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At the beginning of the book, the narrator speaks lovingly about the roses that she cherishes gifted to her family and passed down. The cover art does not look like a rose. Is it? If not, why are these not the prized roses that were so important to spend a page on and then never mention again. In fact, the author did that a lot. Do you think that she just forgot?

She probably emphasized on the story rather than the cover so, practically, she must have just forgotten about it.

The roses would have been nice on the cover as they were so special to Lady Sougyon. I wonder if when deciding on the cover, a more oriental type of flower seemed more appropriate to the author.

The roses would have made more sense. Is there any link to the flower on the cover and Korean culture?

For me, I create my projects first (music), then I look for the best cover arts that fit and edit it when I find it. Sometimes, I don't find the exact one I need and I go for the next best thing. That's just an example of the many possible reasons why the cover art is as it is.

While I agree that the cover does not look like a rose (even an “English Royal Rose Bush”), the author did not completely forget about them. She specifically mentions transporting them with her when she and Embon have to temporarily relocate because of his illness. It is strange, though, that the picture on the cover does not look like any rose I have ever seen (and I looked online to make sure) when they are almost as precious to the narrator as her son is.

Dimi1 wrote: ↑02 Feb 2021, 05:51 She probably emphasized on the story rather than the cover so, practically, she must have just forgotten about it.

I totally agree with you. The author wasn't writing about the cover but the story.

I wonder how the book would have been when it was littered all over with stories about roses. To me, it is good as it is and there are mentions about the roses in the book but not so much to make it a book about roses.

To add on my previous point, I think it is better if the author let's the narration guide him/her rather than restricting themselves to what the cover displays.

The cover is beautiful. Roses would be a nice touch, though. Especially given their inclusion in the plot.

It would have been made more sense if the rose were used for the cover art since she so lovingly talked about them.

Dimi1 wrote: ↑02 Feb 2021, 05:51 She probably emphasized on the story rather than the cover so, practically, she must have just forgotten about it.

It might be true that her emphasis was the story and not the cover. However, the cover page always aims at preparing the reader on what they will be reading about so it has to be relevant to the story.

After reading a book I always asked myself how the book cover and book title fits the big picture. The title I eventually understand but the cover, it's so wrong. Right color but the wrong plant. It could have been more appropriate if its a perennial flower. For me, the pink rose signifies that Lady Sougyon is clinging to her past.

Krienkie wrote: ↑10 Feb 2021, 14:05 The roses would have made more sense. Is there any link to the flower on the cover and Korean culture?

I've learned that the flower on the cover represents Korean national symbol and can be interpreted as a rose

I remember there is a reviewer said that the flower on the cover is pink hibiscus. It's considered the national flower of South Korea, so I think the cover represents the country as a whole, or it could be that it's a symbol of Korea's freedom. As for the roses, it's Lady Sougyon's personal fondness, so it's not really necessary to place them on the cover, since Lady Sougyon is not the main focus of the story.