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The Samurai's Garden: A Novel

The Samurai's Garden: A Novel
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The Samurai's Garden: A Novel

 
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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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Product Details
Author:Gail Tsukiyama
Paperback:224 pages
Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date:April 15, 1996
Language:English
ISBN:0312144075
Product Length:8.2 inches
Product Width:5.48 inches
Product Height:0.59 inches
Product Weight:0.46 pounds
Package Length:8.2 inches
Package Width:5.4 inches
Package Height:0.5 inches
Package Weight:0.45 pounds
Average Customer Rating: based on 133 reviews

Features
  • ISBN13: 9780312144074

  • Condition: New

  • Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed


Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:4.5
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

2Weak Showing  Sep 09, 2010
I feel lukewarm about this book. I didn't have any expectations going in as my mother-in-law let me borrow it. I didn't seek it out. For a short book, it took me forever to get through! I found myself rereading sections because it couldn't keep my attention.

I can't tell what's wrong with this book. The basic plot of this book is that Stephan, a young Chinese man, is sent to his family's beach house in Japan to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. The plot has a lot of intricacies: the war and being an outsider in enemy territory, tuberculosis, leprosy, Stephan's parents' strained relationship, unrequited love, and cracking the shell of his companion/care-taker. There's enough going on that the story should have held my attention. I think it was the journalistic style that sucked the life out of this story. The writing was bland and unimaginative. The fact-checking was lacking as well. Can you swim when you're recuperating from TB? Should you be kissing girls and befriending lepers?

I thought this would be a peaceful and enlightening story. It wasn't. I'm disappointed at how weak this novel was.

1the samuris garden  Aug 10, 2010
The book arrived on time but it's condition was poor. As I was finsihing the story I was disappointed to find that 8 pages were missing from the ending.

4A graceful read  Jul 26, 2010
I would recommend this book for those who enjoy a feeling of calm, and yet the book has enough of an action thread to hold your interest through the end. Gail Tsukiyama's compassion for her characters really comes through in her writing. A very graceful read--one worth your time.

5AP World History Review  May 17, 2010
I thought this book was very interesting. This was especially true of its portrayal of Japanese culture. The plot line was intriguing and the book was well written. The characters in the book added to the general appeal of the novel. They helped make the image of situation between Japan and China in the time period very clear. They also showed the differentiating qualities between the two counties. Through the course of the book, the reader comes to respect and feel a connection to each character.
I think Gail Tsukiyama thoroughly accomplished her purpose with this novel. The Samurai's Garden leaves the reader with a sense of the culture of the time period and the military situation between China and Japan. I would definitely recommend this book. I found this book to be an enjoyable and informative book worth reading.


4Me  May 15, 2010
This is a pretty good book and is definitely worth it for the amazingly cheap price Amazon has,

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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