Product Description
The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.
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 Riveting! ( aweirick4 )
A beautiful book written with characteristic simplicity. If one appreciates this book one should read The Sword and the Blossom. A true story of a romance which leaves an imprint on one's soul and heart.
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Great Book Club Book
This is a touching story that blends both Chinese and Japanese cultures at a time when war is closely on the horizon. The characters are well developed with a bit of mystery about them. I loved it and recommend it highly!
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Beautiful and Moving
This book is beautifully written. The characters are complex and drawn with such skill and intimacy that by the end of the book you feel as though you have truly known each one of them and seen into a piece of their world. Moving and poignant, but not dark, the story and the characters will stay with you long after you finish the book.
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Great Read!
Pleasurable read. She has a nice flow to her writing, the story was interesting.
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A beautifully crafted novel
This story was simplistic and wonderful. I read it in two days and was mesmerized by the rich culture. The best book I've read in a long time
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Addiction
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