires me plenty, kind of like when this actor keeps on playing that same character in different plays and movies only under different names and appearences. which is why I would be parting ways from Lisa See's books, at least for now.