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bree_of_the_woods's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
harrisonarachel's review against another edition
1.0
It felt all very rushed to be honest.
I did read it very quickly, it was easy to read, but I didn't really gain any insight or deeper understanding of how another family might live.
It would have been more interesting if we stayed more on Haruko's journey. From what she was used to, how she grew up, and then had to transition. Rather than trying to add all of these future characters in.
Learn more about Shige. It was said on many occasions that he was a lovely guy, but never really showed how. And that it was such a huge risk to choose Haruko as his wife, but for him, nothing really came of that decision? Life just went on as normal for him.
Always ambitious to be writing about a whole different culture than your own, but if "Memoirs of a Geisha" is anything to compare it to, then this fell flat.
I did read it very quickly, it was easy to read, but I didn't really gain any insight or deeper understanding of how another family might live.
It would have been more interesting if we stayed more on Haruko's journey. From what she was used to, how she grew up, and then had to transition. Rather than trying to add all of these future characters in.
Learn more about Shige. It was said on many occasions that he was a lovely guy, but never really showed how. And that it was such a huge risk to choose Haruko as his wife, but for him, nothing really came of that decision? Life just went on as normal for him.
Always ambitious to be writing about a whole different culture than your own, but if "Memoirs of a Geisha" is anything to compare it to, then this fell flat.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
3.5***
Set in Japan, beginning shortly before World War II, this novel tells the story of Haruko, a young woman from a very good family. She is coming of age as Tokyo rebuilds after the war, and she gets a taste of the outside world when her best friend writes letters from America, where her father is a diplomat. She is lovely, educated and accomplished, and Haruko attracts the attention of several suitors. The summer after she completes her university studies, Haruko and her family take a summer house in a resort town, where she spends much time playing tennis at the club. It is during a doubles tournament that she meets the Crown Prince of Japan, when she and her partner are paired against the young heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. This encounter will completely change her life.
If my synopsis makes this sound like a light romance, that is my failing. The dust jacket information tells the reader that Haruko will marry the prince, and fall subject to an ancient and intractable imperial household seemingly bent on destroying her. It is her struggle to maintain a certain independence and control over her life, and that of her child, that forms the true nucleus of the novel.
Schwartz gives us a rich background into the traditions and inner workings of the court. I was transported into this very different world. Right alongside Haruko, I experienced the luxury of this rare existence, and the restrictions imposed by the traditions, expectations and obligations of the position. I felt her frustration and grief as she lost the woman she had been (and might have become), and celebrated her small victories. I’m less satisfied with the way in which the novel ends. There is a several-decades long gap in the middle of the book, before Schwartz takes Haruko’s struggle into the next generation. How I wish he had stayed with Haruko and her life-long efforts to come to terms with the consequences of her marriage into the imperial family.
Readers should note that while Schwartz drew inspiration from the personal histories of certain members of the Japanese Imperial Family, the characters and incidents in this novel are a total fabrication. Although a Google search will point out certain similarities…
Set in Japan, beginning shortly before World War II, this novel tells the story of Haruko, a young woman from a very good family. She is coming of age as Tokyo rebuilds after the war, and she gets a taste of the outside world when her best friend writes letters from America, where her father is a diplomat. She is lovely, educated and accomplished, and Haruko attracts the attention of several suitors. The summer after she completes her university studies, Haruko and her family take a summer house in a resort town, where she spends much time playing tennis at the club. It is during a doubles tournament that she meets the Crown Prince of Japan, when she and her partner are paired against the young heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. This encounter will completely change her life.
If my synopsis makes this sound like a light romance, that is my failing. The dust jacket information tells the reader that Haruko will marry the prince, and fall subject to an ancient and intractable imperial household seemingly bent on destroying her. It is her struggle to maintain a certain independence and control over her life, and that of her child, that forms the true nucleus of the novel.
Schwartz gives us a rich background into the traditions and inner workings of the court. I was transported into this very different world. Right alongside Haruko, I experienced the luxury of this rare existence, and the restrictions imposed by the traditions, expectations and obligations of the position. I felt her frustration and grief as she lost the woman she had been (and might have become), and celebrated her small victories. I’m less satisfied with the way in which the novel ends. There is a several-decades long gap in the middle of the book, before Schwartz takes Haruko’s struggle into the next generation. How I wish he had stayed with Haruko and her life-long efforts to come to terms with the consequences of her marriage into the imperial family.
Readers should note that while Schwartz drew inspiration from the personal histories of certain members of the Japanese Imperial Family, the characters and incidents in this novel are a total fabrication. Although a Google search will point out certain similarities…
thriftylibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Alright, so the premise of this novel is great - a commoner marries into Japanese royalty and has to adapt to her new surroundings. The book spans the years of about 1930-1990, so there's a lot of economic and social changes happening. Unfortunately, the first half of the book was so dull it barely held my interest. Once Haruko, the aforementioned commoner, marries into the royal family, things get a little more interesting. She's finally showing some emotion, it's still mainly surface level emotions. The characters don't feel like real people, although the history is at least somewhat well researched.
babyruth510's review against another edition
4.0
This novel was based upon the life of a commoner who married the Crown Prince of Japan in 1959. It was a little slow to start but once I got into it I couldn't put this book down. It was a fascinating look into the life and rituals of Japan's Imperial family and how isolating and lonely it is.
margocandela's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in a few night (and a couple of middle of the night) sessions. It definitely has a very specific tone and flow that work well with the story subject. And that it's told in first person from a female perspective and was written by a man says a lot about the quality of the writing.
I got so sucked into the subject so much so that I'm adding a book on Princess Masako and what sounds like her oppressive life as Japanese royalty. For me when one book leads to another, that's a good thing. More to read and learn.
I got so sucked into the subject so much so that I'm adding a book on Princess Masako and what sounds like her oppressive life as Japanese royalty. For me when one book leads to another, that's a good thing. More to read and learn.
ladyapplejack's review
4.5
I really enjoyed this generational journey, however I was a bit unsatisfied by the ending, but only because I would've liked to have known more about the future of the characters.
amysbrittain's review against another edition
3.0
I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, but it was a little cold and distant in the telling...which fits the story being told, of a young woman in WWII-era Japan who by chance meets and eventually marries a prince who becomes emperor. When she enters her marriage, her life becomes controlled and orchestrated by others and all freedoms are taken from her--even that of spending time with her children, which was hard to read. An interesting book, though, detailed and appealing, if not as affecting as it might have been.
hoserlauren's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't get in to it. Got through about 50 pages and gave up because it was all description of nothing really happening to people I didn't really care about.